Spain has wonderful natural extensions on land and sea, and in all its cardinal points. Join us to check out 11 destinations in Spain that seem unreal.
1. Picos de Europa
Spring and summer are a hymn of life on the peaks. That is why they are the second most frequented national park in Spain, especially in those seasons. Its three mountainous massifs offer a beautiful natural diversity of elevations, valleys, rivers, and lakes, in perfect harmony with the hand of its inhabitants, who live mainly from livestock. The friendliest local in this space that occupies territories of León, Cantabria, and the Principality of Asturias, is the Cantabrian chamois, a bovine capable of making the most hair-raising jumps on the steep slopes of the peaks. Be sure to try the exquisite cheeses, especially Cabrales, Picón Bejes-Tresviso and Gamonéu.
2. Lakes of Covadonga
In the western massif of the Picos de Europa, there are three small lakes of glacial origin, Enol, Ercina, and Bricial, a group that has become known internationally for being for some years the arrival point of the highest mountain stage. hard of the Vuelta Cclística a España. Great cycling luminaries such as the Frenchman Laurent Jalabert, the Colombian Lucho Herrera, and the Spanish Pedro «Perico» Delgado, triumphed exhausted and wanting to go to rest looking at the beautiful lakes. You can go without being a professional cyclist and relax and enjoy its beauty, watching the cattle and horses graze on its banks.
3. The Enchanted
Once, two Catalan hunters skipped Sunday mass because they wanted to hunt a roe deer. The legend indicates that as punishment for being absent from the rite they were turned into stones. From there comes the name of these two peaks that rise by more than 2,700 meters. They constitute one of the main challenges in Spain for practitioners of climbing sports. A magnificent view of the elevations is from Lake San Mauricio, a body of water located at an altitude of 1,910 meters, which receives the waters of several rivers and torrents of the beautiful and wild place.
4. Royal Bardenas
If you are a lover of desert landscapes, you have to go to Navarra to see the Bardenas Reales. These natural and biosphere reserves are curious geographical formations such as hills, plateaus, and ravines, which the millenary passage of water has sculpted on the ground, eroding the chalky and clayey soils. Seasonal rivers run through the bottom of the ravines and continue to do their ancient carving work with each season. One of its most striking configurations is the castildetierra, which looks like a huge bare lighthouse in the middle of the aridity of the horizon. In the inhospitable landscape live Aleppo pines, Kermes oaks, steppe birds, birds of prey, reptiles, and other brave ones.
5. The Caldera de Taburiente
It is a national park and world biosphere reserve located on the Canary Island of La Palma. This great depression is one of the most beautiful and wild volcanic ecosystems in Spain, with springs and streams that form countless waterfalls of different heights and capricious shapes. Inside the caldera grows the typical Canarian forest, the laurisilva, made up of a wide variety of trees, shrubs, climbing plants, and herbs. The most intimidating inhabitants are wolf spiders and centipedes, although the atmosphere is calmed by rock pigeons, blackcaps, and blackbirds. A recent resident is a Barbary sheep, a sheep from the Maghreb introduced into various Spanish ecosystems in the 1970s.
6. Tables of Daimiel
The fluvial tables are the ecosystems that form especially in the middle courses of the rivers when they overflow on land with little slopes. This Spanish wetland located in the province of Ciudad Real, between the municipalities of Villarrubia de Los Ojos and Daimiel, is formed by the confluence of the waters of the Guadiana and Ciguela rivers and is one of the most peculiar faunas and flora reserves in the country. Mallard ducks, gray herons, and red ducks walk among the reed beds. In the waters, native fish such as Cachuelo and barbel try to survive against the pike, an invader introduced by man. One of the main symbols of Daimiel, the white-legged crab, is about to become extinct.
7. Cabrera Archipelago
This maritime-terrestrial national park located in the Balearic archipelago is one of the best-preserved virgin spaces in the entire Mediterranean Sea, favored by its isolation. It is an important reservoir of birds and endemic species and holds the category of protected area by different regional, national and international entities. You can access the park by boarding one of the swallows that make the journey from the coastal towns of Colonia de Sant Jordi and Portopetro. It is a place to observe the beauty of the landscape, practice underwater sports, go hiking and visit the inland caves.
8. Monfrague
It is a park in Cáceres bathed by the waters of the Tagus and Tiétar rivers. On one of the main elevations of the park are the ruins of the Monfragüe Castle, a fortress built by the Arabs during the 9th century. Another attraction is the Salto del Gitano, a viewpoint located in the municipality of Torrejón el Rubio. From the top of the cliff, you can enjoy a spectacular view, with vultures flying overhead and the Tagus rushing below. Monfragüe is a paradise for birds. Eagles, vultures, and storks nest on its escarpments and constantly patrol the clear sky, ideal for watching twilight and starry nights.
9. Cabañeros
The shepherds and charcoal burners of the Montes de Toledo built a hut with materials from the environment, as a temporary shelter to rest and shelter. This is where the name of this Toledo park of almost 41,000 hectares comes from. It has several visitor service points, from where you can organize a guided tour, which can be on foot or in an all-terrain vehicle. One of the most frequented places is La Chorrera, an 18-meter waterfall near the town of Los Navalucillos. The typical plant in the park is the blond heather, which blooms in a pretty pink color. The park is also home to the imperial eagle, an endangered species.
10. Arrives del Duero
This immense natural park of more than 100,000 hectares borders the border with Portugal along with the Spanish provinces of Salamanca and Zamora, in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León. In Leonese Romance’s speech, the Arribes are the valleys and gorges produced by the erosion of the rivers. Throughout the park or in its vicinity there are a large number of picturesque towns that offer particular tourist interest, such as Fermoselle, San Felices de Los Gallegos, and Vilvestre. You can also visit archaeological sites and caves with cave paintings. Throughout the geography of the park, there are viewpoints distributed to admire the immensity of the landscape. You also have thematic museums alluding to the main products of the region (oil, wine, flour, textiles) and you can visit craft and wine fairs.
11. Ordesa and Monte Perdido
It is an Aragonese national park of about 16,000 hectares that is a World Heritage Site. It is a Pyrenean territory of massifs, valleys, glaciers, and rivers located at more than 3,300 meters above sea level. Its maximum summit is Monte Perdido, which at 3,355 m is the highest calcareous peak in Europe. In its natural spaces, you can practice your favorite mountain entertainment and its villages with a rustic atmosphere are ideal for resting and tasting the delicious food of Aragon. One of the most popular excursions is the route to the Cola de Caballo waterfall, so-called because the waterfalls are on an almost vertical slope, reminiscent of white horsehair.
