Forest of La Alfahuara and the Thousand-Year-Old Juniper Tree

It is a crossroads and home to numerous species of flora and fauna. The altitude and geology of the area have conditioned the forest formations to be found here. Of all these features, the one that stands out because it is so unusual and excellently preserved is known as the Forest of La Alfahuara.

Although it has certainly been used since time immemorial, chronicles tell us that this ancient forest has been used since the 16th century, both as a hunting ground for the Fajardo family (Marquis of Los Vélez), and by the residents of nearby towns for livestock and forestry uses. 

The highlight consists of groups of Aleppo and Black Pines, two species of conifers typical of the Mediterranean coast. 

In the interior, where the placid semi-darkness is only broken occasionally by a red sky, there is a sharp contrast between the predominance of the pines and a very special undergrowth, consisting of rockroses, brooms, juniper bushes and the occasional holm oak.

The highest point on the route, where you can almost touch the clearest sky imaginable, the Puntal del Morral peak has magnificent views from a lookout point at the summit. From here, visitors can leisurely look out over a wide variety of landscapes, and very occasionally you may spot birds of prey in flight which build their nests amongst the rocks in the Nature Reserve. On the descent, from the Barranco Agrio ravine you can see the grove of oak trees that you have left behind, and the splendid forest on the upper part of the ravine, where maple trees, whitebeams and laurustines take your attention away from the stunning limestone crests on the horizon.

Nearby you will find the "Cueva de los Letreros", or Cave of the signposts, a World Heritage Site consisting of one of the finest and most important examples of cave art in the south of mainland Spain. It was discovered in the 19th century, and is renowned for an "indalo", a prehistoric symbol consisting of a figure of ambiguous symbology that has now become the emblem of the province.

In Chirivel you really should not miss the Sabina milenaria, a unique thousand-year-old juniper tree that is the only one in the province and which stands as a true relic of ancient times. It was declared a natural monument in 2003, and access to it is along a track which starts in the town and you reach the tree after a walk of about eleven kilometres.

It is an evergreen tree that is over fifteen metres high, and with its presence testifies to the existence of others of its kind and of a good size. It is surrounded by brooms, hawthorns and thyme bushes. The tortuous lines engraved around its trunk are evidence of its longevity and huge dimensions. It is here, at an altitude of 1,600 metres, with the Sierras de las Estancias y los Filabres on the horizon, that you become aware of the magnificence of silence.