Forest Gallery of the Ribera del Huéznar
Together with the Viar and the Retortillo, the Huéznar is one of the great tributaries on the right bank of the Guadalquivir as it passes through Seville. It is sixty-five kilometres long, of which fifteen pass through the Sierra Norte Nature Reserve. There is great geological diversity along this river, with waterfalls, rapids and travertine rocks which make up a complex, varied landscape, and a magnificent universe of plant life: the gallery forest.
From the source in the municipality of San Nicolás del Puerto, where it springs out from the depths of the earth, and as far as Cazalla de la Sierra, the Huéznar meanders through a picture postcard landscape.
In an area dominated by typical Mediterranean scrubland of oaks, the forest gallery constitutes a veritable green oasis inhabited by numerous species of plants and animals, such as ash, willow and alder trees. Colourful oleanders in bloom add splashes of colour to the shade of the river. In the surrounding area, in the foothills of the mountains, there are splendid forests of cork oaks, holm oaks, gall oaks, strawberry trees and the occasional chestnut tree and Pyrenean oak.
The dense hydrophilic vegetation bordering the banks of the river enables the humidity to be preserved and are the ideal environment for birds like kingfishers, American dippers and nightingales which nest and search for food in the nearby trees. There are some elusive aquatic mammals that are difficult to observe in other places, such as otters, which find the Huéznar an ideal environment where they can settle in small colonies. An ideal place to observe wildlife in all its splendour!
You can take the path that runs alongside the riverbed, on foot or by bike, and really enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Fresh, clean air, tranquillity and a silence that is only broken by the chirping of birds.
Next to the Ribera del Huéznar there are also a number of recreational areas, like Isla Margarita, which is accessed by crossing a small wooden bridge. They all have free access and are for public use, ideal for outdoor activities. Incidentally, as you pass through San Nicolás del Puerto you should learn all about its past as a milling town and visit the nearby spectacular mines of the Cerro del Hierro Natural Monument, together with the Rail Trail.
