Nature · All year round
Natural wonders of Spain
A clay desert, turquoise pools in a beech wood, stepped lakes in the heart of La Mancha, rocks that look sculpted, stone arches above the sea and a river that falls as a waterfall into the Atlantic: the most spectacular natural landscapes in Spain, many of them a few hours from a big city.
Updated 20 October 2026 · How we make our guides
Rock, canyons and desert
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SpainBardenas Reales
A desert of clay and gypsum in the south of Navarre, with buttes such as Castildetierra.
What to see in Bardenas Reales -
SpainCiudad Encantada
Limestone rocks sculpted by water and wind into fanciful shapes, in the Serranía de Cuenca.
What to see in Ciudad Encantada -
SpainEl Torcal
A labyrinth of rocks stacked like pancakes next to Antequera, a World Heritage Site.
What to see in El Torcal -
SpainMallos de Riglos
Reddish rock walls some three hundred metres high above a tiny village in Huesca, with nesting vultures.
What to see in Mallos de Riglos -
SpainLas Médulas
Peaks of red earth among chestnut trees: the landscape left by the largest gold mines of the Roman Empire.
What to see in Las Médulas -
SpainCaminito del Rey
A walkway hanging from the walls of the Gaitanes gorge, in Málaga.
What to see in Caminito del Rey
Water
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SpainSource of the Urederra
Pools of an almost unreal turquoise and waterfalls beneath a beech wood, in Navarre.
What to see in Source of the Urederra -
SpainLagunas de Ruidera
Fifteen stepped lakes linked by waterfalls in the heart of La Mancha.
What to see in Lagunas de Ruidera -
SpainÉzaro waterfall
A river that falls as a waterfall almost straight into the sea, on the Costa da Morte.
What to see in Ézaro waterfall -
SpainArribes del Duero
Granite canyons where the Duero runs along the border with Portugal.
What to see in Arribes del Duero
Coast
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SpainBeach of the Cathedrals
Rock arches tens of metres high that you walk through at low tide, on the coast of Lugo.
What to see in Beach of the Cathedrals -
SpainGulpiyuri Beach
A small beach in the middle of a meadow, away from the shore, that fills with the tide.
What to see in Gulpiyuri Beach -
SpainCap de Creus
Wind-sculpted rocks at the easternmost point of the peninsula, which inspired Dalí.
What to see in Cap de Creus
Frequently asked questions
What are the most beautiful natural landscapes in Spain?
The Bardenas Reales, the Ciudad Encantada, El Torcal, the Mallos de Riglos, Las Médulas, the source of the Urederra, the Lagunas de Ruidera, the Ézaro waterfall, the Arribes del Duero and Cathedrals Beach, among others.
Which natural wonders are near Madrid?
The Ciudad Encantada in Cuenca and the Lagunas de Ruidera are about two and a half hours away; the Río Lobos Canyon, a little further.
Do you need to book to visit any of them?
Yes, some: Cathedrals Beach and the source of the Urederra limit access in season, and the Caminito del Rey always requires a ticket.
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More travel ideas
- National parks of Spain
- The most beautiful waterfalls in Spain
- The most beautiful caves in Spain
- All ideas
Reviewed 20 October 2026. Dates and seasonal warnings: the same data the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.
Cover photo: Ant°AM (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.