Camping Sierra de María

This is a tiptop setting for hiking, climbing and mountain biking: ask the friendly team for top tips on the best routes (including two within a kilometre) or set off with a picnic to find your own secret spots. Covering over 22,500 hectares, the Sierra de María-Los Vélez Natural Park is a top spot for outdoor adventures of all sorts, as well as nature spotting and birdwatching: the park is a Special Protection Area for birds and has around 100 species including 17 sorts of birds of prey. It's a land of ancient sites too, inhabited by humans since prehistoric times and with many an archaeological site to see including the cave paintings of Cueva de los Letreros or Cave of the Signboards 20 minutes' drive away, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. For a cooling and peaceful afternoon, drive 15 minutes to the Jardín Botánico Umbría de la Virgen just outside María, on the northern slopes of the Maria range.