 The Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park
The Park is a 186,000 hectare Natural Park of wooded hills close to the border with Portugal and lying within Spain’s longest mountain range - the Sierra Morena. The Sierra de Aracena is one of Andalucia’s little-visited gems where an excellent network of footpaths weave their way through chestnut and oak woods from one tiny village to the next. A long spring fills the valleys with wild flowers, blooming until early June, while the shade of the woodland keeps walkers cool even on the warmest days of summer and autumn brings warm days, changing colours and the occasional showers. Whitewashed towns and villages, often huddled round a large church or castle, are dotted around the Sierra. With an extensive network of footpaths and centuries-old drovers’ tracks, many now signposted and marked on walking maps, it’s easy to explore the Sierra on foot or on horseback. With many walks in the central part of the Sierra, you don’t have to go far to reach the next village and there are lots of circular routes. Flora  An impressive 90% of the park is covered by woodland of mainly oak and chestnut. There are also thickets of wild fig trees and sarsaparillas, substituted in part by poplar groves, pine woods and eucalyptus. The streambeds and brooks are colonized by species that have adapted to wet swampy ground such as willow, alder, and ash. The landscape is full of contrasts with gently rolling hills and wooded valleys gradually giving way to dramatic rocky outcrops on high peaks. Aside from the woodlands, springtime in the Sierra offers the chance to see wildflowers such as the tasselled Hyacinth, star of Bethlehem, wild Gladioli, St. John’s wort, wild peonies, Spanish lavender, wild iris and cistus rockrose to mention a few. Summer brings with it a variety of local fruit and vegetable of a quality hard to find outside the park.
Fauna  There is a rich and varied wildlife with plenty of chances to spot large birds of prey and other exciting animals in their natural habitat. Among the species of birds of prey which regularly nest in the Park are the black and griffon vultures, harriers, the golden, booted, royal and snake eagles and the kestrel. The buzzard, the black stork, black and common European kites and the black vulture also nest here. The meadows of Holm oaks and cork oaks provide the habitat for many species of wildlife, a keen eye might spot roe deer, wild boar, otters, mongoose, wildcat, ferret, fox and stone marten. The Sierra is also very famous for its black Iberian pigs, these can be seen everywhere, particularly under the Holm oak trees eating the acorns that give them their distinctive flavour and unmatched quality.
Aracena This small market town is the economic hub of the region, where the wares of craftsmen, farmers and traders are sold in the various shops. People from all over the Sierra congregate in the picturesque town to do their shopping, buy supplies or stop for drinks and tapas in the many bars, taverns and open-air cafes. The whitewashed houses of Aracena are dominated by the hilltop 9th century castle and its 11th century Knights Templar church. The maze of narrow cobbled streets and small tree-lined plazas all point towards the fantastic limestone grottos of the ‘Cave of Marvels’ that run under the town, some of the most spectacular caves in Europe. The caves can be explored by all ages and abilities and guided tours run daily. Access The Sierra is easily accessible and the improved roads make the journey from Aracena to Seville an easy hour’s drive. Seville is a beautiful and historic city, linked to the rest of Europe by daily charter and schedule flights, a high speed intercity train service and numerous bus services.
Two major roads cross the Sierra: the east-west Seville-Lisbon N433 and the north-south Huelva-Badajoz (Extremadura) N435. There are twice-daily trains from Huelva to the Sierra’s two stations:Almonaster-Cortegana and El Repilado. The minor roads linking villages in the Sierra have been much improved in recent years.
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