PROTECTED AREAS

The land includes some natural parks and reserves that reflect its wild and diverse nature, but also the fragility of an environment that needs to be especially conserved and protected

SIERRA DE HUÉTOR NATURAL PARK


Sierra de Huétor Natural Park is just a few kilometers Northeast of the city center of Granada, being a natural balcony over the valley and the plateau of La Vega.

This mountain range is covered in pine, cedar and fir forests, with amazing views of Sierra Nevada and the omnipresent Pico Veleta (3.396m).

SIERRA DE BAZA NATURAL PARK


Located to the northeast of Granada, it majestically rises above the depressions of Guadix and Baza, reaching heights of over 2.000 meters.

Inside there are sharp contrasts, as it comprises high mountain areas and very harsh winters that run across the steppe plains of the Altiplano.

TABERNAS DESERT NATURAL AREA


This area is officially the only real desert on the whole European continent. It is bounded by three mountain ranges -Sierra Nevada, Filabres and Alhamilla- forming an impassable natural barrier to the humid air of the nearby Mediterranean.

Its scarce but torrential rainfall and high temperatures create a peculiar landscape of compact sandy ravines, known as badlands, between which run dry and sandy river basins, traditionally used as communication routes, the ramblas.

SIERRA ALHAMILLA NATURAL AREA


Sierra Alhamilla is an arid mountain range located between the wastelands of the Tabernas Desert and the mediterranean Sea, with its highest point at 1.387m above sea level, the Pico Colativí.

This area, in contrast with the harshness of the close environment offers a great diversity of species, what makes it to be classified as a Special Protection Area for Birds.

CABO DE GATA-NÍJAR NATURAL PARK


The Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park is the largest protected area on the European coast, with more than 60 kilometers of coastline.

It is considered one of the continent’s most unique landscapes, with volcanic formations, fossil beaches and cliffs sculpted by wind and erosion. This area has the driest climate in Europe, with rainfall of less than 160mm and a stable average temperature of 19ºC.

SIERRA NEVADA NATURAL AND NATIONAL PARK


Sierra Nevada, or Sulayr, Mountain of the Sun as it was called by the Muslims, it is a massive mountain range that crosses the provinces of Granada and Almería containing fifteen peaks of over 3.000 meters, including the Mulhacén (3.482m), the highest point on the Iberian Peninsula.

Source: Andalucia.org