Parque Natural de los Montes de Málaga

The Montes de Málaga stretch across 4,996 hectares just five kilometres from the city centre, making this natural park the closest green lung to a major city in all of Andalusia. Its history explains the landscape: until the 19th century, these hillsides were blanketed with vineyards producing the celebrated Málaga wine, exported to tables in London, Amsterdam, and Hamburg. Phylloxera ravaged the vines at the end of that century, and in the 1920s a large-scale reforestation with Aleppo pines was undertaken to stop the flooding that repeatedly struck the capital. Today, among the planted pinewoods, pockets of original Mediterranean forest survive with holm oaks, cork oaks, and Portuguese oaks that hint at the pre-vineyard landscape.

The terrain is organised into hills and ravines forming the left bank of the Guadalmedina river basin, with elevations from 80 metres at the lowest access points up to 1,031 metres at the highest peaks. This altitude range creates microclimates that shape both vegetation and the walking experience: shaded north-facing slopes stay cool even in summer, with ferns and mosses carpeting the rocks beneath a closed canopy, while sun-drenched slopes smell of rosemary and sun-warmed pine resin. On clear winter mornings, the Mediterranean Sea is visible to the south and the first foothills rise to the north, with Málaga city spreading to the coast below.

Four signposted trails — El Cerrado, Pocopán, Torrijos, and Umbría de Contadoras — cover the main routes, ranging from 2 to 8 km with low to moderate difficulty. But the real wealth lies in over 100 kilometres of forest tracks and lanes, closed to motor vehicles but open to walkers and cyclists, allowing custom-length itineraries across the entire park. The Torrijos route leads to a restored lagar where the traditional winemaking process of the Montes is demonstrated, connecting nature with the area's agricultural past. The faunal inventory records 93 bird species, 25 mammals, 19 reptiles, and 9 amphibians, with the common chameleon living in the lower zones near the peri-urban agricultural fringe — one of the few places in Europe where this species can be seen in the wild.

Access from Málaga city is quick via the A-7000 road, which winds uphill through the pines for about 15-20 minutes. The Lagar de Torrijos serves as an interpretation centre and starting point for several routes. The proximity to the city and moderate elevation gain make the Montes de Málaga a half-day or full-day destination that locals visit on weekends to walk, cycle, or sit down for a mountain lunch at one of the roadside ventas: migas with chorizo, oven-roasted kid, and local wine. It also functions as an ecological corridor connecting the coast with the inland sierras, a role biologists value as much as its recreational use.