Tourism and Sports in Contact with Nature
You don't need to search the globe to discover an exciting adventure in contact with nature: Spain has countless companies and specialist guides that organize recreational activities in the countryside, on the sea, in the mountains and also in the air. This is an extensive list of intriguing suggestions with all the right ingredients: tourism, leisure and nature. Spain offers visitors some very enticing ways to enjoy nature's marvels-an essential complement to their trip. As in few other places in the world, Spain's coasts and inland areas abound with natural spaces that invite all types of adventure activities. Its extensive coastline, the vast surface area of its mountain ranges and varied climate make it one of Europe's richest natural enclaves; and the uncommon beauty of Spain's landscapes does not go unnoticed by outdoor or adventure sports enthusiasts.

Hiking, snow skiing, windsurfing, sailing, climbing or routes on bicycle are examples of the most common activities tourists engage in when they visit. However, other sports such as hot air balloon rides, parachuting, scuba diving, off roading in 4x4s, rafting, hang-gliding, gliding, canyoning, cave exploring, paragliding and canoeing continue to gain popularity.

There is a wide range of activities, with something for everyone. More conventional, but no less interesting for that, are excursions on horseback. The majority of riding clubs and schools in Spain rent horses for this purpose. This combination of exercise while in contact with nature is the best way to explore the country's most beautiful and secluded spots.

The natural surroundings of "Green Spain", between the mountains and the sea, enable you to participate in all kinds of water sports in such breathtaking places as: The Cíes Islands Nature Park, recommended for scuba diving; the coasts of Cantabria and the Basque Country for windsurfing and paragliding; and the Miño and Sella Rivers for canoe trips. Inland, in the Picos de Europa National Park, you can engage in all types of mountain sports: major mountain climbing routes, sport climbing, backcountry skiing, hiking, mountain biking and even horseback riding on a number of routes, the Pilgrim's Road to Santiago among them.

For their part, the peaks of the Pyrenees in Navarra and La Rioja provide an exceptional backdrop for hikes through the Iratí Forest and for cave exploring in Aralar and Urbasa. In Bárdenas Reales there are many interesting routes to take on foot or mountain bike. The Pilgrim's Road to Santiago also crosses through this area, another interesting route to travel by bicycle, on foot or on horseback. In the Pyrenees of Aragon and Catalonia, conditions are favourable for numerous activities, in addition to this area's chief sport: skiing. This is one of Europe's natural spaces that is most loved by adventure sport aficionados: Their needs are satisfied with descending the Sierra de Guara ravines, ascending the peaks of Aneto and Maladeta, climbing in Mallos de Riglos and Ordesa, rafting and canoeing on the Gallego, Cinca and Noguera Pallaresa rivers, paragliding in Castejón de Sos and by hiking and mountain biking through the Hecho, Benasque, Pallars Sobirá, Ribagorça or Berguedá valleys. In Catalonia there are also various aerodromes for parachuting and other aerial activities.

And for lovers of water sports, the Mediterranean Sea around the Costa Brava boasts some truly beautiful places for scuba diving, with depths of more than 35 meters at Roca Dèntol or at the Formigues Islands. These are places of high ecological value and especially attractive for their submarine caves. The entire Levante coast, down to Andalusia, offers excellent conditions for underwater sports and windsurfing.