This town, situated outside of the Nature Reserve, is in an exceptional spot on a vast olive-growing plain traversed by the main N-322 road. It is the youngest municipality in Jaen Province, owing to the fact that the long drawn-out process of separation from the town of Beas de Segura did not end until 2001. The ancient olive tree of Fuentebuena, over a thousand years old, is not far from the town. It is ten metres tall and four metres in diameter, which merited it a listing as a Singular Andalusian Tree for its size.

The history of this town, population 5500, was marked by the visit of two great Spanish mystics: Saint Teresa of Jesus and Saint John of the Cross, leading figures in the “16th Century and Mysticism” themed space. The memorable Carmelite Convent, founded by Saint Teresa, keeps relics of the two saints. The town also has a 16th century Convent of the “Clarisas”.

Segura de la Sierra Castle is one of the most attractive sites in the park, due to its magical location: sitting proudly atop a high hill and looking down on the town below, it will draw your gaze like a magnet as soon as you enter the region. Today the castle houses a themed exhibition entitled “Frontier Territory”. Its chambers will immerse you in medieval life and history, whilst from its battlements you can observe the conjunction of two magnificently fertile worlds: the towns, villages and olive groves in the lowland areas and the large forests in the surrounding mountains, dominated by El Yelmo.

The role of the Visitors Centre is to present information on the cultural heritage left by the Romans in the municipality. It boasts two rooms and a central courtyard in which models, information panels and video screenings take visitors on a journey through the cultural legacy of the Romans and provide an insight into the archaeological site of Los Baños, a Roman villa located nearby.

In 1575, St Teresa of Jesus founded the convent of the order of the Discalced Carmelites in Beas de Segura, where some three years later St John of the Cross spent four months as a priest.

Although it is only a small museum, the Alma Serrana Museum of Ethnography possesses a large collection of antique objects that were traditionally used in everyday life in the mountains. It is located in a remarkable place in which you would never expect to find a museum: a traditional farmhouse just outside the hamlet of Los Anchos. This location, allied to the nature of the objects on display, gives the museum a palpable sense of authenticity, as does the extraordinary landscape it is set in.

El Yelmo is the most popular and iconic mountain in the northern section of the park owing to the stunning views it boasts from its peak, which rises to an altitude of 1,809 metres. This eyrie offers an unrivalled view of the immense forests across the whole park, the distant mountain peaks in the province of Albacete and the wide plains of Castilla-La Mancha. A particular highlight is the bird’s-eye view of the picturesque towns of Hornos de Segura and Segura de la Sierra, amidst a harmonious lowland setting of forests and olive groves, along with the waters of the Tranco reservoir. El Yelmo is also an internationally renowned location for hang-gliding, with a launch point that boasts the ideal conditions for practising this sport.

Situated in the heart of the Nature Reserve, perched aloft a crag, Hornos de Segura staggers visitors with its strategic and defensive position overlooking the entire valley, which evidences the human need for protection against attack. The monuments, viewpoints and narrow irregular streets, a legacy of its Moorish past, secured the town’s declaration as a Historical-Artistic Site. Mention should also be made of the clean streets and the colourful flowerpots hanging on the walls and windows of the houses.

La Puerta de Segura is divided by the river Guadalquivir, where a promenade known as El BARCO follows the riverbed. At the top of the town, next to the old road to Orcera, there is a path signposted as PR-A 197. It goes through the sheltered valley of Arroyo de Las Cañadas in a gentle climb past vegetable gardens, olive groves, almond trees and little farmhouses in a country setting harmoniously transformed by human activity.

The centuries-old olive tree at Fuentebuena, or the Olivo Milenario to give it its official name, has been included on the Andalusian List of Outstanding Trees by the Government of Andalusia. It is a venerable example of the species and has been producing generous olive harvests for centuries; as well as its age, its size is also breathtaking, from the base right up to the fork, as it is fully 10 metres tall and its trunk has a circumference in excess of 4 metres.

Orcera, population 2000, lies in the shadow of the Peñalta mountain, on the borderline between pine forests and olive groves. It is right in the middle of the north end of the Nature Reserve. The historical centre, known as El Pensacola, is full of narrow winding streets, hanging flowers and steps that lead to charming little squares. The Armijo bathing area, surprisingly large and in a natural setting, is open in summer.

Puente de Genave is on the banks of the Guadalimar river, in the midst of olive grove country, and it is very well communicated by the N-322 main road that passes right next to it. Although it is a relatively modern town – it gained town status in 1933 – it still preserves some traces of its historic past, embodied in the Roman bridge of Puente Viejo and in the new bridge, Puente Nuevo, which was built next to it in the 19th century. The controversial Unicaja bank building, that has been considered an example of kitsch architecture, also draws visitors’ attention. The parish church of San Isidro Labrador was erected in the 19th century.

If you dream of a small town with whitewashed houses built on a hill leading to a castle and surrounded by forests and mountains, that place has a name: Segura de la Sierra. It is a town to gaze upon from afar and from which to look far away. A place to linger in every nook and cranny.

This small town belongs to the El Condado region but most of the municipal district lies within the Nature Reserve. The most emblematic place in town is the large Plaza de los Caños square, where two large houses stand, and where eight streets converge, making it a point of reference for the locals and visitors alike. It owes its name to the fountain with seven spouts that presides it.