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ON
THE EASTERN OF THE COSTA DEL SOL, THE NATURAL PARK SIERRA
TEJEDA - ALMIJARA HAS BEEN FOR AGES AT THE PERFECT DISTANCE
FROM DESIRE TO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.
"And there is the sea, whithin a sling's
throw, at the perfect distance from desire" (Rafael
Guillén). The poet talks of the greatness of the
Axarquía, name used by the Arabs so that the eastern
side of the Málaga province had its own name.
And there, where the Costa del Sol mingles with Granada
and vice versa, there rises a huge wall made of marble and
calcareous stons that embraces, together with the Montes
de Málaga, the whole of the region. A horizon of
valley and villages surrender to the slopes of the Sierra
Tejeda - Almijara, whose beauty competes with that of the
whitewashed houses and also gives them shelter from the
cold north-eastern wind.
This mountain chain is disposed almost parallel to the seaside,
beginning at the Maro cliffs - Cerro Gordo (Nerja) to the
Boquete de Zafarraya. The crevice between Zafarraya and
the Alhama mountains, also within this Natural Park, allows
just enough wind through to give the Axarquía the
most famous weather in Europe. The mildness of the temperatures
is such, that although it may sound like a topic, there
is an abundance of avocados, tomatoes, mangoes, grapes and
cherimoya fruits. 
 But
if we enter the Tejeda - Almijara mountains, we will be
surprised to see that what at the beginning seemed to be
a great chain of mountains turns out to be now a succession
of summits of steep gorges and sheer greyish walls that
rise to the highest heights in Málaga in La Maroma,
2.065 meters high above the Mediterranean sea. At that point
you can see the whole of the Axarquía. Many years
ago, the villagers used to go up to the summit to fetch
the winter snows that remained. Ice was kept in the Casa
del Hielo (House of Ice). After that they brought it downhill
to the villages by donkey. Interpenetration between the
mountain and the sea took sense in that very moment, the
ice would be used to elaborate ice-cream and to keep the
fish fresh.
Sierra Tejeda - Almijara, has been used by men since the
beginning of time; sometimes as a shelter, sometimes as
a fortress. It is a breathtaking castle with marble merlons
sharpened with the years. Thus the pointed mountain passes
in Almijara, among valleys dotted with white villages and
green cultavated terraces by the riversides.
This immense area (46.660 hectares) contains the largest
number of caves in the province. In Alcaucín there
is the cave of La Rábita where silver and gold was
extracted by the Phoenicians and the Greek, creating one
of the most universal legends ever written, as Eduardo Arboleda
says in "A trip to the depths of supernatural Andalusia":
King Solomon's Mines. La Rábita is the birth land
of the stone called "Tharsis" which hung from
the legendary king's neck.
Flora and
fauna
The valuable and diverse life of Sierra de Tejeda - Almijara
has made the Environment Counsellor of the Junta de Andalucía
include this area in the list of Natural Parks. Some time
ago it was a National Reserve for Hunting, but now this
immense wild life zone is even more protected. The mountain
goat is the queen of balance in the Almijara cracked crags
or on the steep slopes of Sierra Tejeda.
 High
above, the goshawk, the royal eagle among others, the pilgrim
falcon or the nightjar watch the movements of the horned
animals, just in case they need any help. But from that
height they also see the more recent inhabitants of the
mountain, the red squirrels, and other more veteran ones.
But the flora is also one of the jewels that grows from
the rocks, which has achieved to maintain the shape of the
parks, saving it from the tremendous erosion of the region.
Such is the case of the black pine trees and white pine
trees, the holm oaks, the junipers and other trees that
are scarce in this area such as the balearic box, the little
olive and the yew. If we descent from Malaga's ceiling and
we walk through the valleys and the slopes, the almond trees
whiten all the franks and medicinal plants supply health
to the villages that surround the abrupt nature of Sierra
Tejeda - Almijara and Alhama.
 Useful
information
Location:
The natural park of the Mountains Tejeda-Almijara and Alhama
is situated in the eastern area of the province of Málaga.
It acts as physical border line between the provinces of
Granada and Málaga and it goes up north up to the
town of Zafarraya, where we see the first hills of the mountains
of Alhama from the Boquete de Zafarraya.
How to get there:
Take the motorway Ronda Este in Málaga city towards
Almería, where it connects to the Mediterranean Motorway
up to Nerja and then, follow the signs for Frigiliana.
Natural Park:
The Mountains of Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama were declared
Natural Park, and they contain the towns of Nerja, Cómpeta,
Alcaucín, Canillas de Albaida, Canillas de Aceituno,
Salares y Sedella. In Granada: Alhama de Granada, Arenas
del Rey, Jayena and Otivar.
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