Top three national parks in Costa Brava
Did you know that Costa Brava has 24 protected areas of natural beauty? Crammed with fauna and thousands of species of wildlife these areas are a must for birdwatchers, adventurers and those who want to see some of what the best of what Costa Brava has to offer.
Here are our top three, but for more information on the rest of the pack please check out the official Costa Brava tourist board website.
Banyoles Lake
You’ll find the impressive Banyoles Lake in the Garrotxa region. The lake itself has a surface of 107 hectares and is shaped like a figure of eight (if looking from above!). It is in fact one of the largest lakes on the Iberian peninsula. It’s heaven for wildlife lovers and well worth taking a picnic along to enjoy.
Gavarres Massif
Dating back to the Megalithic period you’ll discover Gavarres Massif set between the Gironès and the Baix Empordà regions, an area mainly covered by a forest of holm oak and cork oak trees. The whole area is bustling with wildlife and is completely unspoilt.
You’ll discover a number of funeral monuments in the area as well as a few fascinating medieval defensive constructions and religious buildings in pre-Romanesque and Romanesque style.
Cadiretes Massif
The Cadiretes massif is a huge, mountanous, natural open area that occupies almost all the municipal area of Tossa de Mar, and part of Sant Feliu de Guíxols, There are some fantastic walks along the cliffs here where over 6KM have been protected – huge amounts of wildlife here, especially birds. But be warned, it can get a little windy!
To get here take the road that joins Sant Feliu de Guíxols with Tossa de Mar and which goes through the massif from side to side along the coastal strip. At Cala Salionç, the road that goes to Llagostera goes through the mountain towards the west and goes through the sanctuary of Sant Grau, from where there is a magnificent panoramic view… arguably one of the finest in Costa Brava!
