Sierra Blanca

Sierra Blanca is the pale limestone massif rising directly behind Marbella and Ojén, the reason the town's microclimate is so mild: it blocks the north winds. Shared by Marbella, Ojén, Istán and Monda and protected as a Natura 2000 site, its summits are Pico Lastonar (1,275 m), La Concha (1,215 m) and the Cruz de Juanar (1,178 m), all reached from the Refugio de Juanar or from trails that start in the Marbella neighborhood of the same name. Expect ibex and roe deer on the crags, golden and Bonelli's eagles overhead, wild olives and pines lower down, and marked routes of two to seven hours. It lies just outside the Sierra de las Nieves National Park.