8 Natural and National Parks in the Pyrenees to enjoy nature
The PyreneesA network of mountains, rivers, lakes and glaciers. They are landscapes and places where hiking can open up a new world to you. The Pyrenees mountain range... Why not appreciate the exuberance of the Pyrenees? Do you dare to delve deeper into the beauty of its parks?
READ ALSO: The beauty of the National Parks, get to know them in these 15 images >>
Aigüestortes National Park and Saint Maurice Lake
Catalonia is home to this national park, where you are welcomed by an Atlantic high mountain climate.
Located in the so-called axial zone of the Pyrenees (between France and Spain), it is walled on both the north and south by vigorous mountain foothills. Lakes and ponds are a common feature of the area..
The ice formed the characteristic ridges of Aigüestortes Park. Its magic lies in its rugged profile.
The autochthonous biodiversity has remained wild, despite the presence of humans. Its flora includes up to 1,471 plant species.
As for the fauna, the European Union declared the area a Special Protection Area for Birds. The reason? It is home to 200 species of vertebrate animals, two thirds of which are birds: bearded vultures, alpine lagopods, red-billed choughs, capercaillies and ptarmigan.
Wild boar, chamois, stoat, grey dormouse and red squirrel are the most common mammals. Aquatic animals present in the rivers and lakes include the common trout alongside other autochthonous species: the red-legged frog and the Pyrenean newt.
Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
A territory of contrasts, its highest mountain is Monte Perdido. From it, a variety of glacial ridges and valleys descend in the form of a radius.
The essence of the park is its constitution karst. Its limestone rocks have been perforated and meandered by rivers, which have created caves, canyons and chasms.
The vegetation of Ordesa Park is characterised by its variety, due to its divergent climate.
If you go up to 2,000 metres you will find deciduous and perennial species. At higher altitudes, you will come across plants that are used to growing in rock crevices.
In the event that you descend into the cannonsYou can see how the beech and spruce trees grow. It would be difficult to describe their nuances in detail, as the list of species exceeds 1,500. If we look at the subspecies, there are more than 2,000.
Representative species include the Pyrenean lily, the hedge hedgehog and the snow flower.
Something similar happens with the fauna, whose richness is almost infinite. There are 5 types of amphibians; 8 types of reptiles; 65 types of birds and 32 types of mammals.
Cap de Creus Natural Park "
The Cap de Creus peninsula is the easternmost part of the peninsula. Ibérica. It covers around 11,000 hectares of land and 3,000 hectares of sea, the first maritime-terrestrial park in the country.
As far as the land area is concerned, there are three natural sites of national interest: Cap de Creus itself, Punta Falconera and the Rodes mountain range.
Wild natural landscapes of great biological and geological value, all of them under the force of the untamed winds of the Tramontana, which have shaped them: steep cliffs, dark rocks, eroded by the wind, saltpetre and water.
Natural Park of the Empordà marshes
The park extends over more than 5,000 hectares, of which more than 800 are integral nature reserves. This is the case of Els Llaunes and Els Estanys.
The Empordà marshes are one of the areas of Spain with the greatest diversity of fauna. Migratory birds stand out, as they find in this environment their shelter and passage to Africa.
It is outlined as an environment of coexistence between the sea, the beaches and the coastal sandbanks, brackish lagoons. You can also enjoy the terraces, parts and enclosed areas, the rivers Muga and Fluviá, the crops and areas where farmhouses, farmyards and farmhouses are built.
High Pyrenees Natural Park
Between the counties of El Pallars Sobirà and L'Alt Urgell lies this Park, the largest in Catalonia.
It is made up of high mountains, such as the Pica d'Estáts or the Monteixo. It is also populated by endangered species and shaped by centuries of human activity.
The Generalitat de Catalunya's decision to name it a Natural Park in 2003 with the aim of protecting its biodiversity and preserving the long-standing human work.
Pyrenees National Park
This park was created in 1967 and covers 45,707 hectares. Here you can stop at its more than 200 high mountain lakesas well as on the highest peaks of the French Pyrenees.
It is one of the most exuberant parks in France for its biodiversity, which is made up of heterogeneous species. The chamois, the park's hallmark, the bearded vulture and the golden eagle roam freely on the park's rugged peaks.
It is also home to a unique aquatic mammal on the planet: the Pyrenean desman, a specimen that is very difficult to find in the wild.
Regional Natural Park of the Ariége Pyrenees
The park covers 246,500 hectares and is located at the highest point of the Pica d'Estatsat an altitude of 3,143 metres, on the border between Catalonia and France.
You can walk through its vast and rich territory, where you will find summer pastures, sheltered valleys, rivers, ponds, wooded hills and mountain passes with spectacular views.
In addition, typical villages and the Niaux caves, with their Upper Palaeolithic cave paintings, await you.
Regional Natural Park of the Catalan Pyrenees
This park is located in the extreme south of France and comprises three regions with different environments: the Capir, the Sardinia and the Haut-Confient.
A blend of Mediterranean and Pyrenean influences, it stretches from the foothills of the Canigó to the Andorran and Spanish borders. It rises between 300 and 3,000 metres above sea level.
At this climatic and cultural crossroads you can find massifs and valleys inhabited by species such as the Pyrenean lily or the bearded vulture.
The Carlit-Campardós Massif marks the boundary between the Atlantic and Mediterranean climates. This mountain range concentrates the highest peaks of the Catalan Pyrenees: Carlit2,921 metres and Puig Pedrós2,905 metres. You will enjoy glacial landscapes, currently occupied by lakes. This area has been designated as a site of European interest within the Natura 2000 network.
A selection of the parks and richness that populate the Pyrenees. Do you dare to visit any of them? You will undoubtedly be amazed by their beauty, natural and cultural wealth.
