The Sierra Nevada is a dramatic, rugged and extensive mountain range, the highest in Europe after the Alps and the most significant section of the Cordillera Penibética.

The protected area encompasses 86,208ha of torrential rivers, sheer-sided gorges, stony slopes, glacial lakes between snowy summits and, in the foothills of the Alpujarras, cultivated terraces of almond trees and vegetables.

Designated a national park in 1998, it is one of only two in Andalucia, the other being the Doñana National Park. It retains its status of natural park, which it has been since 1989, and this covers a marginally smaller area, of 85,777ha. It was declared a Unesco Biosphere Reserve in 1986, in recognition of its exceptionally diverse plant, bird and animal species.