Via La Vía Verde from Coripe to the Griffon Vultures in the reserve Peñón de Zaframagón - Andalusia

This walk is part of a series of city walks and tours described in Day trips in central Andalusia: Cádiz - Jerez-de-la-frontera - Pueblos-Blancos - Córdoba - Granada

Between Coripe and Olvera is the Peñón de Zaframagón reserve. This reserve is home to one of the largest colonies of griffon vultures in Europe. You can get there along La Vía Verde de la Sierra.

La Vía Verde de la Sierra runs for 36 km at the foot of Spain's southernmost mountains, between the towns of Olvera and Puerto Serrano . It is a never used railway bed with 30 tunnels and 4 bridges. The result is that this road is always slightly sloping and a favorite path for cyclists, walkers and horse riders. There are 5 stations (never used) of which the stations of Puerto Serrano, Coripe and Olvera currently offer hotel and restaurant services with traditional cuisine. There is also the possibility to rent a bicycle .

Although the path is very suitable for cycling, the intention is to walk a good 6 kilometers from Coripe to Peñón de Zaframagón and there to observe the griffon vultures in the observatory via a remote-controlled camera. The slower walking speed allows us to fully observe the fauna and flora in this nature.

Start at the old Coripe station on the A-8126.

We go up slightly sloping through the tunnels of Coripe, Testarudo, Atajo, Zamarra and Alberquilla (numbers 11 to 15). We are actually walking upstream in the valley i of the river Rio Guadalporcún .

From Alberquilla we can spot all the griffon vultures in the sky and in the distance we see the rock Zaframagón where the vultures have their nest. The rock is split in two by a deep gorge .

In the observatory there is information about the animals in the area (not just birds!). On the first floor, the live images from the observation camera can be viewed on a large screen. Videos of past spectacular sightings are also shown.

A little further there is the Cantina - only open on weekends, holidays and public holidays.

We continue a little further until the viaduct.

We return along the same road , now descending.

Be sure to consult the information about the sights once you are on site . They explain what you will see!