The best hiking routes in Paraje Natural Karst en Yesos de Sorbas

The Paraje Natural Karst en Yesos de Sorbas is a hyper-arid landscape defined by gypsum rather than limestone. Walking here means exploring a grey, glittering terrain of surface karst, where rainwater has dissolved the soft rock into thousands of sinkholes, caves, and rocky depressions. The ground underfoot is dry, brittle, and highly reflective, consisting of loose gypsum crystals, bare rock, and dusty clay tracks. There are no high mountain peaks or deep, green valleys; instead, the terrain is a low, undulating badland cut by dry riverbeds known as ramblas.

Walkers can choose between two distinct environments. The open surface routes follow exposed tracks through sparse scrub, where the white and grey gypsum formations are fully visible under the sun. Alternatively, the deep, steep-sided canyons, such as the Barranco del Infierno, offer a more enclosed experience. In these ravines, the vegetation changes slightly to include hardy oleanders and reeds, growing where occasional water flows beneath the gravel bed.

This is a fragile, arid environment where the lack of soil limits plant growth to specialized species that can tolerate gypsum. In spring, particularly around April, tiny endemic plants flower in the crevices of the rock, providing a brief contrast to the otherwise monochrome grey stone. The area is highly exposed with very little natural shade, so visitors should expect a hot, dry walk on uneven, rocky surfaces without any shelter.