|
|
|
|
|
The presence of snow is
accentuated during the winter months,
however, it is not unusual for there to be
perpetual snow. The Park's special climate
means that there are frequent fog banks,
something that is greatly feared by
mountaineers. As for its orography, the Park
has an exceptional relief, where high
summits alternate with deep gorges and
canyons. The park boasts 200 heights of over
2,000 metres, and vertical drops of over
2,300 m. The Central Massif is the most
abrupt of the three that make up the Park
and the greatest heights can be found there:
Torrecerredo (2,646 m), the highest summit
in the Picos, Naranjo de Bulnes (2,519 m) or
Pico Tesorero (2,570 m). The Western Massif
is the most extensive, and it possesses high
summits, like Peña Santa de Castilla (2,596
m), intermingled with meadows, hillside
forests, beech and oak groves and moors. The
famous Covadonga lakes can be found on this
massif. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Rural tourism, ecological
tourism |
The Eastern massif, shorter and
lower, blends sharp crag with green pastures.
The Park is crossed by four rivers
channelled in deep gorges: la Hermida defile,
crossed by the river Deva; los Beyos defile,
by the river Sella; la 'Garganta Divina',(Divine
Gorge) through which the river Cares runs,
and La India defiles, though which the river
Duje flows. There are numerous viewpoints in
the Park from where you can admire its
beauty. An interesting alternative is to use
Fuentedé funicular, via which you can go up
to a height of more than 1,800 metres above
sea level.
Type of area: National
Park and Biosphere Reserve
Surface: 64.660 Hectares
Alpine site presided by Monte
Perdido
This National Park is
characterised by high peaks and steep slopes, in
which the peak of Monte Perdido stands (3,335
m), topped by its glacier, rising up over the
entire site.
It forms a stunning
landscape ensemble dominated by high peaks. It
possesses a wide variety of ecosystems, with
both Atlantic and Mediterranean influences,
translating as a rich and diverse flora and
fauna. The massif of Monte Perdido (3,355 m)
presides over its orography, with the summits of
Tres Sorores, from where the valleys of Ordesa,
Pineta, Añisclo and Escuaín come from. A sharply
contrasting landscape: the extreme aridity of
the high ground, where the rainwater and thaw
filter through cracks and holes, contrasts with
the green valleys covered in forests and meadows,
where the water forms waterfalls and travels
along canyons and ravines.
A crystal-clear paradise of peace
and tranquility
Aigüestortes i Estany
de Sant Maurici National Park has the
characteristics of Pyrenean areas of high
mountain, which gives it its main distinguishing
feature water.
This park's setting
is characterised by crystal-clear waters that
run through the numerous lakes and rivers, that
enrich this Pyrenean landscape. Next to the
torrents and waterfalls stand leafy forests
which, when its snows, are stunning. However,
not only is the landscape noteworthy, its
biological treasures are extraordinary. It is a
true paradise for nature lovers: lakes, torrents,
waterfall, peat bogs, rocky ground, rugged peaks
and leafy forests of hooked pine, fir, wild
pine, birch and beech, are home to interesting
alpine or northern plants and animals.
Sea refuge in the Rías Baixas (southern
coast of Galicia)
Located in the province
of Pontevedra, the National Park of the Atlantic
islands including the Cíes Islands, and Ons,
Cortegada and Sálvora all in the Rías Baixas (southern
coast of Galicia).An ecosystem sea-land with an
interesting and important colony of sea birds
that live on it.
The park has four
groups of islands that are distributed between
the estuaries of Vigo, Pontevedra and Arousa.
Home and shelter to one of the most numerous
colonies of seagulls on the Spanish coast and
other species such as the shag, cormorant, the
common shag, etc.
|
 |
|
Enol lake,
Picos de Europa National
Park, Asturias, Spain |
Inland unspoiled ecosystem
Just over an hour's
sailing from Majorca, stands this spot that
boasts a considerable wealth of nature.
In this group of
islands and calcareous rocky isles, its marine
ecosystem is particularly noteworthy, with the
presence of meadows of Neptunegrass, enabling
the proliferation of marine fauna. This marine
area is one of the best preserved on our
coastlines. Besides, there are several
exceptional botanical endemisms, as well as
large colonies of birds. This is why it was
named National Marine and Land Park in 1991.
Bird paradise
The Park forms an
exceptional and unique ecosystem, called
wetlands, formed by the overflows of the rivers
in their middle sections, that cause great pools.
it great ecological worth is the bird life that
uses this area in winter and for nesting,
thereby creating a whole area of water birds.
Tablas de Daimiel
formed as the result of overflows at the
confluence of the rivers Guadiana and Cigüela, a
fact favoured by the slight slope of the land.
The Wetlands are strategically located on the
migratory routes of many species of birds, that
use the area to rest, and even spend the winter.
The water birds are the absolute protagonists of
the Park. They include the great crested grebe,
the common grebe, black-necked grebe, herons,
egrets, and all kinds of Iberian ducks. In the
Wetlands numerous aquatic flowers grow.. Some
grow underwater (like the horwart or musk grass),
float (such pondweed) and emerging (cladium
mariscum, reed and rush).
Iberian meadow fauna
Cabañeros National Park
is noted for its rich fauna, that includes a
considerable number of endemic species.
The lush pastures,
mountain ranges and massifs covered in forests
and Mediterranean scrub, make this landscape
particularly beautiful. It is also the habitat
of very important fauna, mainly consisting of
birds (black vulture, Iberian eagle, golden
eagle). Cabañeros is also a land of large
mammals (45 species). It is easy to spot the red
deer, wild boar or roe deer.
Virgin meadows and Mediterranean
forests
In the province of Cáceres we find varied
ecosystems of great environmental value, like
Mediterranean forests, rocky lands and meadows.
In addition, rivers and reservoirs irrigate the
river side in the Monfragüe National Park.
Mosaic of
ecosystems
Doñana. The
National Park's biodiversity is the result of
the conjunction of different ecosystems.
The Park is noted
for its extreme flatness. There, you can see a
transition from the undulating topography of the
'cotos' to the marshes, which are the most
noteworthy seeing as they provide a refuge for
many migratory birds. The vegetation is also
determined by the different ecosystems (dunes,
sandy ground, fresh water and lakes...). With
respect to the fauna, Doñana is home to a large
number of species which, apart from the
outstanding presence of the birds, includes the
Iberian lynx (Lynx pardina), which has become an
emblem of the Park, since it is a carnivore
endemic to the Iberian Peninsula.
The greatest heights on the
Peninsula
This park combines beauty and ecological wealth,
not forgetting that the highest peaks on the
mainland are to found here.
It is situated to
the south-east of Granada and extends to the
eastern end of Almería. It combines smooth areas
with other very rugged ones. Mulhacén and
Veleta, the highest peaks on the mainland are
situated here. It is an extraordinary landscape
site, with a morphology of glacial origin,
forests and different areas of natural
vegetation. The presence of several local
endemisms is important. It landscape is rich in
mineral-medicinal waters. Fifteen of its summits
exceed 3,000 metres in altitude. The most
characteristic species in the park is the
mountain goat.
A
trip to the Moon
The impressive fields
of solidified lava that make up this island
convert Timanfaya into the land of the volcanoes.
Different volcanic
eruptions and magma activity throughout its
history, make this land what it is today. From
the nature viewpoint of Montaña Rajada you can
admire a vast sea of lava that reaches the
coastline. Particularly impressive are: the
undulations, strident forms created by the
lava...Since then its inhabitants have learned
to live alongside this unusual and pretty
landscape, and have even dry farmed melons,
onions, tomatoes and also vines in La Geria.
|
 |
In the land of volcanoes
Teide National Park is
the biggest and oldest of the Canary Islands'
parks. Its landscape is shaped around the
biggest volcano in Spain: Teide, whose last
eruption took place in 1798. The volcanic cones
and the lava runs form an extraordinary group of
colours and shapes, in which thrives a diverse
flora of great biological importance.
In 1954, Teide
National Park was founded in order to protect a
landscape of impressive beauty and great
ecological importance, that extended around the
colossal volcano. Teide is a volcanic formation
situated on an old and gigantic crater-like
sunken area, shaped by two semi craters,
separated by Roques de García. In the shelter of
Teide live plants and animal species that are
unique in the world. The diversity of plants is
astounding: Teide broom, towers of jewels,
echium virescens, bencomia stipulata,
descurainia bourgaena, pterocephalus
lasiospermus, silver thistle..The most important
species in the park are the invertebrates. More
than 700 species of insects are listed, 50% of
which are endemic to the area. There are several
species of reptiles (such as the tizon lizard)
and birds (Egyptian vulture, sparrow hawk,
kestrel, red kite). Mammals are scarce, but
there are mouflons, rabbits and 5 species of
bats.
La Gomera
and ancestral nature
This National Park
contrasts with the rest of the Canary Islands.
Here the volcanic landscape is not so dominant,
but there are laurel forests almost permanently
enveloped in fog.
Walking through
Garajonay is like returning to the past, since
its countryside is truly unspoilt. It is the
meeting point between clouds and ground, which
brings with it constant humidity and the so-called
horizontal rain that translates as a leafy,
dense forest. The forest landscapes are a
leading feature in the Park, since the different
plant formations can be seen, from the above-mentioned
laurel to white heather, visnea mocanera or the
strawberry tree. Numerous species of birds and
two species of reptile, the Gomeran lizard (Gallotia
galloti gomerae) and the Gomeran skink (Chalcides
viridanus coeruleopunctatus), as well as a
species of amphibian, the green frog (Hyla
meridionalis), live inside the park.
Canary Island landscape with
character
The steep landscape of
Caldera de Taburiente is crossed by a multitude
of streams.
The steep landscape,
a result of the vertical drop, is the National
Park's top attraction. It is crossed by streams
and waterfalls. The presence of endemic plant
species such as the Canary Island pine stands
out, and extends throughout its territory
forming important masses. Caldera de Taburiente
is a vast sunken area caused by erosion. It is
one of the world's biggest and is surrounded by
a circle of summits 8 km in diameter, in which
the greatest heights on the island can be found:
El Roque de los Muchachos (2,426 m), Pico de la
Cruz (2,351 m), Piedra Llana (2,321 m), Pico de
la Nieve (2.236 m), Punta de los Roques (2.085
m), etc. From these heights, the relief slumps
inwards inside the Crater in almost vertical
escarpments of no less than 800m, until reaching
the summit 430 m above sea level in its lowest
part, which involves drops of about 2,000 m.
|