The singular natural, cultural and scenic wealth of the Sierra Nevada massif converts this enclave into one of the natural spaces of greatest interest in Andalusia. Sierra Nevada reaches heights of over 3,000 m, which makes it the massif of highest altitude in western Europe, after the Alps. The peak of Mulhacen (3,481 m) is the ceiling of the Iberian peninsula. In the surrounding area there are numerous glacial lakes, the highest one being the Laguna de Altera, at 3,146 m. Declared a National Hunting Reserve in 1966, twenty years later Sierra Nevada received the denomination Biosphere Reserve, granted by UNESCO. At last in 1989 it was declared a Natural Park, with a surface area of 171,646 hectares shared between the provinces of Granada and Almeria it became the largest protected natural space on the peninsula. In 1998, 86.208 hectares were declared a National Park. Thus making it the largest Spanish National Park.

The Romans called it Mons Slorius. The Arabs, Xolair Atzalg or Gebal Xolair (Arabicized Mozarabic place-names, meaning: "mountain of the sun"). It has been considered a natural marvel throughout history. Arab treatise writers such as Al Jatib or El Idrisi describe it with precision. From these beauty spots the caravans laden with silk produced in its regions, departed bound for rich, legendary and distant countries.

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