Untamed Spain: A guide to its parks and wildlife

13.07.2024 - 14:15 / lonelyplanet.com

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Jul 10, 2024 • 7 min read

From the snow-tipped Pyrenees and the jagged Picos de Europa in the north, to the wave-battered Islas Atlánticas to the west; from the Doñana wetlands, to Europe’s only desert in the Almería province; from the forest-covered mountains of Sierra de las Nieves and Sierra Nevada, to the sun-drenched volcanic peaks of the Canary Islands; Spain’s natural landscapes are striking in their sheer diversity and natural beauty.

Around one third of Spain comes under protected status, and its national parks showcase the best of the country’s natural bounty and success of conservation efforts. Spain’s rugged terrain is a playground for hikers, climbers, horseback riders and other fresh-air aficionados, while the country’s diversity of animal life is second to none, ranging from lynx, wolves and brown bears to Europe’s most prolific and varied birdlife.

Straddling southeast Asturias, southwest Cantabria and northern Castilla y León, the 1918-founded, 260-square-mile Parque Nacional de los Picos de Europa – Spain’s first national park – comprises some of Spain’s (and Europe’s) most spectacular mountain scenery. Dominated by 8,000-foot peaks Macizo El Cornión, Macizo Ándara and Macizo Central, its dramatic limestone crags loom above sparkling lakes and mountain meadows, with the sheer rock faces plunging dramatically down into precipitous river gorges. The park’s natural bounty is accessed via an extensive network of signposted hiking trails; August is the busiest of the summer months, while during winter you’re likely to have the national park more or less to yourself.

Battered by Atlantic waves, Parque Nacional de las Islas Atlánticas encompasses four small archipelagos off the windswept coast of Galicia: Illas Cíes, Ons, Sálvora and Cortegada. The stars of the show are three Illas Cíes, two of them forming a natural breakwater that protects one of Spain’s loveliest white-sand beaches from the Atlantic’s fury. Once you’re there, the well-trodden footpaths to the lofty lighthouse and other viewpoints make for excellent day walking. Further north, quieter Illa de Ons features several sandy coves and a network of gentle trails. Between 15 May and 15 September, there’s a cap on the number of day visitors, so booking visitors’ permits online and ferry tickets to Illa de Ons weeks in advance is essential, particularly for July and August.

The deep canyons, mountain lakes, thick forest, waterfalls, and dragon’s back of limestone peaks that make up Spain’s joint-oldest national park, Aragon’s 60-square-mile Ordesa y Monte Perdido, rival the Picos de Europe when it comes to natural beauty, yet it receives a fraction of the Picos’ foot traffic.

Further east, Catalonia’s rugged 55-square-mile