The enormous area of Andalucía that covers Southern Spain is home to acres and acres given over to Natural Parkland – an abundance of preserved areas that act as a haven for wildlife, plant-life and home to geological formations and spectacular peaks.
The Spanish weather is nearly always guaranteed to please on your holiday, and where better to take the kids exploring on a free day out, and get a little exercise into the bargain?
Pack your map, binoculars and compass, let’s go explore Andalucía!
A snowy setting
Sun and Ski
Where else can you do both? In the Las Alpujarras region of Andalucía, it’s possible to be on the piste in the morning and down on the beach for the afternoon. Solynieve literally means sun and snow and it’s here in bucket-loads!
Aprés ski? Explore the Natural Park – it begins close to the city of Granada and covers an area containing enormous diversity, including flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world. The highest road in Europe, the highest village – Trevelez – and the highest peak on the Iberian peninsula at 3,482 metres – Mulhacén. Climb, ski, hike or explore – the choice is yours!
When you come down – hopefully not with a bump! – consider a soft bed to soothe your ski weary bones in a holiday rental within the lively city of Granada.
Sierra Morena - explore!
Seven in One
With an area of 1,290,000 acres, it comes as no surprise that you get no less than 7 parks rolled into one in the Sierra Morena. Namely, they are as follows:
- Sierra de Cazorla, Segurla y Las Villas
- Sierra de Andar
- Despeñaperros
- Sierra Cardeña y Montoro
- Sierra Norte de Sevilla
- Sierra de Hornacuelo
- Sierra de Aracena y Picos de Aroche.
The area is home to the Spanish Lynx, lush valleys, high peaks and stunning mountain scenery await you. It runs all the way from Southern Portugal in the West of Spain right across to Murcia in the East.
Explore the wetlands
Lowland Sanctuary
Probably the most famous of the bunch, Doñana is pretty much well known as the best lowland wilderness sanctuary in the whole of Europe, a tag well deserved. The preserved eco-systems of Salt Marshes, Sand Dunes and Brushwood are habitat to an enormous range of wetland birds, flora and fauna. The ever changing sand dunes make a wonderful sight, and the 4 wheel drive tours, albeit a bumpy experience, are the best way to take it all in – you may need more than one day though! Why not book into a holiday rental nearby and take your time discovering this wonderful area. Listed as a World Heritage Site, you can read more in our post on Doñana by clicking here.
Perfectly reflects a great day twitching!
Next stop Africa
The last pit stop for birds when they have left Doñana and are heading south for their holidays, is the Laguna de Medina. Close to Jerez de la Frontera, Twitchers will be in their own paradise, especially good at the end of August or early in September.
On to Grazalema a short distance – as the bird flies?! – and explore the hilly area of the Natural Park here, Eagles swoop, Reptiles slither and the flowers are particularly beautiful due to the unusual high rainfall.
The high peaks trap the Atlantic clouds, and feed the area with water.
If Spain is your game, rather than Africa, you can opt to stay here, Jerez de la Frontera amongst other pretty white villages hosts some lovely homes for holiday rentals, browse this selection for starters. The white village route is a must-see if you visit Andalucía, little sugar cubes of flat roofed houses clinging to the mountain sides….
Limestone rock formations
Outer space?
Lunar landscapes reminiscent of modern sculpture, you may be forgiven for thinking that you have landed on the moon! But fear not, it’s just diverse and wonderful Spain! South of Antequera lies the El Torcal de Antequera. A geological formation worth seeing, formed from the limestone mountains – see what shapes you can make out!
Looking good in Pink
Back in the pink
Just north of Antequera, head to the Andalucía’s largest lake – the Fuente de Piedra – visit in the Springtime and watch the whole lake blush a beautiful shade of Pink…it’s breeding time for the resident Flamingo population and the islet of La Colonia becomes at this time the most crowded habitat anywhere, remember the binoculars for that one!
Colourful Bee eaters
Flooded clay pits
East of the town of El Ejido, Almeria, to the north of the A-358 between Las Norias and La Mojonera (the latter has a large filling station on a roundabout and is easy to spot – wind your way through the ugly greenhouses and you will find La Cañada de Las Norias. This one is in my backyard and we often take the trip down on weekends, flooded clay pits provide a wetland reserve filled with a plethora of aquatic birds. Expect to see:
- White headed Duck
- Black Necked Grebe
- Ruddy Shelduck
- Purple Heron
- Gull billed Tern
- Little Bitterns
The air above is filled with swooping Sand Martins, Swallows and Bee Eaters, not a bad day out!
Sea Lavender in all it's glory
Lawrence of …Almeria?
The Cabo de Gata is well known for it’s fantastic beaches – and the hottest, driest province of Almería boasts a long coastline and many uncrowded beaches to explore. If you can tear yourself away form the sand and surf, the Sierra de Cabo de Gata is a maze of red volcanic rock – peaking at just under 500m at the summit of Cerro de los Frailes.
The desert like climate means that there are no trees, but instead scrubland and Dwarf Palm, Prickly Pear and Sisal. The latter is used in rug and rope-making, you can eat the prickly pear – if you get used to digesting the numerous seeds! – but also acts as food for the Cocid bug – from which Cochineal is obtained. (That deep red colouring in your Campari!)
More than 1000 species of plant-life are found here, a percentage of those are unique to Iberia. Back to the sea and you’ll find the cleanest waters in the Mediterranean. Not just great for swimming in, also home to the gigantic Fan Mussel, carpets of Seaweed, and more than 1400 species of Marine animals and plantlife.
Small but perfectly formed!
Holiday here in Almeria and remember to visit the SEO/Birdlife Visitor Centre, which you will find at Amoladeras on the AL-P-202 road between Retamar and Ruescas. The surrounding area is made up of stony plain, come in Spring and expect to see:
- Barbary nut
- Asphodel
- Dipcadi
- Sea Lavender
- Androcymbium europaeum Lily
- Lotus
- Field Gladiollus
Barbary Nut
Look up on top of the scrub to spot:
- Little Owl
- Bee eater
- Black eared Wheatear
- Spectacled Warbler
- red rumped Swallow
- The delightfully named Little Bustard
Watch your toes! Look down to see:
- Ocellated Lizard
- Spiny footed Lizard
- Montpelier Snake
- Lataste’s Viper
Not just for the flight home
Flying from Málaga? Booked a holiday home there?
Come off the Autovía del Mediterráneo and onto the dual carriageway the links the airport and the Málaga city – take the first exit to the East of the Río Guadalhorce and heading South – underneath the motorway – you’ll reach the carpark at the Northern end of the Paraje site.
It’s a long plain fringed by Rush, African Tamarisk and Tobacco plant....and breeding pairs of little Bittern, Purple Heron, Black winged Stilts and Sedge, Reed and Great Reed Warblers on migration. In Winter, you can watch Bluethroats and Marsh Harriers, maybe a Short Eared Owl.
Waders include:
- Avocet
- Little Stint
- Greenshank
- Curlew Sandpiper
- Wood Sandpipers
- Marsh Sandpipers
Sniffin' around...Wild Boar
Montes de Málaga
Home to a Natural Park of 5000 hectares, parallel to the coast. Along the C-345 from Málaga south of the Puerto del León, follow the signs to Fuente de la Reina.
Amongst the Pines and Oak of Cork and Holm you might spot Red Squirrel, Wild Boar Egyptian Mongoose and Eurasian Badger.
Home also to the Mediterranean Chameleon if you can spot him!
Birdlife include Black Kite, Honey Buzzard and Booted Eagle along with Tawny and Scops Owl – that’s the one that lulls me to sleep here in La Alpujarra with it’s radio signal hoot across the valley to it’s mate!
If you would like to hear that lullaby, choose one of these nests from a selection of places to stay in Andalucía!
*For up to date information on Bird-watching in the Alpujarras and beyond follow the informative and friendly Ian Williams on Twitter (Apt, no?!), his user-name there is @birdwatchspain
*More information on the Parque Natural at the Montes de Málaga from the education centre of Las Contadoras Tlf: 952110255.
Lunchtime! Everyone needs their Tapas!
Coastal Cádiz
If you have ever had the pure pleasure of visiting Cádiz, then you will have appreciated the setting and situation. A friend, visiting recently, likened the experience to a feeling of the whole city being adrift on a boat, and that’s just about the perfect description. It’s location is at the end of a tombolo, arms outstretched around 5000 hectares of salt-marsh, a geometric grid of Salinas. The bay is in two parts, north and south. The north is the salt-marshes of Los Toruños and the stone pine forest of La Algaida, the south comprises the grids of Salinas and the protected Natural Parks of the Isla del Trocadero and Marismas de Sancti Petri.
Collectively they make up the Bahía of Cádiz.
At La Algaida expect to see Iberian Blind Mole – though I guess he won’t see you! – Weasel, Iberian Hare and lots of playful Otters enjoying both the fresh and salty waters. Nesting Eagles, Black Kite, Hoopoe and Shrike. The Butterflies are stunning, including scarce Swallowtail, Spanish Festton, Adonis Blues. If only they would stay still long enough to photograph!
No less than 50,000 Waterbirds frequent the area during the Winter months, and because the area is so close to the Straits of Gibralter you’re likely to see a large number of migrating birds too.
Feel free to carefully explore the area on foot, there are plenty of marked footpaths, but you will require a permit to visit the Isla del Trocadero and Marismas de Sancti Petri, more information on this can be had from the Park HQ in San Fernando, the telephone number is 956 590 405.
If you would like a first class cabin in which to sail Cádiz, then choose from this list of lovely accommodation!
So, whether you want to choose a Spanish holiday for the long beaches, the weather, to taste Paella or indulge in the fine wines, dance flamenco or just to feel the Duende….remember that’s it’s also a special place for wildlife, flora and fauna, some only found here in magical, wild and wonderful Spain!
Birdlife-a-plenty
stewartmorris/Sergey Yeliseev/erickgonzalez50/clr_flickr/Jesse Varner/Luis Marín
