5 National Parks In Spain

In Spain, there is the second oldest natural park in the world, created in 1918, after Yellowstone, in 1872.

Within mainland territory, we can find 10 reserves. To these are added four from the Canary Islands and one from the Balearic Islands. Of the 15 national parks in Spain, in this article we’ll talk about the five most famous.

Spain’s national parks

All these areas or reserves are integrated into the network of  national parks  in Spain and the first was created in 1918.

The last one was added to the list in 2013. They are areas of high ecological value and, at the same time, touristic, due to the landscape and the possibility of carrying out various activities.

1. Picos de Europa National Park

After being founded the Yellowstone National Park in the United States in 1872, the second in the world was the Picos de Europa – photo that opens this article – in 1918.

With an area of ​​more than 67 thousand hectares, it is shared by three provinces: Cantabria, Asturias and Leon.

The typical ecosystem is the mountain, with rivers, gorges and canyons. The wild animals that can be found here include: brown bear, chamois, ibex, partridge, Cantabrian capercaillie, Iberian wolf and osprey.

1. Teide National Park

It is the most visited of Spain’s national parks and is located on the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. It was created in 1954 and its main attraction is the volcano that gives its name to the entire reserve, 3,718 meters high, the third largest in the world.

The Teide National Park is made up of two large depressions and is a place of great scientific interest due to its geological formations.

Some of the animals that live in this place are: mouflon, Moorish partridge, robin, kestrel, gallotia (lizard), eared bat, owl, rabbit and blackbird.

1. Sierra Nevada National Park

With more than 86,000 hectares, it is the largest park in Spain and is located in Andalusia, between the provinces of Granada and Almeria.

It is formed by mountains over three thousand meters high and  recreational activities can be done here during winter (skiing, snowboarding, sledding) and summer (hiking, paragliding, climbing, horse riding, etc.).

Sierra Nevada National Park is a perfect place for bird watching as well as ibex viewing. Other inhabitants, not so sociable, are the badger and the wild cat.

1. Timanfaya National Park

It is located in the municipalities of Tinajo and Yaiza, west of the island of Lanzarote, Canary Islands, and was founded in 1974. It covers an area of ​​50 square kilometers and has more than 25 volcanoes, the last eruption happened in 1824.

Despite being a very inhospitable place, with unfavorable weather conditions for life, fauna is abundant in the Timanfaya National Park, with:  Canarian shrews, moorish geckos, lizards, rabbits, Moorish partridge, owls and turtledoves.

1. Doñana National and Natural Park

The last of Spain’s national parks on this list is mostly located in the province of Huelva and, to a lesser extent, in Cádiz and Seville, Andalusia.

It has an area of ​​108,000 hectares and, although it was created in 1969, it has been of vital importance in Iberian history since the Neolithic.

Among the wild animals in the Doñana Park, there are:

• 20 species of fish (including eels)
• 10 amphibians (European arboreal frog)
• 13 reptiles (collar water snake)

• 37 of mammals (Iberian lynx)
• 360 of birds (loon, stork, sparrow, egyptian vulture)

In turn, it is a very important area for the breeding of native horses: marismeño and retuertas.