The Sierras of Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park covers parts of the municipalities of
Alcaucín,
Alhama de Granada,
Arenas del Rey,
Canillas de Aceituno,
Canillas de Albaida,
Cómpeta,
Frigiliana,
Jayena,
Nerja,
Otívar,
Salares and
Sedella in the provinces of Málaga and Granada. The park covers . The park contains the
Sierra de Tejeda and
Sierra de Almijara mountains in the
Axarquía comarca of the eastern province of Málaga and the
Alhama comarca on the southwest of the province of Granada. It does not include the
Sierra de Alhama, which is further west.
Climate The mountains have relatively high levels of rainfall, with highest rainfall in December, January and March, and lowest in July. According to the Resource Management Plan (Decree 145/199 of the Junta de Andalucía) annual rainfall ranges from in
Cacín,
Almuñécar and
Nerja to in
Arenas del Rey,
Alcaucín and
Alfarnate. Temperatures in the areas with marine influence, including Nerja, Almuñecar, Frigiliana, Cómpeta, Canillas and Otívar, range from . Higher in the mountains the temperatures range from . Further inland in the
Alhama region they range from in summer.
Topography The Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Mountains extend north from the Mediterranean coast, with peaks over . The mountains contain deep ravines, steep slopes, sharp ridges and rugged crags. The mountains form a natural barrier between the two provinces. The peak of
Tejeda (La Maroma) is high, and commands dramatic views of the surrounding mountains and the Mediterranean coast. Other peaks are
Cerro del Lucero at and
Navachica at . All of the park has the
calcareous formations of the
Subbética region, with
marbles,
shales,
phyllites, etc. The area is rich in
quartzite and
gneiss over 300 million years old. The most common rock in the Sierra Tejeda is
limestone. The Sierra Almijara holds one of the Spain's main sources of
dolomitic marble. The marble gives white and gray tones to the ridges and ravines. The limestone has been eaten out by water to create a maze of fissures, depressions and caves, including the deep canyon of the
Chíllar River, the
Polje of
Zafarraya, the
Caves of Nerja and La Fájara cave. The Caves of Nerja (
Cueva de Nerja), with an entrance just south of the park, is a National Monument, as is the
Sima de la Maroma (Maroma Gap). The rivers and streams that drain the sierras to the south feed the Río Guaro, Río Vélez, Río Algarrobo, Río Torrox,
Río Chíllar, and the Río Verde in
Almuñécar to the east. To the west, some of the streams feed the Arroyo de la Madre, which is lost in the Polje de Zafarraya. To the north, the rivers ultimately feed the
Guadalquivir, whose main basins are those of the Río Alhama,
Río Cacín, Río Añales and Río Cebollón. The Río Grande and Río Granada feed the
Los Bermejales Reservoir. The rivers and streams descend rapidly down the mountain slopes, with spectacular waterfalls such as
Los Árboles Petrificados (The Petrified Trees), where limestone (
calcium carbonate) in the water fossilized ancient logs. Elsewhere the waters have carved dramatic gorges, called
Cahorros in the region. The principal peaks are: • ==Flora==