El Torcal de Antequera

El Torcal de Antequera is a karst plateau at 1,200 metres above sea level in the sierra of the same name, in the province of Málaga. The rock is marine Jurassic limestone deposited around 150 million years ago on the floor of a tropical sea, later folded and uplifted by Alpine orogeny. What is visible today is the result of millions of years of differential erosion: rainwater carrying dissolved carbon dioxide has attacked the joints and fractures of the limestone, carving blocks into forms with no direct equivalent elsewhere on the Iberian Peninsula. International recognition reflects this singularity: El Torcal holds the status of Paraje Natural under the Junta de Andalucía, forms part of the Network of Protected Natural Spaces of Andalusia, and carries the declaration of Natural Monument. Since 2016 it has been a UNESCO Global Geopark within the Granada-Málaga Geopark, recognising its geological and geomorphological value at a global scale.

The landscape that visitors walk through is a succession of sinkholes, limestone pavements, fissures, arches and stone pillars. The formations carry popular names that attempt to capture their silhouette: the Screw, the Elephant, the Hat. The most voluminous are found in the Maclas sector, where blocks of several cubic metres appear to balance on improbable foundations. Human scale shrinks between these formations: visibility closes off within a few metres, and disorientation is immediate for anyone who leaves the marked paths. That labyrinthine effect is central to the experience. The rock is alive in geological terms: karst processes remain active today, though at speeds imperceptible to the human eye. On rainy days water runs through the channels of the limestone pavement and filters down into caves and underground galleries, some of which have yet to be fully mapped.

The vegetation covering El Torcal is Mediterranean and calcicole: holm oak, Portuguese oak, kermes oak and mastic in sheltered areas; thymes, lavender and multiple orchid species in open zones. In spring El Torcal blooms with an intensity that contrasts with the grey of the rock: orchids of the genus Ophrys, which mimic insects to attract pollinators, are particularly abundant from March to May. The vertical walls and rocky ledges provide nesting sites for peregrine falcon, common kestrel and red-billed chough — this last species frequently seen flying in noisy flocks over the lapiaz depressions. Wildcat and common genet are present though strictly nocturnal.

The visitor centre at the site, reached by the A-7075 road from Antequera, manages visitor flow and hosts a permanent exhibition on karst geology and biodiversity. Three marked trails leave from here: the green route (1.5 km, 45 minutes), accessible for all visitors; the yellow route (2.8 km, 1 h 30 min), which passes the most representative formations including El Sombrero and El Tornillo; and the red route (4.7 km, 3 hours), which reaches the Ventanillas viewpoint with views over Antequera and, on clear days, the Bay of Málaga. Venturing off marked trails requires hiring a licensed local guide, a measure that protects both visitors and the rock formations.