Global citizenship firm Henley & Partners has experienced a major uptick in Americans seeking secondary passports.
15.07.2024 - 20:48 / lonelyplanet.com
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Jul 15, 2024 • 8 min read
From the lofty mountains in the north and south of the country, to the plains and olive groves of the interior, and the beaches of the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, Spain’s diverse topography offers endless scope for outdoor adventure.
Trekkers head for the rugged peaks of the Pyrenees, Picos de Europa and the Sierra Nevada, hit the myriad coastal and forest hiking trails, or join other pilgrims along the Camino de Santiago. Rock climbers tackle precipitous routes on rock faces across Catalonia and Andalucía, while those in search of extra thrills soar above mountain peaks in a paraglider or canyon down river gorges. Windsurfers, kitesurfers and wingboarders head for Andalucia’s Costa de la Luz and the Canary Islands, while surfers find their own private paradise along Galicia’s wave-battered coastline. All over Spain, cyclists take to quiet backcountry roads or off-road tracks to discover the best of the country’s diverse landscapes.
No matter what your level of adventure might be, there’s an outdoor experience for you in Spain. Here are some of our favorites:
The second-most mountainous country in Europe, Spain is renowned for its superb hiking trails that traverse its diverse topography, be it the alpine meadows of the Pyrenees, the craggy Picos de Europa, the rugged foothills of the Sierra Nevada or the coastal cliffs and white-sand beaches of Andalucía's Cabo de Gata.
Peak-baggers set their sights on Andalucía's Mulhacén (11,400 feet) – mainland Spain’s highest peak – or Monte Perdido (11,000 feet) in the Pyrenees. Hikers seeking multi-day challenges tackle Galicia’s 125-mile-long Camiño dos Faros trail along the magnificent Costa da Morte (Death Coast); the spectacular GR11 (Senda Pirenáica) that connects the Atlantic (Hondarribia in the Basque Country) to the Mediterranean (at Cap de Creus in Catalonia); the 70-mile-long Anillo de Picos that links the Picos de Europa’s most scenic spots; or the 186-mile-long, stunning high altitude GR 240 in the Sierra Nevada, where you also trek between refugios (mountain huts).
And then there is one of the world's most famous pilgrimage trails – the original 490-mile-long Camino de Santiago (or Camino Francés) route to the Santiago de Compostela cathedral in Galicia.
Some of Spain’s best day hikes are found along the Costa Brava’s Camí de Ronda, in Almería's Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar, amidst the cork-oak woodlands of Andalucía's Sierra de Aracena, and the volcanic landscapes of Catalonia's Parc Natural de la Garrotxa.
Legendary winds – the gentler, cooler poniente (west wind), and the fierce, warm levante (east wind) that blows from Africa – have made Tarifa, Spain’s southernmost point, one of the world’s top
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Jul 16, 2024 • 9 min read