On our holiday in Andalusie we'll stayed a day in El Torcal. We'll walked from the camperparking to the visitorscentre and found this beautiful place. An old shepperds hut so we thought. The walk to the cache is about 30 minutes from the visitorsparking and 60 minutes from the camperparking at the beginning of the road. If you start at the camperparking its a nice daytrip with El Torcal.
Most geologically stunning of all of Andalucía’s natural parks, El Torcal de Antequera Natural Park Reserve has a surreal, almost eerie feel to it.
Known for its unique limestone formations, the whole area was under the Tethys Sea some 150 million years ago. Violent Earth crust movements forced the seabed upwards into hills and mountains, a couple of which are just over 1,300m (the highest being the Camorro de Siete Mesas at 1,336m).
This was followed by millions of years of wind and rain erosion that has produced some of the most spectacular limestone scenery found anywhere in Europe. Amazingly, this unique landscape is only an hour’s drive from Málaga (approximately 45km north of Málaga and only 13km south of Antequera).
There are many hiking routes, including organised ones – and visiting it makes for a fantastic day out for the whole family.
In 1989, the Junta de Andalucía finally acquired control of the land and the Torcal was reclassified as a Natural Park Reserve. It’s easy to see why it was so sought after: it has some of the most striking karst formations in Europe – that is, a landscape formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone.
The history of El Torcal – Dinosaur country
The stone making up the Torcal belongs to a series of marine sedimentary rock that dates from the Mesozoic age. During this “Middle Life” Era, life rapidly diversified. Spanning from about 252 million years ago to a mere 66 million years ago, this period was also known as the age of the dinosaurs.
Being higher up, the Torcal has a unique microclimate with a lot more rainfall than surrounding areas. Due to it being particularly porous and soluble, the carbonate-rich limestone rock dissolves fairly easily, thus creating the fascinating natural sculptures that dominate the terrain.
Because of the porous nature of the limestone rock, it also makes the region a “perfect reservoir” with underground rivers and a high water table. The source of one of Antequera’s most important rivers, Río La Villa, is just at the base of the Sierra del Torcal.
The human influence on El Torcal
People have been inhabiting the area since around 5500 BC. From the Neanderthals up to the Homo sapiens.
The earliest evidence of human occupation is to be found in and around the Cueva del Toro. Various cave paintings and human remains have been discovered, all pointing to a fairly permanent settlement during the Chalcolithic period – the period roughly from 3500 to 1700 BC.
This particular part of the Megalithic age is of specific importance to Antequera, coinciding with the building of the ancient burial sites known collectively as the Antequera Dolmens Site, made up of three amazing Megalithic monuments, and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Romans also left their mark by constructing many of the roads that lead to the mountain range. Some remains of these are still visible around the Boca del Asno and the Puerto de las Escanuelas.
The Boca del Asno pass also played a particularly important part in later history during the battles between the Moors and Christians. It is said that a bloody battle in the 1400s led to the loss of 15,000 Moors but considerably fewer Christians – 120. The difference in numbers of people killed is thought to be because the Christians wore protective armour while the Moors did not. It wasn’t long after that the Christians captured this region of Spain.
Flora and Fauna
Despite the harsh conditions and being at a relatively high altitude, the reserve has a large array of flora and fauna. Some of these are endemic to the Torcal mountain range.
Interspaced among the karst formations are lush almost tropical-like valleys full of vegetation and brimming with life. Walking through is unforgettable. There are tunnels of vegetation in what feels and looks like a prehistoric setting. Children will especially love it – every way you look captivates and fires the senses!
El Torcal is a floral paradise. Springtime is perhaps the best time to visit when it’s covered with beautiful wild flowers. Especially of note are the orchids – with more than 30 species. Wild rose bushes and various brambles create amazing vertical gardens across the rock faces.
As you walk, keep your eyes upwards but not only for these vertical gardens. Here is home to various raptors, including griffon vultures and golden eagles, often circling high above the landscape to scan the horizons for their next meal.
El Torcal also makes an ideal habitat for numerous reptiles. Two of these are native: the eyed lizard and the Montpellier snake – that can grow up to two metres in length!
However, the largest and most visible creature is, without doubt, the Ibex, the wild Iberian mountain goats. They seem to be everywhere. Watching you from every peak.
