El Torcal

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El Torcal ( Paraje Natural Torcal de Antequera ) is a 1171 hectare nature reserve in Andalusia , Spain , approx. 14 km from the provincial town of Antequera ( province of Málaga ).

With its extraordinary karst formations , the park is one of the most impressive landscapes in Spain . In addition to tourists, it also attracts geologists and botanists .

El Torcal massif from the south

El Torcal was first designated as a "nature reserve of national interest" in 1929. In 1978 the area was declared a nature park, and in 1989 it was finally declared a "natural area" ( Paraje Natural ).

Emergence

The screw"

100 million years ago the area was completely covered by the Tethys Sea, of which only the Mediterranean remains. Layers of limestone formed as a result of the deposition of sediments . As a result of the Alpid orogeny , i. H. Due to the collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, these layers were raised and folded into hills and mountains. This also created expansion gaps that were widened by the penetration of water. In particular, the carbonic acid weathering typical of karst areas played an important shaping role, through which today's wild, rugged rocky landscape with fantastic rock formations was created. In addition, there is the different resistance of the originally horizontally deposited sedimentary rocks. Depending on the strength of a rock layer, more or less material was and is removed, which explains the horizontal patterns.

Landscape description

Karst landscape

El Torcal is a branch of the arching Sierra Subbética and lies at an altitude between 1100 and 1400 m. Jagged rocks and gorges alternate with each other in ever new shapes. Tall pillars made of stone slabs of different sizes look as if they have been artificially stacked on top of one another. Suddenly you can see washed out pools in flat rock slabs.

"Tornillo" - rock formation

Agriculture, vegetation and wildlife

Sheep farming

Due to the barren soil and grazing by sheep, there is only sparse ground vegetation interspersed with shrubs and individual trees. Especially in spring the blooming meadows shine and smell. 116 species of vertebrate animals have been counted in the park . These include an amphibian , eleven reptiles , 82 birds and 22 species of mammals . Particularly noteworthy is a group of ibex ibex . There are also a large number of other animals, especially insects , which are the basis of life for vertebrates.

The flora counts more than 600 species of flora including 30 species of wild orchids , six of which are exclusive to El Torcal. There are numerous flowering plants such as the rare navel of Venus ( Umbilicus rupestris ).

tourism

As a publicly accessible nature reserve, El Torcal is an interesting attraction for hikers and nature lovers. It has over 100,000 visitors annually. From Antequera you can reach it via the small country road A 7075 in the direction of Villanueva de la Concepción and follow the signs to the car park. The bus from Antequera to Villanueva de la Concepción also runs past the access road to the park. From Málaga it is about 55 km via the winding A 7075. You can also drive on the A7 and A45 motorways towards Antequera to the Casabermeja exit, from there on narrow roads (MA 3404, A 7075) towards Villanueva and further towards Antequera (20 km from Casabermeja). At the parking lot there is an information center with a small museum showing the geology, flora and fauna of the park.

Two marked circular hiking trails lead through the park. Since it is easy to get lost in the bizarre rock labyrinth, it is advisable to follow the hiking trails.

  • The green route is the shortest and easiest, 1.5 km long, takes about 45 minutes and leads to the valley basin (Torca de La Maceta).
  • The yellow route is 2.5 km long and leads to “Las Ventanillas” at an altitude of 1200 m with a panoramic view of the Málaga valley. Since El Torcal rises significantly above the surrounding land, you have a wonderful panoramic view. You can see Villanueva de la Concepción and on a clear day the mountains of Malaga or even the Mediterranean Sea.

Web links

Commons : El Torcal  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 36 ° 57 '49 "  N , 4 ° 32' 44"  W.