Sierra Castril Nature Reserve

The Sierra de Castril is a mountainous area located in the northwest of the province of Granada, bordering the Cazorla and Segura mountain ranges and las Villas Natural Park. It is an area of rugged topography, with an abundance of ravines, hills and steep cliffs.

The park, located in the municipality of Castril in Granada, has altitudes ranging from 855 to 2,138 metres above sea level. The river Castril runs through it. Its rugged landscape features vegetation that, in the lower areas, is largely made up of species of the genus quercus – mainly holm oak, and forests of Aleppo pines. In more humid areas, these are replaced by gall oak, ash and maple. In the higher parts of the mountains, the predominant species is the bristlecone pine, which then gives way to creeping juniper and Pyrenean broom on the ridges and crags. This vegetation is rounded off by the presence of dense Mediterranean scrubland and fascinating endemic botanical species that are not very widely found. Thanks to the variety of mountain habitats, the fauna also shows a remarkable diversity. Of particular note is the griffon vulture population. Other species worth mentioning include the mountain goat, wild sheep, fallow deer, wild boar, lynx, wildcat and the marten, to name a few land-dwelling vertebrates. Birds include the golden eagle, peregrine falcon and the black kite.