Some things are distinctive to a particular country. In Spain, there is bullfighting. No matter how many accidents, bullfighting and the running of the bulls continue to draw audiences from around the world. There have been calls to ban bullfighting, but so far, nothing succeeded because it is part of the nation’s culture.
Another part of the country’s culture is football (soccer in America). Lionel Messi is often hailed as the best football player in the world, plays for a Spanish team. Other notable football players Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr. used to play in Spanish football clubs.
The cuisine is another distinctive aspect that defines a nation. With a land area of 505,990 square kilometers (125 million acres), the largest country in Southern Europe, vineyards are common sightings in Spain. The nation is also the third-largest producer of wine in the world.
What is also unique about Spain is that whenever travelers ask what places to visit in the country, the answer is not a specific sight or structure, the answer is a city—be it Barcelona, Granada, Pamplona or Madrid. Spain is the second most visited country in the world, just behind France.
But Spain is also home to some of the best natural beauties in the world. For those who want to soak in the culture and enjoy some tapas and red wine in The Bull Skin, they should also drop by Spain’s national parks. Here are 10 of Spain’s national parks:
1. Aiguestortes I Estany de Sant Maurici National Park
Located in Lleida, this national park is a wild mountain in the Pyrenees, a mountain range that serves as a natural border between Spain and France. The highest peak from the group is the Besiberri Sud, which stands at 3,017 meters. The park is also home to a lot of lakes—almost 200 of them. Many of these lakes are of glacial origin. This may explain the name, which translates to “the winding streams and St. Maurice lake.”
The park is elevated, which is why it hosts different kinds of an ecosystem. Vegetation is rich and the grass and shrubland are lush. In general, the trees found in the park are alpenrose, beech, blueberry, common hazel, common juniper, European ash, mountain pine, and oak, among others. Some of the plants in the park are endemic to the Pyrenean region.
The rich vegetation allows animals to thrive in the park, but spotting them is rare. Among the residents of the park are the capercaillies, citril finches, deer, golden eagles, Pyrenean brook salamanders, Pyrenean chamois, red-billed choughs, rock ptarmigans, stoats, vipers, vultures, wallcreepers, white-throated dippers, and woodpeckers.
Park management wants to ensure that the natural beauty of the park is protected, which is why there are strict regulations among visitors. No private cars are allowed in the park, which has its taxi. Visitors are allowed to walk around and even do trailed hikes. There are so many beautiful vistas inside the park because of the bodies of water and rich plant life. There are also paved roads where tourists can cycle on their mountain bikes.
2. Atlantic Island of Galicia National Park
The park comprises the Cities, Cortegada, Ons, and Salvora archipelagos. That means the park has a large marine environment. The surrounding waters of Ons, in particular, shelters a wide variety of species. It is abundant in fish and shellfish that are staples in local cuisines. But the seabed of this archipelago is also great for underwater viewing. So the area is great for diving and snorkeling.
The waters in the park are also abundant in dolphins, orcas, and whales. There are also rare sightings of basking sharks. The shore is also home to guillemots, razorbills, seagulls, and shags. There are also over 200 species of seaweeds found in the park. Inland, the park hosts a laurel forest.
3. Cabrera Archipelago Maritime-Terrestrial National Park
This park is considered the least visited one in Spain. It should not be as it includes the entire Cabrera Archipelago of the Balearic Islands in its territory, and Cabrera Archipelago is picturesque. It is quite remote, though, which explains why few people visit the park. But that isolation from the rest of Spain also ensures that the park has been truly preserved for its natural value.
Because the park is largely undisturbed, it has become a favorite nesting area for seabirds. There are also many endemic species of seabirds in the park. As such, the park has been designated a Special Protection Area for birds. It also enjoys the designation Site of Community Importance, which is bestowed by the European Commission Habitats Directive among places that have significant roles in conserving natural habitats for animal species.
The park’s marine resources are also protected through the Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance. Among the marine residents of the park’s surrounding body of water are the dolphins, turtles, and whales.
4. Doñana National Park
Marshes, streams, and dunes—these are just some of the things tourists will enjoy seeing at this Andalusian national park. The Las Marismas or the marshes were the first part of the park that was conserved through the World Wildlife Fund’s effort in 1969. That same year, the park was established. In 1994, the park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
There is a need for the marshes to be protected as development is threatening to drain the ecosystem, which is important among many species. The park was hailed to have unique biodiversity in Europe. Among the species, the park is trying its best to protect are the endangered Spanish imperial eagle and Iberian lynx. Thousands of African and European migratory birds also call the park home during migratory season.
5. Garajonay National Park
The beautiful Canary Islands have the most number of parks in Spain. The most visited park in Spain, Teide National Park, is located in the Canary Islands. In 2013, Teide became the most visited national park in Europe. But there are other parks in this archipelago that are just as beautiful as Teide with less human traffic. One of them is the Garajonay National Park on the island of La Gomera.
The park was established in 1981 and was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO five years later. The centerpiece of this park is the rock formation from which it is named after. The Garajonay peak stands at 1,487 meters. There is also a nearby plateau with an elevation of around 1,000 meters—give or take—which makes it a great viewpoint for the entire park and island. There are other rock formations spread throughout the parks, some of them were extinct volcanoes that were naturally carved from erosion.
While the rugged terrain of Garajonay could not host abundant vegetation, the rest of the park makes up for it with some Canary laurels and other species of laurels. There are also some beech and heather trees.
6. Guadarrama National park
One of Spain’s largest parks, Guadarrama nests in two autonomous communities: Community of Madrid and Castile and Leon. It is named after the Guaderrama mountain range. With the park’s high altitude, it is host to at least 11 different ecosystems, all of which the government wants to protect and conserve.
The park is home to some 1,500 native plants. Among the trees and plants that thrive in the different elevations of the park are juniper, oak, piorno, Scots pine, and so many others. In terms of animals, the species found in this park represent 45% of the total animal species that are in Spain. Among them are badgers, different species of deer, foxes, hares, Mustelidae, wild board, wild cats, and wild goats. There was also a pack of wolves seen in the area, which surprised authorities as they have not been seen in almost seven decades.
Among the sights that will welcome tourists in the park are the mountains, many of them have glacial peaks. There are also unique granite rock formations in the park that are great photography subjects.
7. Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
Located in Aragon and situated in the Pyrenees, this national park is known for its beautiful landscape with imposing mountain peaks, massifs, and canyons—all of them mostly covered with lush vegetation. The original park was the Ordesa Valley, established as early as 1918.
The park was then expanded to include Monte Perdido in 1982. Monte Perdido, which translates to the lost mountain, is anything but lost with a peak as high as 3,355 meters, the third highest mountain in the Pyrenees.
The Ordesa Valley is a favorite photography subject during spring because of the beautiful autumnal colors of its trees and plants. Among the residents of the park’s extensive forests are ash, beech, birch, boxwood, oak, pine, and willow. The park’s ecosystem is also internationally recognized as significant through its designation as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Ordesa-Viñamala.
8. Picos de Europa National Park
As the name suggests, the park is in the Picos de Europa mountain range. It is a great area for hikers and trekkers because of the many climbing alternatives. The highest peak is the Torre de Cerrado, which has an elevation of 2,650 meters.
This national park was among the earliest that was established in Spain. It was mainly created to protect the lakes of Covadonga, two glacial lakes in Asturias. But there are other picturesque natural views in the park including limestone massifs from the Cantabrian Mountains.
Among the flora in the park are beech trees and Cantabrian Holm oaks. Some of Spain’s protected animal species also call the park home: Cantabrian brown bears, bearded vultures, Cantabrian capercaillies, Cantabrian chamois, Iberian wolves, and Western Spanish ibexes.
9. Sierra de las Nieves National Park
The park is home to the deepest gorge in Andalusia, the La Torrecilla, which has a height of 1,919 meters. It provides a different kind of landscape than most parks in the nation. The park traverses the towns of El Burgo, Istan, Monda, Parauta, and Ronda in the provinces of Malaga, Tolox and Yunquera.
The park is also noted to have complex cave systems: Cueva de la Tinaja, Sima del Aire, Sima Honda, and Sima Presta. The park is also home to some hot springs in Tolox town, which is also recognized to have the world’s most intricate display of peridotites, igneous rocks that contain minerals like iron and magnesium.
There are also over 1,500 species of plants in the park, 19 of them are endemic to Ronda. The mountain goats are the park’s most famous residents. But it also hosts a variety of birds such as honey buzzards.
The park is the adventurer’s haven as it is a great place for bungee jumping, canyoning, caving, free-flying, hiking, horseback riding, hot air ballooning, kayaking, and mountain biking.
10. Tablas de Daimiel National Park
This park is a wetland in Castile-La Mancha. It is the smallest national park in Spain but is internationally significant, as it has been listed as a Ramsar Wetland based on the Ramsar Convention by UNESCO, which seeks to conserve and sustain wetlands. The park was established in 1973, but that didn’t stop locals from exploiting the natural resources within the park. This is why authorities intend to revitalize the damaged park, which has also been designated as a Special Protection Area for birds.
The area is known as the last surviving floodplain wetlands in the Iberian Peninsula. The park has a walkway for tourists to truly enjoy the view of the wetlands. There are some great
photo opportunities along the boardwalk. The boardwalk is also a great place to do some birding. Among the common residents are northern shovelers, storks and white-headed ducks. Cranes also do some wintering in the park between November and March. Other colorful birds that tourists may spot are the black-necked grebes, common teals, egrets, great bitterns, northern pintails, purple herons, red-crested pochards, and wigeons.
There are also rare sightings of boars, foxes, grass snakes, hares, otters, polecats, rabbits, and weasels in the park.