Five essential landscapes of volcanic Spain

• Ranking These are the 10 safest countries in the world to travel to (and more than one will surprise you)

• Destinations A tour of the world's most beautiful canal cities

Volcanic cones and lava flows form an extraordinary palette of colors and shapes.

Unthinkable geological forms.

An exciting biological wealth.

We go through some of these corners, many times as beautiful as they are disturbing, which deserve one or more trips.

Santa Margarida

Santa Margarida volcano, with a 15th century hermitage at the bottom of its crater.SHUTTERSTOCK

La Garrotxa has more than 40 volcanic cones and more than 20 lava flows.

Such volcanic profusion and its natural exuberance make this

a fascinating place to explore on foot.

One of the essential excursions (and more affordable, barely three kilometers) is the one that takes us inside

The dirt road is shady and comfortable.

Once you reach the top of the volcano, you begin to descend through the crater until you see inside a bucolic meadow where stands, undaunted, the

that gives the volcano its name.

The Canadas of Teide

One of the biggest surprises that the Teide National Park hides is not the highest mountain peak in Spain itself, but the immensity of the

that surrounds it: Las Cañadas.

We are talking about a 130 square kilometer depression limited by a steep rocky wall up to 600 meters high.

The national park is full of hiking trails (some guided, others self-guided), and viewpoints.

At the San José Mines, where NASA tested its

, it's easy to enjoy a sprawling view of the caldera.

From the viewpoint at the base of Teide and those of Majúa, you can also see the bottom of all the peaks of Las Cañadas.

The rocks of Teide.SHUTTERSTOCK

Timanfaya NP

The swarm of craters, deep calderas, lava tubes and Martian formations in the Timanfaya National Park draw an astonishing picture, as plastic as a painting, of disturbing beauty.

The visit is made by bus, a necessary inconvenience, although there is also an opportunity to wander in the tourist facilities of the Islote de Hilario, designed by César Manrique.

There the geothermal demonstrations take place in which the park

show the visitor that the rofe (thick volcanic sand) burns;

that throwing a bucket of water on the ground causes a spectacular geyser;

and that authentic fire comes out of the earth, in such a way that a barbecue can be made.

Timanfaya volcanoes.

Cabo de Gata

According to experts, volcanism in Cabo de Gata is the most important in Spain.

Time and erosion have played their part (there is talk of 13 extinct volcanoes), so the heartbeat of the earth must be interpreted.

But it is there, in the crater of the Rodalquilar valley, in the fossil oolitic dunes of El Playazo, in the

beach

or the

.

Without counting, of course, everything that is submerged and that, in fact, seems to be the largest part.

The Almería Volcanoes Route has two itineraries that start from

and run through various volcanic formations.

The Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, Almería.SHUTTERSTOCK

Boys roque

At 2,426 meters above sea level, this viewpoint at the highest point of the island of La Palma is not only unbeatable for stargazing.

Yes, the telescopes of the famous Astrophysical Observatory stand here.

But at its feet, the view of the prodigious Caldera de Taburiente, declared

is priceless.

Of volcanic origin, this gigantic fissure with a diameter of eight kilometers and slopes of more than 1,500 meters is one of the infinite wonders of La Palma.

The park's network of trails allows the traveler to enter a world brimming with waterfalls, pine forests and an amazing landscape and biological diversity.

The Roques stand out, monoliths that stand out from the environment and archaeological remains such as petroglyphs.

At the top of the Caldera de Taburiente volcano (La Palma).SHUTTERSTOCK

You can follow

on

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

• Tourism