Natural Parks in Andalucia

Andalucia, a region in southern Spain, is home to a number of natural parks that showcase the area’s diverse geography and biodiversity. One of the most famous is in Andalucia is Sierra Nevada Natural Park, which spans over 86,000 hectares and is home to Spain’s highest peak. Other natural parks in the region include Doñana Natural Park, which is one of Europe’s most important wetland reserves and home to a wide range of bird species; Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park, which features volcanic landscapes, rugged cliffs, and pristine beaches; and Grazalema Natural Park, which is characterized by its limestone peaks, deep gorges, and dense forests.

These protected areas offer visitors a chance to experience Andalucia’s rich natural beauty, as well as its cultural and historical heritage.

Sierra de Baza

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The depression known as la Hoya de Baza and the Sierra de Las Estancias
  • Region: Andalucia
  • Province: Granada
  • Declared a Natural Park: 1989
  • Park surface area: 53,649 hectares

Villages in the area

Baza, Caniles, Dólar, Gor, Valle de Zalabí

Points of interest

The sierra de Baza with its limestone peaks over 2000m is a relatively humid, botanical jewel between two arid plains of Las Hoyas de Guadix-Baza and the Llanos del Marquesado. It is part of the Cordillera Penibética range with the highest peak of Santa Bárbara at 2,271m. The steep slopes have a covering of pines with oaks and acer.

Thia natural park is home to nearly a hundred and fifty endemic species exclusive to the Iberian Peninsula: Iberian endemics 81, Southern Iberian endemics 51, Granada endemics 17.

This video shows some of the scenery and other interesting aspects of the area around the sierra de Baza. It was created for the FITUR tourism show in 2021 by the council of Baza

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Los Alcornocales

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Los Alcornocales is a forest of Cork oak trees, the largest in Iberia
  • Region: Andalucia
  • Province: Cadiz/Malaga
  • Declared a Natural Park: 1989
  • Park surface area: 167.767 hectares
  • Villages and Towns in the area: Alcalá de Los Gazules, Algar, Algeciras, Arcos de La Frontera, Los Barrios, Benalup-casas Viejas, Benaocaz, El Bosque, Castellar de La Frontera, Cortes de La Frontera, Jerez de La Frontera, Jimena de La Frontera, Medina-sidonia, Prado del Rey, San Jose del Valle, San Roque, Tarifa, Ubrique

Points of interest

Los Alcornocales is a forest of Cork oak trees, the largest in Iberia and therefore important to the worlds cork supply. The park, which also embraces mountains, creates a green corridor from the Sierra de Grazalema natural park through to the coastal zone at Tarifa.

The harvesting of cork is done on a 9 to 12 year cycle. The bark is stripped from the tree by hand, packed onto mules and taken to forest tracks where it can be loaded onto a vehicle. The cork collection is only carried out for 3 months in the heat of summer when it separates easily from the tree.

Therefore, the fauna and flora are left undisturbed between these harvest times, giving an important refuge to many plants and animals.

Recent research has discovered a wealth of animal and plant forms that exist here because of the humidity. The heavy tree canopy and many deep water channels (canutos) combine to create a subtropical micro climate in a normally very dry part of Spain.

Find a a hotel in Los Alcornocales

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Sierra de Grazalema

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The Natural Park of the Sierra de Grazalema - Walking and Wildlife Holidays in Spain
  • Region: Andalucia
  • Provinces: Cadiz, Malaga
  • Declared a Natural Park: 1984
  • Park surface area: 51,695 hectares

Points of interest

The Natural Park of the Sierra de Grazalema has also been declared a Biosphere Reserve, this is due to the diverse geography with high limestone mountains and deep gorges such as Garganta Verde, (Green Gorge) that is 400m deep and filled with lush vegetation. In addition, it offers a great diversity of species- animals and vegetation.

Many species are represented in the Botanical Garden of El Bosque, which is a good place to see the more rare flora of the area.

Numerous species of birds live in the park, the Griffon vulture being the most recognizable by its sheer size and tendency to fly in numbers.

The area has also become famous as a starlight destination. The Starlight Foundation is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2009 to promote the protection of the night sky and the development of “astrotourism” and there is an ever growing list of starlight destinations in Spain to visit.

For more in depth information about this area please have a look at the Grazalema Guide. This is our Tourist Information Portal for the Sierra de Grazalema, The town of Ronda and the Caminito del Rey. You can find out everything you need for a visit to this area of Andalucia (Where we live) 🙂

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The Sierra Nevada mountain range in Andalusia

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The Sierra Nevada mountain range in Andalusia

The Sierra Nevada mountain range in Andalusia is a section of the Betic Cordillera and runs parallel to the Mediterranean sea for around 100km.

The temperature range is dramatic with the summits under snow for many months, followed by a hot Mediterranean style summer. This creates special microclimates across the exposed rocky summits, glacial lakes, sheer sided gorges, mixed oak woods, pine woods and fast rivers with wooded banks.

Declared a National Park in 1998 and encompassing an area of 86,208 hectares it is a popular destination throughout the year. It holds an exceptional variety of animal and plant life due to the combination of altitude and its proximity to the Mediterranean sea.

The area has also become famous as a starlight destination. The Starlight Foundation is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2009 to promote the protection of the night sky and the development of “astrotourism” and there is an ever growing list of starlight destinations in Spain to visit.

Find a hotel in the area

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