La Sierra de Aracena

Western Andalucia holds one of rural Spain's warmest, greenest natural reserves.

Just north of Seville, and relatively unknown, is a mountainous area richly covered with forests of cork oak, Mediterranean oak and sweet chestnut.

The Sierra de Aracena is Andalucia’s second largest Natural Park and yet it remains little visited and underpopulated, its 40,000 people spread over a huge 3,000 km².

It's a greener region than most in Andalucia, the sun combining with good winter rainfall to stimulate lush vegetation in stream-fed hills, wooded valleys and meadows.

Its villages, small and tranquil, belong an older Spain.

 Thanks to Aracena’s quiet history, its geographical position in a corner of the country, and mountainous topography, it has enjoyed a traditional remoteness. In this undisturbed world, where the road connection has only recently been improved to cut journey time from Seville to one hour, bird and other wildlife thrive.

Wildlife

Rocky heights offer a habitat to a significant variety of birds of prey, including black vultures and the Spanish Imperial Eagle, which has moved up here from wetland breeding grounds in the magnificent Doñana National Park in the south of the same province of Huelva.

Woodpeckers in forests, herons and egrets in the meadows have been joined by increasing numbers of cormorants and other waterfowl thanks to the building of reservoirs in the region. These have seen the return of species thought to be dying out, especially small predators such as lynx, badger, polecat, genet, weasel and otter. Deer and wild boar also populate the hills; only bears and wolves, victims of hunters, are now lost to the Sierra de Aracena.

Semi-domesticated, black Iberian pigs are a vital part of the local economy. They are let loose to roam the hillside in the autumn where they forage for acorns under the holm oaks. The cured ham from these pigs is world famous and pata negra (black leg) has become synonymous for top quality in Spanish. The village of Jabugo is particularly famed for its ham production.

Here, and in similarly peaceful Aracena villages, you may see nesting storks on chimneys and rooftops.

View holiday homes in Sierra de Aracena

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The Sierra de Aracena, its market town & villages

The nature and character of the villages has changed remarkably little in comparison to the cities of modernized Spain. The people still work the land, keep goats and sheep, and maintain the irrigation channels developed by the Moors. These once doubled as smugglers’ trails through the Sierra de Aracena from Portugal: during the 1940s, for example, when post-Civil War Spain underwent the harrowing years known simply as “el hambre” – hunger.

Today, along with mule paths and ancient Roman ways, they form part of the network of trails that makes the Sierra de Aracena such terrific trekking country.

There are lakes, streams and waterfalls, which invite the visitor to wholeheartedly enjoy outdoor pursuits such as horse riding, cycling, fishing, painting, photography, mountain biking and bird watching.


Aracena itself is a lively market town with an ancient castle and museum. On the hill above the town are castle ruins and a well-preserved thirteenth century church built by the Knights Templar.


Aracena's fascinating limestone caves are a must for visitors. Here “water has written a poem through the silence and slowness of the centuries” extols the flyer to this extensive grotto of colourful stalagmites and stalagtites and gentle pools. Café-Bar Manzano opposite the square is a popular tapas stop where you can sample cured hams and setas (wild mushrooms) in autumn. There plenty of other good bars and restaurants in Aracena and Rustical Travel will send you their personal recommendations in a "What to to in Aracena" file with your holiday villa booking confirmation.

Walks in autumn take you through groves of chestnut with their leaves turning red and golden. A feast of mushrooms is one of the joys of this season if you know where to look. Try north-east of town, where the Aracena reservoir has picnic areas shaded by gall oaks. Summers and winters are milder than other, more exposed provinces of Andalucia and spring comes early with a panoply of wild flowers.

Other villages well worth visiting in the Sierra are Almonaster la Real, whose 10th century rural mosque has survived centuries of Christendom; Galaroza, situated in a deep, green valley, distinguished by an abundance of flowing waters and complimented for the quality of its apples, walnuts and chestnuts; Linares and Alájar, well-preserved villages that serve as starting or finishing points for many walks.

La Peña de Arias Montano near Alájar is a fantastic rocky outcrop whose views are only matched by the Sierra’s high point, Riscos Altos, not far from Castaño de Robledo. From Castaño, a great base for trekking, walking routes go to the Jabugo (renowned for its hams) and Fuenteheridos.

Little Fuenteheridos is a perfect spot to swig back a cold beer at one of the bar terraces on the main square and watch the village fountain gush its two million litres of water a day from a dozen spouts. A local pathway links on to the pretty hamlet of Los Marines.

Guests at some of Sierra de Aracena’s fine holiday villas have plenty of other attractions vying for their attention: the Rio Tinto mines, for example, where a small train takes you round the workings of the open cast mines whose daubs of metal ore tinge the giant man-made crater with pink, red, brown and yellow.

Rio Tinto was exploited by the British for its copper and iron, who built a still standing English district in addition to a Presbyterian chapel, tennis lawns and social club for its managers and workers. The restored pier extending into the river is an architectural wonder.

Portugal is only half an hour or so from Sierra de Aracena, and the exciting Andalusian cities of  Seville, Cadiz and Cordoba are all day-trip possibilities.

The Atlantic coast may be too distant for some (it is 2 hours away), but those who make it to Punta Umbría or Isla Cristina find sandy beaches where pine forests end at the dunes, the river flows cleanly into the sea and freshly fried fish is to be had in the seaside villages.

A little nearer is Doñana National Park, Spain’s richest natural reserve, where hundreds of protected bird species have their home. Note that for the sake of the birds and other animals, access to the Park is strictly limited.

Trains leave Huelva twice a day to the Sierra's two stations: Almonaster-Cortegana and El Repilado, but hire car is the preferred transport for holidaymakers arriving at airports in Seville (1 hr 20 mins), Jerez de la Frontera (2 hrs), Faro in Portugal (3 hrs), or Malaga (3 hrs 30 mins).

See: Villas in Aracena