Boasting an abundance of wildlife, breathtaking scenery, crystal clear rivers & tranquil alpine meadows, Cazorla is an amazing place. It has to be one of the best natural parks in Spain for photography & hiking. I spent five days in the park in 2009 with the goal of photographing the stunning landscapes & nature.

Officially called the “Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park”, Cazorla is a protected reserve in Jaen province in Andalucia, Spain. With an area of over 2,000 km2, it is the largest protected area in Spain and the second largest in Europe. It was declared a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1983.

Two of the Spain’s most important rivers, the Río Guadalquivir and the Segura, have their sources in the Sierra de Cazorla. Water is abundant in the park, with innumerable crystal clear, trout-filled rivers winding their way through some of the wildest scenery on the Iberian Peninsula.

There is a particularly beautiful walk (22km return) following the Rio Borosa up to its source high in the sierra. I was blown away by the scenery along this trail, particularly on the ascent where, as I came around each corner, it revealed an even more spectacular view than the last. The sound of rushing water & birdsong echoes through the deep valleys. Magnificent limestone karst formations & snow capped peaks form a stunnning backdrop, enhanced by the towering black pines & hidden waterfalls & gorges.

The park is home to a huge variety of plants, in fact, over 2170 species have been recorded, 34 of which are endemic to the region. The mountains of Cazorla also protect Spain’s largest continuous area of pine forest, with representatives of nearly all pine species found in the Iberian Peninsula.

The variety of fauna is also impressive, 51 species of mammals, 185 birds, 21 reptiles (including an endemic lizard), 12 amphibians, 11 fish and one of the highest number of butterfly species in the Iberian peninsula, with 112 varieties found here. The park supports healthy populations of the ‘big five’ Spanish mammals – Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), Fallow Deer (Dama dama), Spanish Ibex (Capra pyrenaica) Wild boar (Sus scrofa) and Mouflon (Ovis aries orientalis). Cazorla is probably the best area in Spain for seeing and photographing wildlife at close quarters & I saw all five of these larger mammals fairly easily.

I have posted a few photos from the trip below. You can see more images of Cazorla in my stock photo archive.

Sunset over Cazorla National Park, Jaen Province, Spain

Beautiful waterfalls in the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park.

Trees reflecting in still water, Cazorla National Park, Jaen Province, Spain

Iberian Wild Boar Piglets (Sus scrofa baeticus), Cazorla National Park, Jaen Province, Andalucia, Spain