It is one of the most important wildlife sanctuaries in the western Mediterranean basin, due to its sheer size and the variety and richness of its nature. The area lies within a very rugged and rough mountain range, with granite massifs dating back to the Palaeozoic period (over 400 million years ago) covered with Mediterranean plants such as oleander, wild olive, mastic and juniper.

The absolute kings, however, are the oaks: holm oak and cork oak alternating with low bushes of cistus.

The Sardinian deer, which overcame the risk of extinction in the 1970s and now proliferates throughout the Sulcis region, roams freely in this area. Wild boars and other small mammals such as foxes, weasels, wild cats and dormice also populate the area. Birdwatchers may boast spotting golden eagles, Bonelli's eagles, sparrow hawks and goshawks.

The gorge of Is Cioffus is located within the Gutturu Mannu natural park, an amphitheatre-shaped area created by millennial erosion from the watercourse known as Rio Is Cioffus. This breath-taking natural site is almost unrivalled in Sardinia and the Mediterranean, a small version of the renowned canyon of Gorroppu in central-northern Sardinia.