Andalusia is the autonomous region of in the south of Spain. The outstanding sun and diamond blue skies give the Andalucians their life-loving and friendly character.

Andalusia is a place of contrasts offering beaches, nature,monuments, culture and even a ski-resort distributed over it's 8 provinces. The variety of scenery and landscapes ranges from the warm valley of the river Guadalquiver through well wooded hillsides, volcanic deserts, such as Tabernas, to the year-long snow covered peaks of the Sierra Nevada. And then there is some 500 miles of warm, sunny coast with former fishing villages and, now, well established resorts with incomparable beaches to delight the whole family.

Coast and beaches of Andalusia

The coastline, which stretches for some 500 miles, provides a diverse and important habitat. But probably for most visitors, it is best known for the number and quality of its beaches - a paradise of sand, sea and sun. From the Costa de la Luz of Huelva and Cádiz, through the Costa del Sol (province of Malaga) and the Tropical Coast (province of Granada) to Almería coast, Andalusia offers something special for everyone. The coming together of the Atlantic and the Mediterrean has provided a several special combinations of waters, salinity, tides, quality of sand and micro-climates. 

Nature in Andalusia

Andalucia is rich in nature and wildlife and takes its protection and people’s enjoyment of it seriously. More than 17% of the land (larger than countries like Holland and Austria) is under one form or another of protection. There are some eighty nature Parks, Reserves and Siteswhich form a network of graded protection and management.

The largest land areas of protection are in the two National Parks of National Park of Doñana (Huelva) and Sierra Nevada (Granada). These two have been recognised by UNESCO as world heritage.

Then there are twenty two Nature Parks (Parques Naturales) which look after special mountainous, wooded or coastal areas such as the Cap of Gata (Almeria).

Next, we have some unique landscapes like the fir forests in Grazalema nature reserve and the calcareous rock formations at Torcal de Antequera and the only desert in mainland Europe at Tabernas in Almeria.