Estepona is known as the garden city of the Costa Del Sol. The Old Town is charming, the beaches are wonderful, and there are hundreds of works of art, sculpture and poetry to enjoy in the streets.

Yet many do not leave the coast to explore the stunning mountains and natural parks within a few minutes drive of the centre. The Sierra Bermeja Estepona is really worth taking some time to visit when you are in the area.

Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja is the mountain that towers up over the city, and the beauty of this mountain is that the view point at the top is accessible in many ways. By car (with a 300m walk), by foot on the many hiking trails criss crossing the area, and of course on bike (by road or on the mountain trails).

This natural area extends through the municipalities of Casares, Estepona and Genalguacil and the range is made up of igneous rocks. It is home to the only Spanish fir forest that grows on peridotite with rocks that are rich in iron and heavy metals, with few plants capable of growing on this substrate. Los Reales is one of the world’s largest outcrops of these rocks, typical of the earth’s mantle. The most significant fauna species in this mountain range are the ibex (Capra pyrenaica), the roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), the mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon), the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), the booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus), the hawk peregrine (Falco peregrinus), the sparrow hawk (Accipiter nisus) and the eagle owl (Bubo bubo).

Sierra Bermeja is also accessible on horse back with Ranch Siesta Los Rubios providing riding tours for experienced riders. There are guided and self guided walking tours and trails for biking on apps such as Alltrails and Wikiloc and Kamoot.