The best of Spain’s natural beauty

With national parks galore, containing scenery that ranges from snow-capped mountains to collections of ethereal mushroom-shaped rocks, Spain is a nature-lover’s dream.

Here are the country’s most highly rated destinations for getting outdoors, according to global travellers.

Cangas de Onís

Cangas de Onís is a town in Asturias, a region of northwestern Spain boasting unspoiled natural beauty. Though it’s less well-known than the nearby Pyrenees region, the area’s Picos de Europa National Park contains over 300 square miles of rocky mountains, sacred caves, waterfalls, steep gorges, dense forest and the high-altitude, glacial Covadonga lakes. Watch golden eagles and peregrine falcons soar overhead, catching their reflection on the lakes’ navy blue, still water, and keep your eyes peeled for rare Asturcón wild horses or the European brown bear. Check into Hotel Santa Cruz, located just two minutes’ walk from Cangas de Onís’ famous Roman bridge.

Vielha

The capital of the Aran Valley region, Vielha sits within thick deciduous and coniferous forest, looking up at 2000 metre-high Pyreneen peaks. The town is a handy base for exploring the Aigüestortes and Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, where you can hike past or paraglide over hundreds of peaceful lakes and wildflower meadows, go canyoning and abseiling through steep rock faces, or raft down roaring rivers (the region boasts the only Catalan rivers that flow directly into the Atlantic). Stay in a classic suite decorated with toile fabric at the highly rated Hotel El Ciervo in Vielha.

Cuenca

The Moorish city of Cuenca is so beautiful in itself you’ll feel reluctant to explore further afield; its ancient walls were built along a limestone spur, lined with ‘casa colgadas’ – houses that appear to hang precipitously over the Huécar river down below. But just outside the city, you’ll find the Serranía de Cuenca Nature Reserve, containing the Ciudad Encantada (‘Enchanted City’). This geological site has been formed over thousands of years by wind erosion, which has created some peculiarly-shaped rocks, many resembling mushrooms, as well turtles, bears and hippopotami. Another unmissable sight is the Ventano del Diablo (‘Devil’s Window’), a double-arched rock formation through which you can see bright green rivers carving through the canyon. Enjoy the views of Cuenca from the balcony of your room at Green River Hostel.

Ronda

Located between two national parks not far from the Costa del Sol, Ronda is another mountaintop city carved into the rocks to great effect. Its Puente Nuevo (‘new bridge’) connects the old Moorish town and the newer parts of the city, crossing El Tajo – a deep ravine with trees sprouting from the cracks in the plunging vertical rock walls. On the west of the city, you’ll find Andalucía’s first parque natural, Sierra de Grazalema; though founded in 1984, it’s still surprisingly little-known and empty of tourists (though it is home to a colony of enormous griffon vultures). To the east of the city, visitors can venture through the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, where a subterranean network of primeval tunnels, caves and pools, combined with rock formations and deep shafts, make it a playground for potholing, canyoning and climbing. Prepare a picnic for the park in your own apartment at Ronda’s highly rated Apartamentos Turísticos Espinel.

Sierra Nevada

Not far from the beautiful Moorish city of Granada, this small town sits within the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Parque Nacional, the latter being the largest park of its kind in Spain. The peaks here rise higher than the Pyrenees, and the range of native flora and fauna is astonishing. Hike through terraced fields, through valleys, across rivers and past clusters of white, cube-shaped houses before getting a good night’s sleep at Sierra Nevada’s Bed and Snow Apartments.