Villa Ciscarejo Country house between orange groves in Gádor (Almería)

The Natural Park Sierra Maria-Los Vélez, the northernmost in the province, was placed under protection in 1987. It covers 22,500 hectares of impressive beauty, combining dry areas, the lushness of the forests and the snowy peaks in winter, which break the dryness of the Almería landscape. The plant biodiversity of the park includes 1,200 species, one of which is The most important elements are the oak forests at an altitude of over 1,000 meters. However, the largest contiguous green area is occupied by pine trees, of which two species can be found here: the black pine and the Aleppo pine.

The fauna of the area is of considerable interest because of its endemisms. The birds of prey fly across the sky and it is not difficult to see the silhouette of a golden eagle, booted eagle or short-toed eagle, eagle-hawk, sparrowhawk, goshawk or peregrine falcon. The griffon vulture is also being reintroduced.
The mammals are also very well represented in these forests, with the wild cat, genet cat, fox and polecat being particularly noteworthy, which live in the same habitat as the red squirrels and other reptiles.