Salobrena Botanical Walks

When talking about the flora in Salobreña, we must talk about extraordinary botanical contrasts. The first thing that attracts our attention when we come near it is how many different habitats can coexist in a relatively small terrain. The craggy walls of the south side, with vegetation that lives on the rocks, are only a few metres apart from the populated and fertile lowlands. This alluvial plain, created by the Guadalfeo River, stretches down on both sides of the rocky hill. The sugar cane plantations take up a very high percentage of the farming land, alternating with little market gardens and increasingly more extensive terrains of fruit trees.
Towards the west, the slopes become more rugged as we approach the coastline. The steepness of the cliffs, where the vegetation must endure very hard conditions (strong winds, unstable terrain, the lashing of the waves) only allows the most adapted plants like the golden dollar or the sea orach) to complete its cycle. On these masses of rock, a completely different kind of vegetation develops;
undulated forms follow each other towards the inlands, giving birth to the flora known as Mediterranean shrub or mount. It is a habitat dominated by woody bushes (rosemary, lavender, gorse, bolina) and a great amount of gramineae, dotted with big-sized carobs, and containing two jewels of the Mediterranean flora: the dwarf fan palm and the confetti tree.

If we carry on towards the north, we’ll see how the Mediterranean forest starts losing its purity, getting mixed with big extensions of fruit trees, which have been progressively replacing the almond tree plantations of ancient during the last years. The century plants and Indian figs, native to Central America but naturalized in the peninsula since several centuries, colonize the sides of the roads. The conifers are also represented by three species of pine tree: the Aleppo pine, the stone pine and the canary pine, which provide a vertical element to the landscape and sustenance for a numerous fauna. The urban environment in Salobreña incorporates a rich variety of plants from different places of origin in perfect harmony.

The people of Salobreña adopt the Canary Islands’ date palm and the date palm, the oleander, the yucca, and the pink leaves of the paper flower covering the white facades as elements of their own. As expected, the special climate enjoyed by Salobreña has conditioned the appearance of a determinate flora, and since long has allowed the introduction of many cultivations native to subtropical climates. These cultivations, like the custard apple, the avocado or the sugar cane, are now deeply rooted in the area. The absence of a true winter, an average annual temperature over 59º F, together with the amount of rain, the humidity degree, etc., not only favours the development of these plant species, but also alters the cycle of the indigenous plants regarding other geographic areas. This can be detected clearly by observing the flowering stages of some woody species, which are much longer than it would under normal conditions.
This way, we can enjoy all the year the flowering of species like the rosemary, the tree tobacco or the paper flower, to cite but three, each one belonging to a different type. Also, a great amount of plants from other parts of the world used in gardening, as the common lantana, the ocean blue morning-glory and even some palm trees, have acclimatized perfectly to the area and can be seen sprouting spontaneously thanks to the action of the different pollinators.

Botanical Walks

Botanical Walk La Fuente Park – El Caletón Cove

From Parque de la Fuente Park until El Caletón Cove at La Caleta, Salobreña show us its diverse flora. On this botanical walk of 2,11 km you will meet plants, flowers and trees such as Bermuda Buttercup, Confetti Tree, Golden Dollar, Dwarf fan Palm, Century Plant, Sea Orach, Fig Tree, Rosemary, Carob, Spanish Lavender, Bolina, Gorse, Mango, Banana Passion Fruit, Sugar Cane, Queen Palm, Date Palm, Oleander, Rose of Chine and Paper Flowers.

Botanical Walk: Salobreña town center – Seafront Promenade

Botanical Walk that connect the town center with the seafront promenade through its flora. It is an easy walk. You will know species like Dragon Tree, Rubber Plant, Yucca, Queen Palm, Oleander, Norfolk Island pine, Washington Palm, Canary Island Date Palm and Date Palm.

Botanical Walk Camino del Canal – Cemetery – Camino de Lobres

Know Salobreña’s countryside with this botanical walk. With a moderate difficulty due to it’s nearly 5km, you will walk through the Camino del Canal pathway, Cemetery and Lobres pathway.  Meet species such as Custard Apple, Avocado, Aleppo Pine, Stone Pine, Almond Tree, Mango, Bolina, Canary Pine, Bermuda Buttercup, Indian Fig, Oleander and Norfolk Island Pine.