Torcal

A place to find peace and tranquility,
a haven from the stresses and strains of modern living.
Within El Torcal Park's 17 square kms
 are some of the most beautiful and impressive
 limestone landscapes in Europe. 
The whole area lay under the sea
 until one about hundred million years ago.

Then the violent movements of the Earth's crust
 forced it upward into hills and mountains up to 1.300 m,
 the limestone still kept its layered horizontal formation. 
Because of this, over the millions of years
 the rain and wind have been able to chisel away
at these layers to form incredible shapes.

To reach the heart of the park
 you can drive up to 1.100 m. above sea level
 along a good access road into the park. 

Simply go to the village of Villanueva de la Concepción
 and follow the sign to El Torcal. It's only about 1 km.
 At the parking area you will find an information centre,
 small museum, with an interesting of view of the wildlife,
 flora and fauna of the park.
 
Orchid enthusiasts will be captivated by the 
30 varieties of the plant growing in the park. 


Three routes through the park for walkers
 have been marked out with different
 coloured arrows on wooden sticks. 
The green route is the shortest and easiest, only 1,5 km. 
and takes about 30 minutes. 
The yellow route covers most of the green area, 
it is 2,5 km. long and takes you to "Las Ventanillas" The Windows,
 at 1.200 m. for panoramic views of the valley of Málaga. 
Finally the red route is the longest and most difficult, 4,5 km.
 taking about three hours, with a viewing point 1.339 m. up
 where you can see the whole of
El Torcal Park and the Africa Coastline.