Natural Parks in Catalonia

• Region: Catalunya
• Province: Barcelona
• Declared a Natural Park: 1972. The first management plan for the park dates from 1972. A second plan was approved in 1982 due to the excessive growth of the urbanizations that surrounded it. In 1987 the natural park was declared by a decree of the Generalitat of Catalonia and then In 1998 the plan was modified to expand the park limits by an additional 4,055 hectares to the current 13,694 hectares.
• Park surface area: 13, 694 hectares
• Towns and villages: Castellar del Vallés, Granera, Matadepera, Monistrol de Calders, Mura, Rocafort y Vilumara, Rellinars, San Lorenzo Savall, San Vicente de Castellet, Talamanca, Tarrasa and Vacarisas

Points of interest

Sant Llorenç del Munt i L’Obac Natural Park, the first Natural Park to be declared in Spain, is a largely rocky mountain massif in central Catalonia close to Barcelona. The highest summit (where the Romanesque Monastery of Sant Llorenç del Munt is located) is called la Mola at 1,104 metres. Montcau 1,056 metres is another important peak of the massif.

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clive

Clive Muir – Wildside Holidays – Walking, wildlife and culture holidays in Spain

I’ve been living in western Andalucía for more than 20 years and spend much of my time researching and running English-language travel websites about Spain. My work covers destinations including Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema and the Caminito del Rey, as well as Wildside Holidays, which focuses on walking, wildlife and nature travel in Spain.

Through Wildside Holidays, I share practical information about Spain’s natural parks, mountains, wildlife and walking destinations, drawing on many years of living and travelling in the country. The aim is to help visitors discover Spain’s natural landscapes responsibly and plan rewarding walking and wildlife experiences.

• Region: Catalonia
• Province: Barcelona and Gerona
• Declared a Natural Park: Biosphere Reserve 1978. Natural Park 1987
• Park surface area: 50,166 hectares. Expanded from 30,000 hectares in 2014)
• Towns and villages: Aiguafreda, Arbucias, Breda, Brull, Campins, Cánoves y Samalús, Figaró-Montmany, Fogás de Monclús, La Garriga, Gualba, Montseny, Riells i Viabrea, San Esteban, San Felíu de, Buxalleu, San Pedro de Vilamajor, Seva and Viladrau

Points of interest

Biosphere reserve

The Macizo del Montseny Natural Park (Just 50 kilometres from Barcelona) is the oldest in Catalonia and is also one of the most important because in a relatively small area there are typical plant communities of the three major European biomes : the Mediterranean (holm oak, cork oak and Aleppo pine), the Eurosiberian (Scots pine, beech and white fir) and boreoalpine (alpine meadow). The Montseny natural fir forest is the southernmost in Europe and this was the main reason that in 1978 UNESCO declared the area a protected Biosphere Reserve.

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clive

Clive Muir – Wildside Holidays – Walking, wildlife and culture holidays in Spain

I’ve been living in western Andalucía for more than 20 years and spend much of my time researching and running English-language travel websites about Spain. My work covers destinations including Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema and the Caminito del Rey, as well as Wildside Holidays, which focuses on walking, wildlife and nature travel in Spain.

Through Wildside Holidays, I share practical information about Spain’s natural parks, mountains, wildlife and walking destinations, drawing on many years of living and travelling in the country. The aim is to help visitors discover Spain’s natural landscapes responsibly and plan rewarding walking and wildlife experiences.

• Region: Cataluña
• Province: Gerona
• Declared a Natural Park: 1985
• Park surface area: 4.783 hectares
• Towns and villages: Castellón de Ampurias, La Armentera, La Escala, Palau Sabardera, Pau, Pedret y Marsá, Perelada, Rosas and San Pedro Pescador

Points of interest

Aiguamolls de L’Empordà Natural Park forms part of the Bay of Roses and the marshland lies between the two Rivers Fluvià and Muga. It is the second largest wetland in Catalonia, the Ebro delta being the largest.

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clive

Clive Muir – Wildside Holidays – Walking, wildlife and culture holidays in Spain

I’ve been living in western Andalucía for more than 20 years and spend much of my time researching and running English-language travel websites about Spain. My work covers destinations including Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema and the Caminito del Rey, as well as Wildside Holidays, which focuses on walking, wildlife and nature travel in Spain.

Through Wildside Holidays, I share practical information about Spain’s natural parks, mountains, wildlife and walking destinations, drawing on many years of living and travelling in the country. The aim is to help visitors discover Spain’s natural landscapes responsibly and plan rewarding walking and wildlife experiences.

• Region: Catalonia
• Province: Gerona
• Declared a Natural Park: 1998
• Park surface area: The total area of the parks is 13,855 ha, of which 10,781 correspond to land area (includes 3,276 ha of natural area of national interest and 900 ha of nature reserves) plus 3,074 ha of marine environment.
• Towns and villages: Cadaqués, Llansá, Palau Sabardera, Pau, Puerto de la Selv, Rosas, Selva de Mar, Vilajuïga

Points of interest

The Natural Park of Cabo de Creus is a peninsula and a headland located at the most northeastern point of Spain and was the first maritime-terrestrial park created in Catalonia.

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clive

Clive Muir – Wildside Holidays – Walking, wildlife and culture holidays in Spain

I’ve been living in western Andalucía for more than 20 years and spend much of my time researching and running English-language travel websites about Spain. My work covers destinations including Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema and the Caminito del Rey, as well as Wildside Holidays, which focuses on walking, wildlife and nature travel in Spain.

Through Wildside Holidays, I share practical information about Spain’s natural parks, mountains, wildlife and walking destinations, drawing on many years of living and travelling in the country. The aim is to help visitors discover Spain’s natural landscapes responsibly and plan rewarding walking and wildlife experiences.