Andalusia, Spain from the Sky

Andalusia is a historical and official semi-autonomous region of Spain, its  southernmost.  Andalusia was the center of Muslim (Berber) rule in Spain, which began in the 8th century and didn't fully end until the end of the 15th.  Top AirVuz contributor and pilot hamzamuj created this epic aerial tour of the region with a drone, which includes aerial footage of Malaga, Almogia, Granada and Cordoba.  Andalusia has been used extensively as a filming location for HBO's Game of Thrones, notably in Seville and Cordoba.

Southern Spain's Andalusia region is home to some of the country's most important cultural treasures.  The region is known in part for its fortresses and castles, many of which were critical centers of power during the country's period under (partial) Muslim rule which began in the early 700's and lasted until the late 1400's.  In this video, Hispadrone treats us to  bird's eye view of several of these landmarks in Andalusia's inland Cordoba and Jaen provinces, two of the eight which make up the region.

Contributor David.Haring created this beautiful travel video from a road trip through Andalusia (Andalucia) the region which covers the southern part of Spain.  Using a combination of ground camera and drone footage, his video features footage of the following locations: Malaga (Andalusia's second largest city and capital of its namesake province), Frigiliana, Granada (site of the famed Alhambra Fortress), El Torcal (a nature reserve in the Sierra del Torcal mountains), Setenil de las Bodegas, Ronda, and Gibraltar.

Barbate is a small city in Cádiz, the southernmost province of Spain.  The town is situated roughly halfway between the province capital (also called Cádiz) and the British-held territory of Gibraltar.  While the town dates to Roman times, it became more well known in the 20th century because it was Spanish dictator Francisco Franco's favorite spot for spending his leisure time.  See Barabate from a bird's eye perspective in this beautiful drone video, compliments of contributor Davidaguilar. 

If you have seen HBO's Game of Thrones, you've likely seen the Castillo de Almodóvar del Río; this castle in southern Spain was the shooting location for Highgarden, seat of the house of Tryell, in the show's seventh season.  The 8th century Moorish (Muslim) castle is situated in the province of Cordoba, part of Spain's semi-autonomous Andalusia region.  In this video, contributor Eminorcks gives us an epic bird's eye view of this castle, which was an important center of rule during Spain's period under Islam.

Cadiz is an important and VERY old port city on Spain's southern Atlantic coastline.  It is the capital of the province of the same name, one of the eight which make up the semi-autonomous Andalusia region.  Contributor EBM Drone brings us this beautiful drone's eye view of this city, which is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited settlements in Europe and is Spain's largest port city west of Gibraltar.  Cádiz was a primary filming location (and plot setting) for the 2017 hit movie Pitch Perfect 3.  

Contributor and drone pilot Eminorcks created this spectacular aerial video of one of the great fortresses of Europe.  The Alhambra of Granada lies in the province of the same name, one of the eight which make up the Andalusia region of Southern Spain.  It is the site of one of the more notable historical events of the second millennium AD: in 1492, Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella gave the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus the go-ahead for his first great voyage in which he "discovered" the New World.

Almeria is one of the provinces of Spain's Andalusia region in the southern part of the country.  Its inland territory is extremely dry and mountainous, which has made it an attractive filming location, beginning with the 1966 classic The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and more recently in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).  Contributor Sartanafc created this epic drone video of the region, which was also the home of the Dathraki horsemen in Seasons 5 and 6 of HBO's Game of Thrones TV series. 

Contributor Eminorcks used a DJI Mavic Pro to create this videos of three important castles in south central Spain. Castillo de Zuheros sits overlooking a village of the same name in Córdoba, one of the landlocked provinces of Andalusia.  Belvís de Monroy is a castle town in Cáceres, which is part of the Extremadura region.  The third and possibly most spectacular castle is Belmez, back in Córdoba province.  All of these were Moorish castles at one point prior to the Reconquista.  

Despite being the second-largest country in Western Europe by land area, Spain has only a modestly long Atlantic coastline.  The southern portion of the coastline runs from the Portuguese border in the north to the Straits of Gibraltar in the south, all of which is in the Andalusia semi-autonomous region.  The Andalusian province with the longest section of this coastline is Cadiz.  In this video, contributor and pilot Jonatan_Joy brings us a bird's eye view of Cadiz's Atlantic coastline.  

Spain's Malaga province is situated along the country's southern Mediterranean coastline in its semi-autonomous Andalusia region, just to the east of the Cadiz province.  The inland portions of Malaga include the Sierra del Torcal Mountains, a range which is known in part for its magnificent karst rock formations.  In this video, contributor and pilot Jonatan_Joy brings us an epic drone video of El Torcal de Antequera, a large nature reserve in these spectacular Andalusian mountains.  

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist davidpardo71 brings us this magnificent drone video from an arid region of southern Spain.  The video was filmed near the town of Gorafe in Granada, one of the provinces which make up the southern region of Andalusia.  Located in the mountainous interior of the province, the area is known for its unusual rock formations and "badlands" type appearance.  There isn't a common understanding amongst geologists of specifically what factors account for the creation of these structures.  

Cabo de Gata-Níjar is one of Spain's national parks.  It's located in the Almeira province, which is part of the Andalusia region of southern Spain.  It's home to Monsul Beach, which is sometimes considered the finest beach in Spain.  The amazing offshore rocks here caught the attention of the producers of the Indiana Jones film series:  Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), the third installment of the series.  The famous scene where Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) fights off a pursuing Nazi plane was shot here.

Check out this amazing drone video of the "badlands" area in southern Spain.  It's near the town of Guadix, in the landlocked province of Grenada.  The area is on a plateau just below the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, a chain which runs through much of the interior of Grenada.  Guadix was a filming location for the 1989 movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the third installment of the Indiana Jones series. Much of the movie was filmed in various locations in Andalusia, the region which covers most of southern Spain.

Contributor MrMaikelMaik brings us this beautiful aerial view of the area around Los Caños de Meca, in southern Spain.  The town lies just to the east of Cape Trafalgar, in the Andalusian province of Cádiz.  The video also captures the well known Cape Gibraltar Lighthouse.  The waters here were the site of one of the world's most famous naval battles: in 1805, a British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson defeated a French/Spanish fleet and dealt a heavy blow to Napoloeon's drive to control the seas.  

Check out this beautiful drone video of a castle in southern Spain, compliments of content creator and pilot eminorcks.  Aracena Castle is located in the eponymously named town.  It's in the province of Huelva in the southwestern corner of the country, the westernmost of the eight provinces which make up the semi-autonomous region of Andalusia.  The castle was originally built during the 13th century, during a time when the southern part of Spain was still under Moorish (Muslim) control.  

Check out this stunning drone video of the great city of Seville, the capital of Spain's Andalusia region.  Situated on the Guadalquivir River about 80 km (50 mi.) from the country's southern Atlantic coastline, Spain's fourth largest city is home to three separate UNESCO World Heritage sites, including its magnificent Alcázar and its Cathedral.  The city was a center of Moorish power during Spain's period of Muslim control, and it later became the most important port in Spain's great overseas Empire.  

Here's an amazing aerial view of the great port city of Cádiz in southern Spain.  The capital of the eponymously named province, Cádiz is considered the oldest continuously inhabited city in Western Europe.  The city sits at the tip of a long peninsula which forms the Bay of Cadiz, an inlet of the Gulf of Cadiz.  The city was one of the most important in the western Mediterranean during the Antiquity and later served as the starting point for the second and fourth of the voyages of Columbus.  

AirVuz contributor Allan Crawford brings us this excellent drone video of the picturesque Spanish ciy of Ronda.  The town is perched above a canyon of the Guadalevín River in the Málaga province of Andalusia, the southernmost region of mainland Spain.  Settled since Neolithic times, Ronda may be best known as the setting for one of the most well known passages of 20th century literature: the famous execution scene in Chapter 10 of Ernest Hemingway's classic For Whom the Bell Tolls, first published in 1940.  

Check out this beautiful drone videos of one of the famous "white towns" of southern Spain, compliments of contributor EBMDrone.  It's called Zahara de la Sierra (often abbreviated to simply "Zahara") and it's in the province of Cádiz, one of the eight which makes up the region of Andalusia.  It was built by the Moors during Spain's period of Muslim control due to its strategic location between the cities of Ronda and Seville.  It was one of the last Moorish strongholds, not being taken by Castile until 1483.  

Check out this drone video of Málaga, one of the most important cities in Southern Spain.  The port city is situated on the Costa del Sol stretch of Spain's Mediterranean coastline, and the capital of the eponymously named province in Spain's Andalusia region.  One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe, Málaga was also one of the Spanish cities to remain under Moorish control; it wasn't retaken by Christian forces until 1487, and it retains a strong Muslim culture.   

The city of Ronda, Spain is the scene of this epic video of Nissan GTR's tearing through the roads of southern Spain, compliments of top contributor robinmaeter.  Ronda is a town in the province of Malaga, which is one of the two southernmost provinces of Spain's Andalusia region.  Like most of southern Spain, it's blessed with myriad gifts of natural and cultural beauty.  Top contributor Robinmaeter, who was featured on Drone Dish, managed to capture this epic scene from a drone and stitch together this incredible production.

Málaga is one of the southernmost provinces of Andalusia, the southernmost region of Spain.  Its population is concentrated on the Mediterranean coastline, particularly its eponymously named capital city.  Its interior, which is the subject of this drone video by jonatan_joy, features the beautiful Montes de Málaga.  The range's highest peak is Cresta de la Reina, with an altitude of just over 1k meters (around 3.4k ft.).  The mountains are part of the Baetic Mountains which run diagonally across southeastern Spain.   

Check out this 4k drone video of an important historical port city in southwestern Spain, compliments of EBMDrone.  It's called the Port of Santa Maria (El Puerto de Santa María), and it's in the province of Cádiz, the southernmost province of Andalusia.  The city is situated on the Bay of Cádiz, northeast of the eponymously named city.  Situated at the mouth of the Guadalete River, Santa Maria was a reference in Homer's Odyssey and was the launching port for the second Columbus voyage in 1500.  

The area around the Bay of Cádiz in southern Spain features some of the most historically significant areas in all of Europe.  A glance at a map will explain why; the bay is home to the protected waters which lie closest to the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.  In this drone video by EBMDrone, you'll get a bird's eye view of the port city of Puerto Real, which lies on the north side of the inner portion of the bay, due east from the city of Cádiz.  Puerto Real was built on the site of a Roman settlement called Portus Gaditanus.  

The city of Cádiz in southern Spain sits on the only natural harbor along the stretch of Atlantic coastline leading into the Mediterranean Sea.  The strategic importance of its location close to that of Gibraltar, which occupies a similar position on the Mediterranean side of the province of Cadiz.  In this drone video by EBMDrone, you'll get a bird's eye view of this city, which sits at the tip of a peninsula at the southern entrance to the bay and is believed to be oldest continuously-inhabited settlement in Europe.  

Montefrío is one of the famous "white towns" of the Andalusia region of southern Spain.  It's located in the province of Granada, about an hour's drive northwest of the province's namesake capital city.   Seen in this drone video by franroldan, the town is home to a hilltop Moorish castle, which served an an important frontier fortress for a time in the Middle Ages before the reconquest of Spain by Christian forces in the late 15th century.  The video also features footage of the town's circular-shaped church, a former mosque.   

Cádiz is the southernmost of the eight provinces which make up the region of Andalusia in southern Spain.  The southernmost portion of continental Europe, Cádiz occupies the strategically important position where the Atlantic Ocean connects to the Mediterranean Sea.  The province features a long Atlantic coastline and a short coast on the Mediterranean side, and its famous hilltop "white cities".  In this drone video by EBMDrone, you'll get an aerial tour of the province, home to some of Europe's oldest settlements.  

Here's a beautiful drone video of a well-known rock structure in southern Spain, compliments of eminorcks. It's called Lovers' Rock (Peña de los Enamorados), and it's basically a "mini mountain" near the town of Antequera in Málaga, one of the provinces of the Andalusia region.  The mountain's name derives from a local legend that dates to the years when the region was under Moorish (Muslim) control.  The rock's beauty was noted by Christopher Columbus, who visited here shortly before embarking on his first voyage. 

Archidona is a very old Spanish town in Málaga, the next-to-southernmost of the eight provinces which make up Spain's semi-autonomous Andalusia region.  Seen here in this drone video by PJF Drone, it's located in the foothills across the mountains which run across much of the province.  The area is home to some of the oldest human remains found in Europe, and for a time during the Middle Ages it was an important center of Moorish (Muslim) power.  In 1980, the city was declared a Historic-Artistic site under Spanish law.  

Among the seasonal visual delights of southern Spain are the fields of almond trees which blossom during the winter months.  Spain is the world's second-largest producer of almonds, after the United States.  Most of its almond trees are located in its southern Andalusia and Valencia regions.  In this drone video, you'll get a look at a beautiful blossoming almond tree orchard in Grenada, compliments of PJF Drone.  Grenada is a landlocked province, one of the eight which make up the Andalusia region.  

Here's a drone video of a beautiful castle in southern Spain, compliments of PJF Drone.  It's called Carabuey Castle (Castillo de Carcabuey), and it's in Córdoba, a province of the Andalusia region.  The castle was built during the 13th century at the direction of King Ferdinand III of Castile, who was successful in reclaiming lands from Moorish control in the long struggle known as the Reconquesta.  It was later the scene of an important showdown between King Alfonso X and his son Sancho.  

Check out this drone video of one of the famous "white towns" of southern Spain, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot PJF Drone.  The town is called Olvera, and it's situated in the province of Cádiz, the southernmost of the eight which make up the semi-autonomous region of Andalusia.  With its strategic location near the borders with Seville and Malaga, it's long played an important role in the affairs of the region, which was the center of Moorish (Muslim) power on the Iberian Peninsula during much of the Middle Ages.

The southeastern corner of Spain is crossed by a series of mountains collectively called the Baetic System, which is comprised of a series of three parallel series of belts that run on a generally southwest-to-northeast axis.  In this drone video by PJF DRONE, you'll get an aerial view of the scenery of the Southern Range of Jaén (Sierra Sur de Jaén), the central belt in the system.  It's situated in the southwestern part of Jaén, one of the landlocked provinces of the Andalusia region. 

Arcos de la Frontera is one of the cultural and historical treasures of the Andalusia region of southern Spain.  It's located in the province of Cadiz, but well to its inland.  It's a "white city" perched atop a hill overlooking the Guadalete River.  The town was one of the more important in the region during the Moorish period, and after its conquest by King Alfonso X of Castile in the 13th century it became a bulwark of Christianity in southern Spain.  Check out this marvelous town from above in this drone video by Santiago10.  

Centuries after the days of Don Quixote tilting at windmills in La Mancha, Spain has became one of the world's important markets for the modern form of wind power.  In this video, contributor and drone pilot PJF Drone gives us a bird's eye view of a wind turbine operation in southern Spain. The  Sierra de Arcas Wind Farm is located near Villanueva de Algaidas in the Malaga province of Andalusia.  Spain's has some of the world's best wind resources, and the country was #5 in installed capacity in 2016.

Take in these aerial views of a well-known hilltop castle in southern Spain, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot gasendi.  The Castle of Santa Catalina is perched overlooking the city of Jaén, one of the provincial capitals of the region of Andalusia.  The castle was initially a Moorish fortress which dated to the 8th century, when Muslim forces dominated the Iberian peninsula.  The present-day landmark began to take form following the fall of the city in the mid-13th century to Christian forces under Ferdinand III of Castile.  

Here's a great aerial tour of a famous lighthouse in southern Spain, compliments of AirVuz contributor Santiago10. It's called Chipiona Lighthouse (also sometimes called Punta del Perro Light), and it's located on a small promontory called the Punta del Perro in Cadiz, the southernmost province of mainland Spain.  First lit in 1867, the lighthouse tower stands 62 meters tall (205 ft.), making it the tallest lighthouse in Spain and one of the two-dozen tallest in the world.   It can be seen from a distance of 46 km (29 mi.).  

AirVuz contributor and pilot PJF Drone brings us this marvelous aerial view of the "badlands" of Las Cárcavas de Marchal in the southern Spanish province of Grenada.  "Badlands" are a geological phenomenon caused by the action of unusual erosion activity by wind and water on sedimentary rocks.  While the lands here are of no use for agriculture, for centuries the rock formations had been used to create dwellings. Located within the municipality of Marchal, the Las Cárcavas de Marchal have been declared a natural monument of Andalusia.

Check out this outstanding first person view (FPV) drone video of a famous landmark of southern Spain, compliments of AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot L. Morandini.  He used a FPV mini-drone to film the public square known as the Plaza de España in the great city of Seville.  It was built in connection with the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929.  It's been used as a filming location for numerous movies, including Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), in which it appeared as the City of Theed on Planet Naboo.

Córdoba is the northernmost of the eight provinces of the Andalusia region of southern spain. Given that Andalusia was the Moorish stronghold during the period of Islamic control of the (most of) the Iberian Peninsula, Córdoba is home to numerous fortresses, many of which are strategically perched on outcrops that dot the region.  In this drone video by PFF Drone you'll get an aerial view of one of these fortifications.  It's near the town of Belmez, which is situated a bit to the northwest of Córdoba's namesake capital.

Check out this drone video of a famous Roman ruins site in southern Spain, compliments of AirVuz contributor PJF DRONE.  It's called the Municipium Flavium Muniguense, and it's located a few mi/km from the city of Villanueva del Río y Minas in Sevile, one of the provinces of the region of Andalusia.  Officially designated as a Historical Artistic Monument under Spanish law, the most prominent part of the site is the Terrace Sanctuary.  This was constructed in about 70 AD, and replaced a number of older buildings at the top of the hill.  

Take in these aerial views of a well-known beach area in southern Spain, compliments of AirVuz contributor Santiago.  Mijas Bay (La Cala de Mijas) is located roughly in the middle of a stretch of Mediterranean coastline known as the Sun Coast (Costa del Sol) in Málaga, the second-southernmost province of mainland Spain.   The Costa del Sol is one of the three principal named beach zones on Spain's Mediterranean coastline, the others being the Costa Blanca in the Valencia Region and the Costa Brava further north, near Barcelona.

Check out these wintertime drone views of the mountains of southern Spain, compliments of AirVuz contributor and drone pilot PJF Drone.  The Sierra Sur de Jaén is part of Jaén, one of the landlocked provinces of the Andalusia region.  The range is part of a larger system known as the Baetic Belt, a series of ranges which run roughly east-west across the region.  The highest peak of the Sierra Sur de Jaén is Pico Pandera, which has a maximum elevation of just under 1.9k meters above sea level (around 6.1k ft.).  

Calahorra Castle (Castilllo de La Calahorra) is an important landmark in the Granada Province of southern Spain.  Constructed in the early 16th century, it's believed to be one of the first Renaissance-style castles to be built outside of Italy.  Since 1922, in recognition of its cultural significance, it's been designated as a Bien de Interés Cultural under Spanish preservation laws.  Check out the beautiful landmark from above in this drone video by AirVuz contributor and pilot PJF Drone.  

Huelva is an important city in southern Spain.  It's situated on the estuary of the Odiel and Tinto Rivers in its namesake province,  one of the eight which make up the country's Andalusia Region.  One of Europe's oldest cities, it was settled by about 1250 BC and a stable Phoenician colony by early in the first millennium BC.  In this drone video by AirVuz contributor Maite_Fornalino, you can take an aerial tour of this ancient city, including the 37 meter tall (just over 120 ft.) statue Monument to the Discovering Faith.

The valleys and plains of southern Spain make for some amazing hot air ballooning.  Balloonists are treated to epic views of some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in Europe, a place of amazing cliffs and rock formations and distant snow-capped mountains.  It's not surprising that Spain punches well above its weight in the world of hot air ballooning.  Creator Hispadrone brings us this amazing drone video of a hot air balloon riding the air above this magical part of Andalusian Spain.  

Contributor and pilot Jonatan_Joy used a drone to create this amazing aerial view of La Concha, a mountain which overlooks the Spanish city of Marbella on it southern Mediterranean coastline.  Marbella is one of the principal cities of the Malaga province, one of the eight comprising the Andalusia semi-autonomous region.  La Concha is one of the main mountains of the Sierra Blanca range which runs through much of the province, whose highest peak is about 1.3k meters (4.2k ft). above sea level.

The Spanish province of Huelva is closely connected to Spain's Age of Exploration which began with the launching of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus from the port of Palos de la Frontera in 1492.  To celebrate the 500th anniversary of the voyage in 1992, a museum called the Wharf of the Caravels was built in this Andalusian town, complete with very accurate replicas of the three ships: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María.  In this drone video by velogaev_art, you'll get an aerial view of the museum and its three sailing ships.  

AirVuz contributor filmingdrones brings us this excellent drone video of the historic city of Ronda, Spain.  The town is perched above a canyon of the Guadalevín River in Málaga, one of the provinces of the southern region of Andalusia.  Famously, Ronda was the setting for one of the most well-known passages of 20th century literature: the execution scene in Chapter 10 of Ernest Hemingway's 1940 Spanish Civil War novel For Whom the Bell Tolls, in which Nationalists are murdered by Republicans and their bodies thrown into the Tejo Gorge.  

Contributor 91 Kilometers brings us this beautiful aerial video of the city of Ronda in southern Spain, in the Málaga province of Andalusia.  Like much of southern Spain, this area has been inhabited since pre-historic times.  Ronda also has a place in literature.  The city on the cliff (in disguised form) was the setting for one of the most well known passages of 20th century literature: the famous execution scene in Chapter 10 of Ernest Hemingway's classic For Whom the Bell Tolls, first published in 1940.