At a minimum height of 800 metres and rising to over 2000 metres, Sierra María-Los Vélez Natural Park is one of the higher parks in Andalucia.
Its 22,670 hectares are situated at the eastern end of the Cordillera Subbética in the northern parts of Almeria province. It is a land of extremes of landscape, flora and climate.
There are two information centres. The first is at Velez Blanco, housed in a former wheat warehouse. The Almacén del Trigo visitors' centre has information about the walks, accommodation and the nearby Cueva de los Letreros, a Unesco World Heritiage Site, where the Indalo man cave art was found. There is also a small museum with prehistoric artefacts from the many caves inhabited during and before the Neolithic period.
The second information centre is at the Mirador de la Umbria, 2 kms outside the village of Maria.