Wildlife and walking holidays in Murcia
- Capital: Murcia.
- Area: 11,313 km
In Murcia, vineyards cover open fields in the north east of the region. In the north west are mountains and between a plateau which is cut through by the Segura river.
The Segura is used to irrigate such crops as rice, citrus and peaches. The irrigation canals date back to Moorish times and are some of the best preserved in Spain.
Murcia is naturally a drier zone given its geographical position and this old water network allows a greater range of crops to be grown even to this day.
The highest mountain is Revolcadores at 2015 m, situated near the border to Andalucia and Castilla la Mancha in the west.
The largest forested area is the Sierra Espuña with a peak of 1585m bearing the same name. The Aleppo pine has a stronghold, with Kermes oak, Lentisc, Strawberry tree, Honeysuckle, Rockrose and Rosemary forming the mix of lower shrubs.
Small groups of Barbary sheep live in the dry rocky areas. This is an African species which was introduced in 1970 and can survive on little grazing. Wild boar are plentiful here as are Red squirrel.
Birds encountered are common Crossbills, Crested tit, Firecrest and Golden eagle.
Tours in Murcia from Viator
Murcia has a vast array of sites to visit and enjoy. Below are some of the options listed on the Viator website. (We recieve a small commission if you book a tour which doesn’t cost you more and helps us to keep Wildside Holidays up to date with the best information.)
Natural parks in Murcia
The Mar Menor is a stretch of sea water cut off from the Mediterranean by a 24km long sand bar.
This creates a “small sea”, a direct translation of the name.
Although developed as a beach tourism area, it is, none the less, a natural treasure.
1 The Sierra Espuña Regional Park. At the end of the 19th century, this entire mountain range was in a lamentable ecological state, with the almost total loss of its tree mass and presenting serious desertification processes. In 1889, the forestry engineer Ricardo Codorníu undertook the enormous task of reforesting the entire mountain range. This reforestation project became a model for its time and was then carried out in many other areas across Spain.
2 Due to its proximity to Murcia, the Carrascoy y El Valle Regional Park (Parque Regional Carrascoy y El Valle) constitutes the main “green lung” of the capital and its entire metropolitan area and It is made up of the extensive chain of mountains that close the valley of the Segura river and a part of the Guadalentín valley to the south.
3 The protected area of Calblanque Monte de las Cenizas and Peña del Águila Regional Park presents a great ecological and environmental diversity with systems of dunes, sandy areas, salt marshes, salt ponds, coves. The Humedal de las Salinas de Rasall is located in the southern part of the lagoon.
4 The Calnegre y Cabo Cope Regional Park (Parque Regional Calnegre y Cabo Cope) is located in the south of the Murcia Region close to the border with Andalucia. The Lomo de Bas constitutes the northern barrier of the park and the eastern flank has a coastline length of around 17 km.
Find a hotel in the countryside of Murcia
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Adventure tourism in the province of Murcia
Other Regional parks in Murcia (Parques Regionales)
- Salinas y Arenales de San Pedro del Pinatar See Espacios abiertos e islas del Mar Menor)
- The regional park of the Sierra del Carche at just under 600 hectares is surrounded by the small towns of Raspay , La Alberquilla and El Carche. The highest peak in the area is 1372 metres and has a characteristic snow pit of the seventeenth century similar to those of other nearby mountains like Sierra Espuña or Sierra de Mariola.
- The relatively small Sierra de la Pila Regional Park is located in the northeastern region of Murcia. Raptors are well represented here and include Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), Bonelli’s Eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus), Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) and Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo).
Nature Reserves in Murcia (Reserva natural)
Sotos y Bosques de Ribera de Cañaverosa Head for Las Lomas de la Virgen lookout point (with your binoculars) where there are great views of the rice fields of Calasparra.
Protected Landscapes in Murcia (Paisajes protegidos)
- Barrancos de Gebas From Alhama de Murcia head toward the tiny village of Gebas and look out for the signs directing you to the “Mirador de Gebas“. This viewpoint offers fantastic views over the badlands.
- Cuatro Calas Among its fauna, the spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo graeca) is present in good numbers. There are also wetland birds such as stork, steppe birds such as black wheatear and coastal birds such as little tern.
- Espacios abiertos e islas del Mar Menor This area has suffered some pretty huge environmental issues over the years with uncontrolled building projects and human projects etc but now seems to be experiencing an welcome respite with the help of local ecologists and the EU. As recently as July 2020 the “recovery and protection act of the Mar Menor” expanded the protected area with the inclusion of seven new wetlands in the environment of the lagoon. (Saladar de Los Urrutias, Mouth of the Rambla de la Carrasquilla, Saladar of Punta de Las Lomas, Punta del Pudrimel, Lagunas del Cabezo Beaza, Los Alcázares Lagoon and the Lagoons of El Algar.
- Humedal del Ajauque y Rambla Salada The Ajauque and Rambla Salada wetland is a protected landscape with an area of 1632 hectares and belongs to the municipalities of Fortuna, Molina de Segura, Santomera and Abanilla.
- Sierra de las Moreras This area is included within the limits of the Calnegre y Cabo Cope Regional Park ZEPA special area for birdlife.
- Islas e islotes del litoral mediterráneo The Natural Area Islands and islets of the Mediterranean coast is made up of 18 islands and islets along the coast of Murcia.
Natural monuments in Murcia (Monumentos naturales)
- Monte Arabí The Cantos de la Visera are two shelters with cave paintings that were discovered in 1912, both shelters are located on the eastern cliff of Mount Arabí. The paintings are in the naturalistic style of Levantine art and are approximately 7,000 years old. The site has been a World Heritage Site since 1998 under the name Rock Art of the Mediterranean Arch of the Iberian Peninsula .
- Gredas de Bolnuevo Las Gredas de Bolnuevo, also called El Ciudad Encantada (enchanted city) are eroded sandstone formations along the beach of Bolnuevo.
- Sima de la Higuera La Sima de la Higuera (Cave of the fig) is the third natural monument to be declared in the Region of Murcia. It is located north of Sierra Espuña, in the municipality of Pliego and has over 5 kilomtres of extension.
Marine reserves in Murcia
There are two marine reserves in Murcia that are famous worldwide for the quality of the diving available. The purpose of marine reserve areas is to protect marine ecosystems with differentiated ecological characteristics and which are of special interest for the regeneration of fishery resources.
Other places of Interest in Murcia
- Cañón de Almadenes This area covers two kilometers on the Quípar river and nine on the Segura river and is around 116 hectares close to the towns of Calasparra and Cieza
- Sierra de la Muela, Cabo Tiñoso y Roldán The natural area of the Sierra de la Muela, Cape Tiñoso and Roldán is located to the west of the municipality of Cartagena and extends to the Bay of Mazarrón. Of great ecological importance, over 11,000 hectares have been declared a ZEPA (Special Protection Area for Birds) and SCI (Place of Community Importance). In 2016 it was also declared a marine reserve of fishing interest which makes it the second marine reserve in Murcia after the Cabo de Palos and Islas Hormigas Marine Reserve.
- Saladares del Guadalentín Los Saladares del Guadalentín is a Protected Natural Area along the Guadalentín river close to the towns of Alhama de Murcia and Totana. It is an extensive and unusual alluvial steppes plain but with saline wetlands which makes the area an ideal habitat for steppe-type birds, such as the Montagu’s harrier.
- Sierra de Salinas This area forms a natural border between the north of Murcia in the municipality of Yecla and the towns of Villena and Saladares in the region of Valencia.
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