There are many ways to travel through Green Spain, but only one leads you through the purest and most genuine nature of our north. The route along the Ecotourist Reserve is like a Game of the Goose in which all the squares (and each square is a protected natural area) have a prize. If you are crazy about the oceans and the coasts you will find salt marshes, wild beaches, and the highest cliffs in Europe. If your heart belongs to the mountains and inland landscapes, we have meadows, peaks, forests (of beeches, of oaks, and even of sequoias!) and gorges that will give you memories for your whole life.
- What is the Ecotourist Reserve of Green Spain? Very simple: a great green corridor that runs along the Cantabrian coast through 25 protected areas, a kind of Camino del Norte (or Camino Primitivo) in which the main stops are not towns, churches or hermitages but Natural Parks, Biosphere Reserves, salt marshes full of life, virgin mountains or wild beaches.
- The Ecotourist Reserve is structured around four territories: Asturias, Cantabria, Galicia and Euskadi. Although they are united by several common denominators (endless green, their age-old relationship with the sea, their love for the mountains, a gastronomy deeply tied to the product…) each of them has a unique and genuine personality.
- 33% of the surface area of Green Spain is protected natural landscapes. This means there are 18,000 square kilometers of Natural Parks, Biosphere Reserves, UNESCO Global Geoparks or Special Areas of Conservation. It is such a large space that it would be equivalent to… twice the current surface area of Euskadi in protected areas!
- Do you want more spectacular figures? Green Spain has 2 National Parks, 15 Biosphere Reserves, 2 UNESCO Global Geoparks and 5 Special Areas of Conservation.
- Green Spain has more than 2,500 kilometers of coastline and everything that entails: beaches, cliffs, salt marshes, meadows, estuaries, hills bathed by the sea… Do you know how many different species of birds live on our coastline? And how many pass through here a couple of times a year on their migratory routes? Yes, you guessed it: we are an ideal destination for birdwatching.
- More than 20,000 beds in rural accommodation in Green Spain are waiting for you. There are many types, sizes and locations: some are perched in a tree and others seem to float next to a cliff. There are those hidden in noble mansions, in old fishermen’s houses or in typical farmhouses surrounded by green meadows and with the best alarm clock possible: the crowing of the rooster.
- We have more than 100 companies dedicated to ecotourism and receptive nature travel agencies. What does that mean? That we have hundreds of highly trained professionals capable of teaching you how to recognize the track of a roe deer on a mountain, appreciate the nuances of wines whose vineyards have been cultivated next to the Cantabrian Sea, or accompany you on a hiking trek for hours.
- Do you want to live unique experiences? In Green Spain we have designed 118 ecotourism experiences of different kinds. Examples? Taking a route through Basque forests in search of the best mushrooms; learning the secrets of a beekeeper in the Liébana valley; going on a safari along the stretches of coastline that the ocean leaves uncovered in Galicia at low tide or discovering the least densely populated areas of Asturias.
- In Green Spain we also boast mountains. Many mountains. So many that we have not been able to count them! What we can guarantee is that in our highest lands you will find unbeatable vantage points to observe birds of prey.
- There are three animals to which we have more than special affection: the Cantabrian brown bear, the bearded vulture and the wolf. All of them are protected species that inhabit territories of Green Spain, even having themed centers such as the Casa de Oso located in Proaza, Asturias.
- An Ecotourist Reserve with such a number of protected landscapes is the best possible news for gastronomy. In Green Spain the gastronomic product is the only king, which is why there is true reverence here for zero-kilometer gastronomy, organic producers abound and traditional markets (both in towns and in big cities) are in excellent health. This translates into cuisine of international relevance with 55 restaurants awarded with Michelin Stars, a culture of tapas and pintxo that runs along the entire Cantabrian Sea (and part of the Atlantic Ocean) and, of course, a gastronomic culture recognized worldwide.
- Did you know that the website of the Ecotourist Reserve has a map viewer that allows you to visually explore the 25 protected natural areas? Through it you can locate on the map the national parks, biosphere reserves and geoparks of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and Euskadi. The tool works in an intuitive and organic way and is ideal for planning your next routes by accessing detailed information about each area.
