Andalucia

Andalucia is Spain's largest, poorest, and southernmost autonomous region. Stretching from Huelva on the Atlantic in the west to the distinctly Mediterranean Almeria in the east. Spain receives about 12 million British tourists a year a large proportion of which head directly for the sun and sand of the Costa del Sol. Indeed Andalucia's coastal strip has become synonymous with 60's style cheap package holidays and the characteristic high rise hotels that dominate Marbella and Torremolinos.

Moving away from the tourist spots proves that Andalucia is more that the sum of its parts. It is a region of extremes both culturally and ecologically. East of Malaga you can take what is the highest road in Europe to the Sierra Nevada, climbing through a dramatic landscape occupied by treeless grasslands dotted with spiny dwarf plants, endearingly known as the 'hedgehog zone'. At the top you are greeted by a vast expanse of snow and ice where you can happily spend a morning sledging and snowballing your friends and enemies. The highest parts of this range are sometimes referred to as 'the cold desert' but do not be fooled by the apparent harshness of the environment. Spain is well known for its biological diversity and the mountains hold the largest proportion of the region's unique plant species. The ecological importance of these isolated mountain ranges should not be underestimated, and in recognition of this the Sierra Nevada National Park was created in 1998.

If you feel the urge to warm yourself up after a morning in the snow, you can head back down the mountains to the coast. The Costa Tropical provides a bewildering contrast to the mountains with its squares of cherrimoya (custard apple) and avocado plantations. Lying in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada this small area is able to grow a range of tropical fruits including mangoes, and many of the local restaurants display signs for their delicious tropical salads. Most of the custard apples grown here are consumed locally. Vendors pitch up on the side of the roads with crates to sell. If your timing is good they are delicious and more than live up to their name. However, beware the forgotten custard apple rolling around in the bottom of your hire car as the smell after a hot day's driving is rather distinctive...