Come and discover Spain’s natural spaces in an original way, but with the utmost respect for the environment. We propose a visit to the sites accredited with the European Card for Sustainable Tourism (CETS) sponsored by the European Commission. These are nature areas where you’ll find various companies offering tourist activities which undertake to protect the environment.

You’ll be able to enjoy some of the most valuable nature areas in Europe thanks to their outstanding scenic beauty (including national parks and biosphere reserves), and you can make the most of your visit while conserving the ecological and scenic values of each destination. Check here to find the services offered by each area (visitor centres, trails, guided visits, accommodation, etc.) and get ready to enjoy the natural environment as never before.

Mosaic of ecosystems

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.

Example of volcanic formation

It has a rich and varied vegetation with a predominance of holm oak, oaks and beech. There are also chestnut trees, hazel, alder, poplar and box.

The fauna includes species such as wild boar, wildcat, dormouse, marten and genet. This protected nature area is also home to the short-toed eagle, the goshawk, peregrine falcon, woodpeckers, nuthatch and marsh tit, as well as to vipers and other reptiles. It is also of particular interest due to its 40 volcanic cones and its 20 lava outcrops. It is considered to be the most important volcanic area on the Iberian Peninsula.

The highest mountains on the Peninsula

This park combines scenic beauty and ecological importance, as well as being home to the highest peaks on the peninsula. It was declared a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO in 1986.

It is located to the southeast of Granada and extends to the eastern edge of Almería. It has both gentle slopes and steep cliffs, and is home to the highest peaks on the Iberian peninsula, the Mulhacén and the Veleta. It is a site of exceptional scenic value, shaped by its glacial origins and containing forests and diverse areas of natural vegetation. The park also has rich hydrological resources, including several natural mineral springs. Fifteen of its peaks are over 3,000 metres high. It has over 2,000 plant species (66 of them exclusively endemic), and its la fauna includes amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. The most characteristic species in its wide biodiversity is the Spanish ibex.

Fir forests and spectacular gorges

The Sierra de Grazalema is located between the Andalusian provinces of Cadiz and Malaga, and is the site of an important relictual area of Spanish fir, a tree which has become the symbol of these mountains. This is one of the most spectacular Karstic complexes in Spain, with deep gorges and cave systems, and the most extensive complex of rivers, cavities and subterranean galleries in Andalusia. The whole of the Sierra de Grazalema Nature Reserve was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1977.

Grazalema is part of a mountain massif, located between the provinces of Cadiz and Malaga. Its mountains reach heights of between 600 and 1600 metres over the surrounding valleys and depressions. This is an area of steep reliefs, with narrow valleys such as the “Green Gorge”, whose walls rise up 400 metres from ground level. An important feature of Grazalema is that it is one of the points on the Peninsula which receives the most rainfall, with over 2,000 mm of water a year. Another of the singular characteristics of this mountain range is the presence of grottoes and subterranean systems, including particularly the Hundidero-Gato complex, which is the largest cave in Andalusia, or the Pileta Cave, with its prehistoric origins. Ten species of amphibians, 14 reptiles, 136 species of birds and 42 mammals have been recorded in the area. There is a very significant colony of bats –one of the largest in Europe– in the Hundidero-Gato system mentioned above. The vegetation can be differentiated in the lower areas, with an abundance of holm oak, cork oak, carob, hawthorn, strawberry trees and mastic, and in the upper reaches, plant formations such as gall oaks and fir trees make an appearance.