discover the secrets of the most beautiful spanish territories and the reasons that you should visit when you get a chance. here are 10 natural parks across spain which are a must-do for all travellers who like to be outside and enjoy being in a natural environment.

 -the largest and oldest national park of the canary island-

teide national park, canary islands

its landscape revolves around the largest volcano in spain: the teide, which last erupted in 1798. the volcanic cones and the lava outcrops form an extraordinary conjunction of colours and shapes, and are home to a wide diversity of flora of great biological value.

the teide national park was created in 1954 in order to protect this spectacular landscape of great ecological value which lies at the foot of the colossal volcano. the teide is the volcanic formation located on an ancient and gigantic cauldron-shaped depression, formed by two semi-calderas separated by the roques de garcía rock formations. plant and animal species that are unique in the world live in the shadow of the teide. there is an astonishing diversity of plants: teide broom, red echium, blue echium, theguanche rose (bencomia extipulata), flixweed, rosalillo de cumbre (pterocephalus lasiospermus),silver thistle (stemmacantha cynaroides)… the most important species in the park are the invertebrates. over 700 types of insects have been recorded, of which 50% are endemic to the area. there are some species of reptiles (such as the tenerife lizard) and birds (egyptian vulture, sparrow hawks, lesser kestrels, red kite), mammals are scarce, the most common of which are the mouflon, rabbits and five species of bat.

-the first national park designed in spain-

picos de europa national park, asturias, cantabria and castilla y león

the picos de europa national park was the first one to be awarded that designation in spain. its history goes back to 1918, when don pedro pidal, marquis of villaviciosa, promoted the law to create the montaña de covadonga national park, which was named picos de europa national park on 30 may 1995. this natural area was awarded the unesco biosphere reserve designation in 2002.

the picos de europa mountains are made up of three important massifs: eastern or andara massif, central or urrieles massif, and western or cornión massif. its climate is humid and rainy, because it is affected by the sea (which is only 20 kilometres away). it snows in winter but it is not strange to find year-round snowfields. because of the park’s special climatology, there are often fog banks, much feared by mountain climbers. regarding its orography, it stands out because of its strong relief, where high peaks are followed by deep ravines and canyons. in more than 200 spots the mountains are over 2,000 metres above sea level and there are slopes that are more than 2,300 metres high. the central massif is the most abrupt of the three, with the highest peaks: torrecerredo (2,646 metres), the highest peak in the range, naranjo de bulnes (2,519 metres) and pico tesorero (2,570 metres). the eastern massif is the longest one, where high summits, such as peña santa de castilla (2,596 metres) alternate with meadows, hill forests, beech forests, oak groves and heathland. in this massif you’ll find the famous covadonga lakes. the eastern massif is shorter and lower, and the sharp crags contrast with the green pastureland. there are four rivers flowing through the park, along deep ravines: deva river in la hermida gorge; sella river in los beyos gorge; cares river in the “garganta divina” ravine; and duje river in la india gorges. there are many viewpoints from where we can contemplate its beauty. a good option is to use the fuentedé cable car which will take you higher than 1,800 metres above sea level.

-mediterranean meadows and forests in their natural state-

monfragüe national park, extremadura

the largest and best preserved mediterranean forest worldwide is in monfragüe (extremadura), surrounded by hills populated with oak forests and mediterranean thicket and dotted with rocks and streams. rivers and reservoirs irrigate the riverside areas of monfragüe national park. all this results in a rich and varied plant and animal life.

-an exceptional refuge for biodiversity-

sierra de guadarrama national park, madrid and castilla y león

the national park extends over the sierra de guadarrama mountain range, whose highest peak is the peñalara summit. other outstanding features include the puerto de navafría pass and the la morcuera and siete picos mountain ranges.

all these mountainous areas are much frequented by hiking and climbing enthusiasts. the cooler and more humid conditions to be found in these mountains, plus the fact that it is so little affected by human activity, have made these mountains an exceptional refuge for biodiversity. its physical features include glacial cirques and lakes, and granite rock fields, and its plant landscapes are formed by high-mountain ecosystems and extensive forests of scots pine.

-an unspoilt island ecosystem-

cabrera archipelago national park, balearic islands

just over an hour by boat from mallorca, in the balearic islands, you will find this place with great natural beauty.

the marine ecosystem stands out in this cluster of calcareous islands and islets, with meadows of posidonia oceanica, which favour the proliferation of a large number of species of marine fauna. it is one of the best conserved sea beds on our coast. there are also many endemic plants and important bird colonies. for these reasons it was declared a land and sea-based national park in 1991.

 –a mountain landscape–

ordesa and monte perdido national park, aragón

the national park is part of the pyrenees and monte perdido national park which was declared a world heritage site in 1997 by the unesco. since 1977, a part of the park has also been inside the ordesa-viñamala biosphere reserve.

it is an incredibly beautiful place with a landscape of towering summits. it has a wide variety of ecosystems with both an atlantic and mediterranean influence, which is what gives it such a rich and diverse flora and fauna. the scenery is dominated by the great massif of monte perdido (3,355 m), with the peaks of the tres sorores branching out into the valleys of ordesa, pineta, añisclo and escuaín.

-a crystal-clear paradise in a peaceful, relaxing setting-

aigüestortes national park, catalonia

the aigüestortes i estany de sant maurici national park presents the typical high mountain features of the pyrenees, as well as its trademark: water.

this park is characterised by its crystal-clear waters that run through its many lakes and rivers, and make this pyrenean landscape rich. as well as the torrents and waterfalls, there are thick forests which look extremely beautiful when it snows. but its landscape is not the only important thing – its biological wealth is extraordinary. it is a real paradise for nature lovers: lakes, torrents, waterfalls, peat bogs, rocky slopes, rugged peaks and thick black pine, fir, wild pine, birch and beech forests, where many interesting alpine and northern plants and animals live.

-the paradise for birds-

las tablas de daimiel national park, castilla-la mancha

the park is a unique and special ecosystem, with wetlands formed by the rivers overflowing in their middle sections, causing flooding. the highest ecological value is the presence of birds that come to spend the winter and nest here, creating an area full of water birds.

las tablas de daimiel were formed because of the overflowing in the confluence of the guadiana and cigüela rivers, favoured by the sloping terrain. the wetlands are strategically situated on the migration routes of many bird species, which stop over to rest and even to spend the winter. water birds are the protagonists of the park. these species include the great crested grebe, little grebe and black-necked grebe, heron, cattle egret, night heron, and all kinds of iberian anatidae. there are many flower species in the waters, too. some of them are underwater (such as soft hornwort and rough stonewort), floating (duckweeds) and emerging (blue sedge, giant reeds and rushes).

-the islands of sea birds-

islas atlánticas national park, galicia

situated in the province of pontevedra, the islas atlánticas national park includes the cíes islands and the islands of ons, cortegada and sálvora, all of them in the rías baixas estuaries.

the park covers four clusters of rocky islands, with cliffs on the western side, facing the atlantic ocean, and beautiful beaches and dunes on the eastern side, facing the estuaries. the most important and spectacular colonies of sea birds on the spanish coast live on these islands, and many other underwater animal species can also be seen.

-a paradise of biodiversity-

doñana national park, andalucia

the biodiversity to be found in doñana is a result of the conjunction of different ecosystems. located on the right bank of the mouth of the guadalquivir river, part of this territory was declared a biosphere reserve by the unesco in 1980, together with the whole of what is today the national park.

doñana and the surrounding area are characterised by their flatness. a transition can be seen from the gently sloping landscapes of what are known as the “cotos” (stabilised sand dunes), the live dunes and the marsh. this last forms the most outstanding landscape type due to its role as a refuge for numerous migratory birds. the reserve has a wide variety of ecosystems: from natural marshes, to reforested stands merging with natural vegetation, dune systems on the coastline, and lagoons moving towards the interior. the most important plant species are the spanish juniper, pine trees, scrub, cork oak, heather, rosemary, larrea, spanish buckthorn, gorse, broom, rock rose, etc. the fauna to be found in the reserve include a wide variety of species, of which the most significant are the water and migratory birds, in addition to the iberian lynx (lynx pardina), which has become the emblem of doñana, thanks to its role as an endemic carnivore on the iberian peninsula. other species that can be seen here are red deer, fallow deer and wild boar, as well as some reptiles.