|
|
|
Aside from the beaches, Cadiz tourism also features several nature parks and reserves that are scattered around the province.
Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema
The first ever declared nature park in Andalusia is Parque Natural Sierra de Grazalema, which shares territory between Cadiz and the province of Malaga. Declared in 1984, this park occupies an area of 51,695 hectares and boasts of Spanish ecological rarities, the Spanish fir tree and the black vulture. The fir forests and the black vulture colonies are kept in a special section of the park called the Área de Reserve where visits are more controlled to assure their conservation. The rest of the park features impressive landscapes of limestone, rivers and springs, and caves. The largest cave system in Andalusia, the Hundidero - Gato can be found in Sierra de Grazalema.
Parque Natural Los Alcornocales Natural Park
The Parque Natural Los Alcornocales Natural Park is located south of Sierra de Grazalema and occupies a vast area of 167,767 hectares. Shared by Cadiz and Malaga as well, this park features the largest cork tree grove in the Iberian Peninsula for which it was named after. The ecological setting of the park is said to be the best example of what a primitive Iberian forest would look like.
There are 40 species of fern that can be found in the park including a rare kind called the psilotum nudum. Other park attractions are the subtropical forests that stand on the ‘canutos’--the narrow V-shaped valleys etched by rivers. This type of forest is considered of great ecological value since they can only be found in Spain and Turkey today. Other forests of its kind in Europe no longer exist.
Parque Natural de Doñana
Another nature park is the Parque Natural de Doñana which is regarded as an important wetland reserve across Europe. Shared by the provinces of Cadiz, Huelva and Sevilla, this park was named after an old anti-social Spanish duchess Doná Ana de Silva y Mendoza who used to hold a hermit’s residence in the area. From the 'forest of Doná Ana' the name eventually evolved to ‘Doñana.’
This park is famous for its bird population that total 125 different resident species and another 125 types of migratory species. Among them are varieties of geese, ducks, flamingos, herons, falcons, doves, partridges, egrets, storks and vultures which can grow or reduce depending on the season. The delta waters of Doñana flood during winter which is perfect for bird visitors from North and Central Europe. In the summer, when the flood waters fall, leaving silt deposits and exposing sandy islands, the migrating birds from Africa come to breed. The Spanish Imperial Eagle which also breeds in the summer is a major bird to look out for in the Doñana nature park.
Parque Natural Bahia de Cadiz
Although filled with residential communities with a high level of human population, as in the villages of Chiclana de la Frontera and the port town of Santa Maria, the Parque Natural Bahia de Cadiz shows off a wealthy collection of wildlife with its landscapes of sandy beaches in the resort towns, freshwater lakes, tidal inlets, the marshes and the saltpans. The saltpan industry has existed in the bay since ancient times when salt was in demand not only as seasoning but also for preserving food. With the advent of refrigeration, many of the salt pans in the Cadiz Bay were abandoned and landfills were done to make way for new building constructions. This move brought severe damage to the marshes in the bay area. The creation of the Cadiz Bay Natural Park in 1989 curbed this damage, making it one of the most important nature parks in Europe today. Tourists can also visit the San Fernando Botanical Gardens within the park, which is home to some 600 flora species that are commonly found in Cadiz Bay.
Parque Natural del Estrecho
Located at the southernmost tip of Spain, the area of Parque Natural del Estrecho faces the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. The Strait of Gibraltar, which connects both bodies of water, as well as Europe to Africa, lies on the south. These surrounding waters are home to Estrecho Natural Park’s extensive marine flora and fauna, with over 1,900 different species on record. Several of the sea fauna are very rare, some endemic to the locality like certain species of sponges, jelly fish, mollusks and crustaceans.
In land, the park boasts of woodlands with cork oaks, palms, pines and olive trees, among others. There are also the famous flower fields around the Tarifa area that look like ‘painted fields’ from description when wildflowers flourish beautifully during the spring. Some of these flowers are varieties of wild tulips, palmate anemones and Spanish irises. The part of Estrecho Natural Park with the closest distance to Africa can be found in Tarifa. It is a crossing point for 350 species of migrating birds. Over 300 million individual birds fly over the area in a year. Depending on the winds, this area makes for a popular bird watching site.
Parque Natural de la Breña y Marismas de Barbate
Parque Natural de la Breña y Marismas de Barbate is the smallest nature park in Andalusia, occupying a total of only 4,863 hectares. But its coastal reserve is the second largest in the region with a variety of habitats, some mobile dunes and an array of sea cliffs in its 940 hectares of wetlands. It was officially declared a reserve in 1989. The wetland area of Marismas de Barbate was later added in 1994. The Breña y Marismas de Barbate Natural Park boasts of a picturesque seaside view of rocky cliffs with the famous lighthouse of Cape Trafalgar. Aside from fishes and other marine fauna, pine nuts from Pinar de la Breña are one of the Park’s main natural resource.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 Weather |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Other Relevant Travel Guides |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
