Nature

The Serrania de Ronda boasts an awe-inspiring natural world, complete with stunning natural parks, rich fauna and flora, and majestic Ronda mountains. Engaging in a range of activities in this region can be a soul-nurturing experience for visitors seeking a brief yet profound encounter with nature. From hiking and birdwatching to picnicking and photography, the natural wonders of Andalucía offer endless possibilities for exploration and discovery.

To help visitors make the most of their limited time in the region, we regularly update our nature articles to showcase the best attractions, sights, and experiences available. Our comprehensive guides provide insider tips and recommendations to help visitors fully immerse themselves in the captivating beauty of the Serrania de Ronda. So whether you have just one day or two, we are confident that our nature articles will help you create an unforgettable experience that will leave you longing to return.

Griffon Vulture of the Serranía

August 4, 2015August 4, 2015 by Clive Muir

A colossus in our mountains! With a wingspan of 2.8 metres and weighing 8 kilos, that’s 9 foot and 17lbs in old money, Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus is our largest resident raptor here in the Serranía de Ronda and Sierra de Grazalema.

Essentially a specialist carrion eater, this enormous bird is spectacular and the most easily seen raptor in our mountains. Throughout Spain, this species has increased steadily over the past 15 years by the provision of feeding stations, the last official census carried out to ascertain the number of breeding birds put the population at 17,000 pairs.

Why not take a day out with Wildside Holidays to discover the wildlife of the Sierra de Grazalema

Clive Muir

I’ve been living in this lovely area of Western Andalucia for the last 20 years or so and dedicate most of my time to the running of English language tourist information websites for the towns of Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema, the famous or infamous Caminito del Rey, and also Wildside Holidays, which promotes sustainable and eco-friendly businesses running wildlife and walking holidays in Spain. My articles contain affiliate links that will help you reserve a hotel, bus, train or activity in the area. You don’t pay more, but by using them you do support this website. Thankyou!

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Prickly Pear (Higo Chumbo)

August 3, 2015July 26, 2015 by Clive Muir

Dotting the Andalucian countryside from high to low, the Prickly Pear, or Higo Chumbo as it’s known in Spanish, has become one of the iconic symbols of the region. Even though the succulent is found from Portugal to the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean, in Andalucia the fruit is held in special regard as a dessert.

Looking like an unfriendly briar patch of thorns attached to flat green paddles, the Prickly Pear is a succulent that grows in dry and semi-arid conditions, and can be a large as a mini-van when fully grown. Typically they will clump together making an impenetrable wall.

The variety most often seen in the wild in Andalucia is green with a checkerboard pattern of the thorns on the flats of the leaves spaced about 2.5cm apart, and two rows of offset thorns around the outer edges. The fruit grows on the outer edges of leaves and begins as a green bulb that usually grows to about the size of a pear, but more oval in shape.

Clive Muir

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Bonelli’s Eagle, Icon of the Serranía

March 9, 2016April 30, 2015 by Clive Muir

Bonelli’s Eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus) master of our skies.

If you were to search for an emblematic species which would define the importance of the Serranía de Ronda and the Sierra de Grazalema for wildlife, then the Bonelli’s Eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus) would be the definitive and unequivocal choice.

Among the rarest species of raptor in Europe, the Bonelli’s Eagle has perhaps, for the moment, its highest breeding density in the world right here in the Serranía de Ronda!

Clive Muir

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Ronda Walk Pine Forest Dehesa del Mercadillo

March 9, 2016April 26, 2015 by Clive Muir

The park Dehesa del Mercadillo is a pine forest just outside Ronda on the Ronda-Sevilla road, and is very easy to get to, however the direct route doesn’t take in any of the valley below Ronda, but using the industrial area of Ronda as a starting point passes through some gorgeous countryside with mountains on the horizon, along farm roads with numerous horse studs before finally entering the forest from the north.

Clive Muir

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Woodcock Orchid – Ophrys Scolopax

August 3, 2015April 1, 2015 by Clive Muir

The Woodcock Orchid is my favourite flower any time I go into the countryside, even though it isn’t always visible since it only blooms from March to June.

To find this orchid really means getting off the roads in most cases and onto farmland or public land in the Natural Parks, preferably to areas that haven’t had sheep or goats present.

Whilst the Woodcock Orchid is found all along the Mediterranean, as far as nature in Ronda goes, you really want to get up to Grazalema, which is where you’ll have the greatest chance of seeing it accessibly.

Clive Muir

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