Rodellar Valley is pure nature. 

It is located in the heart of the Sierra y Cañones de Guara Natural Park, characterized by the beauty and the astounding sight of its landscapes–the result of a intricate geological structures, canyons, cliffs, gorges, and ravines–and by the presence of flora and fauna of great scientific value, with both endangered species that are especially vulnerable to habitat change and endemic species.

Due to the natural heritage of this territory, the area is protected under Natura 2000 as a Special Protection Area for birds, and offers several Sites of Community Importance (SCI), such as SCI Guara norte and SCI Sierra y Cañones de Guara. The aim is to ensure long-term survival of species and habitats, helping to halt the loss of biodiversity. 

All this beauty makes this valley a privileged natural environment. It offers, therefore, wonderful natural scenery for adventure sports such as hiking, cycling, trail running, canyoning, climbing, and via ferrata.

One of the most prominent features of the Sierra de Guara vegetation is its contrast between the northern and southern slopes of the valley. Due to their orientation and the geomorphology, we encounter a great variety of species. 

The Sierra y Cañones de Guara Natural Park is a transition zone between the Pyrenees and the Ebro Basin, and is host to diverse ecosystems of Pyrenean and Mediterranean species.

The gall-oak grove dominates the rural skyline, followed in height by the European red pine and beech trees. At higher altitudes the black pine can be found, accompanied by spruce trees. 

The holm oak is the most important tree in the Mediterranean forests, along with the pine at higher altitudes. On the Sierra’s slopes, more prominent scrub stands out: boxwood, Echinospartum horridum, and, to a lesser extent, kermes oaks. The herbaceous species become characteristic of the vegetation at the summit. At the bottom of the valley, Kermes oak bushes can be found, and the areas with the greatest slopes contain rosemary, boxwood, and gorse, and the notable presence of dry meadows.

On the banks of the cooler and more sheltered ravines, the holm oak groves are accompanied by a shrub layer formed by Arbutus, Laburnum trees, Laurustinus, mastic trees, greenbriers, oleander, and even holly.

The vegetation in rocky areas is most clearly found in the crags of the ravines that are populated by very specialized plants, such as Petrocoptis guarensis, Valeriana longiflora, Saxifraga longifolia, primroses, and the long-leaved butterwort. As altitude increases, the boxwood dominates and the Kermes oak retires to dry and sunny areas of gravel.

Moreover, there are also cultivated fields where the traditional species grown in this area can be found. Here, there are olive trees, almond trees, cereal plantations, walnut trees, and more.

The fauna you get to see in this stems from the variety and state of preservation of the vegetation, and, to a great extent, from the unique landforms.

Cliff-nesting birds are prominent in this area; there are large breeding populations of bearded vultures, Egyptian vultures, griffon vultures, golden eagles, Bonelli’s Eagles, peregrine falcons, eagle owls, choughs, and more.

The black woodpecker, white snake-eagle, booted eagle, European honey-buzzard, European nightjar are among some of the first birds to be highlighted.

As for mammals, wild boar, roe deer, and small predators such as martens, genets, and badgers stand out. There are deer, fallow deer, and mouflon; introduced big game species that are gradually settling into the territory, as well as domestic goats.

The most notable reptiles and amphibians are the Aesculapian snake, the European asp, and the Pyrenean mountain newt, which is an endemic species.

The brook trout and the Catalonian barbel make up part of the the fish fauna.

Last but not least, invertebrates such as the crayfish and numerous species of diurnal butterflies can be seen.