Montaña Palentina Natural park

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Montaña Palentina Natural park
  • Region: Castilla y Leon
  • Province: Palencia
  • Declared a Natural Park: (Fuentes Carrionas and Fuente Cobre-Montaña Palentina Natural Park) 1992
  • Renamed and expanded: (Montaña Palentina Natural park) 2000
  • Park surface area: 78,360 hectares
  • Towns and villages: Aguilar de Campoo, Brañosera, Castrejón de la Peña, Cervera de Pisuerga, Dehesa de Montejo, La Pernía, Polentinos, Triollo, Velilla del Río Carrión, San Cebrián de Mudá

Points of interest

The Montaña Palentina Natural Park (formerly called Fuentes Carrionas y Fuente Cobre-Montaña Palentina Natural Park) is a protected area located in the north of the province of Palencia. The Palentina Mountain range is home to the Fuentes Carrionas and Fuente del Cobre which are the sources of the Carrión and Pisuerga rivers.

This is a space of great natural, landscape, fauna and botanical value. It has the most northern mass of junipers in Europe, together with endemic species from the Cantabrian Mountains such as the Cantabrian Artemis and the Echium cantabricum.

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The Serranía de Cuenca Natural Park

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The Serranía de Cuenca Natural Park
  • Region: Castilla la Mancha
  • Province: Cuenca
  • Declared a Natural Park: 2007
  • Park surface area: 73,726 hectares
  • Towns and villages: Arcos de la Sierra, Beamud, Cuenca, Huélamo, Portilla, Tragacete, Uña, Valdemeca, Villalba de la Sierra, Zafrilla.

Points of interest

A landscape shaped by water

The Serranía de Cuenca Natural Park lies in the northeastern part of Cuenca province, within a much larger mountain region that extends into the neighbouring provinces of Guadalajara and Teruel. The protected park forms part of a landscape known for its unusual geological features, dramatic gorges, limestone plateaus and extensive forests.

Much of this distinctive scenery has been shaped by water acting on limestone and dolomite over millions of years. This process, known as karst erosion, gradually dissolves the rock, creating an extraordinary variety of natural formations, including caves, sinkholes, underground drainage systems and sculpted rock landscapes.

Los barcos at the Ciudad Encantada
The rock formations at the Ciudad Encantada are enormous, and it’s difficult to appreciate their true scale without someone standing alongside them. Here are my children beside Los Barcos (The Boats).

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Calares del Rio Mundo y de la Sima Natural Park

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Calares del Rio Mundo y de la Sima Natural Park
  • Region: Castilla la Mancha
  • Province: Albacete
  • Declared a Natural Park: 2005
  • Park surface area: 19,192 hectares
  • Place of Community Importance (SCI)
  • Special Protection Area for Birds (ZEPA)
  • Towns and villages: Yeste, Cotillas, Molinicos, Riópar, Víanos, Villaverde del Guadalimar and Veste

Points of interest

A mountainous terrain, the Calares del Rio Mundo y de la Sima Natural Park is marked by several watercourses that have eroded and created karst landscapes of great beauty across the Sierra de Alcaraz, Campo de Montiel and the Sierra del Segura . This park is close to the neighboring Natural Park of the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas in Andalucia.

The Mundo river is well known for its picturesque source. The river originates from a cave in the middle of a tall cliff and forms a waterfall with a height of almost 100 meters. Subsequently, it forms a series of smaller cascades and pools.

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.

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Lagunas de Ruidera Natural Park

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Lagunas de Ruidera Natural Park
  • Region: Castilla la Mancha
  • Province: Albacete and Ciudad Real
  • Towns and villages: Argamasilla de Alba, Ruidera, Alhambra, Ossa de Montiel and Villahermosa.
  • Declared a Natural Park: 1979
  • Park surface area: 3,772 hectares
Points of interest

The Lagunas de Ruidera Natural Park acts as a buffer zone to the Tablas de Daimiel National Park and It consists of a complex lagoon system made up of fifteen lagoons, which over 30 kilometers constitute the Alto Guadiana valley and in its highest part the source of the Guadiana river.

A lot of activities are available in the area such as hiking, diving, kayaking, paddle surfing, sailing, etc. There are bathing areas during the summer, and good places for sport fishing (See below)

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