Los Alcornocales Natural Park (eastern edge)

Los Alcornocales covers about 1,680 km² of cork-oak forest from Tarifa north toward Grazalema, and its southeastern edge is a short drive from Sotogrande via the castle village of Castellar de la Frontera, a walled medieval settlement inside the park. Its signature landscapes are the 'canutos', humid stream valleys that preserve a laurel forest unchanged since the Tertiary, with more than 40 fern species. Visitor centers at El Aljibe (Alcalá de los Gazules), Huerta Grande and Cortes de la Frontera provide trail maps; the easiest walks from the Sotogrande side start near Castellar and the Guadarranque reservoir.