Delta de l’Ebre Natural Park Spain
By Jackie De Burca – Follow Jackie on Twitter
The Delta de l’Ebre Natural Park has a unique, magical landscape. As it’s flat, it is perfect for those who enjoy cycling, which in my humble opinion is a wonderful way to absorb its immense personality, as is horse riding.
The European Commission has designated it as an EDEN (European Destination of Excellence), because of its commitment to sustainable tourism.
Delta de l’Ebre Natural Park – Thanks To The Peaceful Protest Of The Local People
The part of the overall space of 320 km2 which was designated as the protected reserve of the Delta de l’Ebre Natural Park takes up an area of 80 km2, which is located in the province of Tarragona.
It was in 1983 that it became a protected area, thanks to the peaceful occupation and mobilisation of people from the area of Deltebre, which given our level of ecological awareness of that time, is quite impressive. In 1983 it was only the left bank areas that became protected, but two years later so did the areas of the right bank.
Immense Ornithological And Ecological Importance
The natural park is of immense ornithological and ecological importance. In 1993 the Ramsar Convention included it on its list of wetlands of International importance.
The Delta de l’Ebre is Catalonia’s largest wetland, the second largest is Aiguamolls de l’Empordà. Within the landscape of the natural park, as well as wetlands, there are amazing beaches, sand dunes, rivers, estuaries, salt pans, lagoons and marshes.
It is home to a wealth of flora and fauna, with 95 species of birds who breed there, as well as around 300 species that come to stopover. You can also see varieties of reptiles, fish, invertebrates and amphibians. (At the end of the article is a list of the bird species you may see in the Delta de l’Ebre Natural Park.)
Exploring The Delta de l’Ebre
You may decide to go by yourself, lots of people do and just feel your way around. There are also tours that you can take part in, one good option is MónNatura that are committed to eco-tourism and educating visitors. Try to see as much of it on foot as possible, or hire a bike or go by horseback. It is an amazing environment to do any of these in.
Vegetation
The vegetation differs throughout the different parts of the Delta de l’Ebre. Around the lagoons there are reeds, sedge and cattails, all of which have underwater roots. By the sea there are plants that adapt to saltier conditions, such as glass wort. On the dunes you’ll see sea daffodils and marram grass. When you reach the more humid environments, you’ll encounter salt cedar, white poplar, river honeysuckle and willow.
Platja de l’Eucaliptus Amposta – Eucalyptus Beach Amposta
Eucalyptus Beach seems to go on forever, it’s nearly 6 km long. It seems almost untouched, with low lying sand dunes and their indigenous flora. I have seen the most wonderful mirages on this long sandy beach.
Delta de l’Ebre Rice
I cycled around the Delta when I first moved to the area in 2003; each day feeling blessed to be there and in total awe of the surroundings. Granted I had never been to another place where rice grows, I had never seen the mirage type landscape that you can see in parts of the Delta de l’Ebre Natural Park, and I had certainly never seen flamingos in a natural habitat.
Traditionally the main crop of the area is rice. When you visit, observe the small houses that sometimes appear to sit in the middle of the paddy fields, seeming from a distance as if they are quirky tiny houses surrounded by water. You can’t help but wonder how their owners access them!
Rice has been growing in the Ebro Delta since 1860. Today 14 different varieties of rice are produced in the Delta, amounting to a grand total of 45 million kilos every year. Innovation and tradition have been married successfully to ensure that the quality of the product is top notch. You can imagine the families who have lived in the Delta for generations and passed down their art from generation to generation.
Those who work in the paddy fields seem to blend in perfectly with their environment, feeling privileged and in harmony with this protected area and their work. April is when the waters flood into the fields until harvest time in mid September.
20% of Spain’s rice is grown in the Delta and 98.5% of Catalonian rice production happens there. Of course it is an important part of the Mediterranean Diet, best appreciated internationally in the dish of paella. Of course there are numerous other ways to incorporate rice into wonderful dishes, and this subject has been addressed by an initiative called – Much More Than Rice.
Much More Than Rice
The renowned Catalan chef, Carme Ruscalleda, along with NOMEN, presented Much More Than Rice in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Barcelona, in the hotel’s cocktail bar, Bankers. 10 dishes in which rice is the main element were presented, which is included in a book that was launched in 2014, at Alimentaria. Here you can read about the six Michelin star chef, and the Much More Than Rice initiative.
If you want to learn even more about the rice from the Delta de l’Ebre click on Delta de l’Ebre rice
Llacuna de L’Encanyissada – L’Encanyissada Lagoon
Located in the southern part of the park, l’Encanyissada is the biggest lagoon in the Delta l’Ebre with two parts: the big and little basins. It’s cane plantation is home to the little bittern, the purple heron, the cattle egret, the little egret and the black-crown night heron. In the big basin, which is in the north, there are reed beds, marshes and bulls grazing.
Llacuna de la Tancada – Tancada Lagoon
Tancada is the second biggest lagoon in the Delta de l’Ebre Natural Park, after L’Encanyissada, and in fact the two lagoons were together, but they have been made separate because of rice cultivation. Most of the time you see the colony of greater flamingos there. There are also commorants, ducks, coots and terns to be spotted there.
Casa de Fusta – The Wooden House
Partida de la Cuixota
Llacuna de l’Encanyissada (l’Encanyissada Lagoon)
Poblenou del Delta
Amposta 43870
Phone: 977 261 022
A group of hunters built the Casa de Fusta in the late 1920’s, having settled in the area because of its obvious attractions. Today this emblematic wooden house serves as the park’s Information Centre. Go there to get advice on your route. Also the Ornithological Museum is located there.
Horse Riding
One of the most beautiful ways to enjoy the Delta de l’Ebre is on horseback. Below is a link to an Equestrian Centre. I have yet to try them, so this is not a recommendation – for now their website is not in English, but of course you can always use one of those clever translation tools!
http://www.hipicadomaclasica.com/
Fishing
If you fancy a spot of Mediterranean sea fishing then go to the jetty at Eucalyptus beach. For river fishing try Balada or Amposta.
Routes
There are numerous routes and ways to explore the area. One option is to contact MónNatura you can find out more about them by clicking on MónNatura Delta de l’Ebre.
Amposta Tourism suggest a couple of routes:
http://www.turismeamposta.cat/en/routes/balada–downstream-along-river-ebro-tracks_512
http://www.turismeamposta.cat/en/routes/river-ebro–quiet-waters_508
Bird Spotting Delta de l’Ebre
Below is a list of the bird species you can see all year round in the Delta de l’Ebre:
Balearic Shearwater
Black-necked Grebe
Black-tailed Godwit
Cattle Egret
Common Kestrel
Common Pochard
Coot
Crested Coot
Curlew
Dunlin
Gadwall
Glossy Ibis
Great Cormorant
Great Crested Grebe
Great White Egret
Greater Flamingo
Grey Heron
Grey Plover
Kentish Plover
Little Egret
Little Grebe
Little Ringed Plover
Mallard
Marsh Harrier
Moorhen
Night Heron
Northern Gannet
Oyster Catcher
Pied Avocet
Purple Swamphen
Red-crested Pochard
Shelduck
Shovelor
Squacco Heron
Water Rail
If you would like to see what has been spotted recently then click on bird watching Delta de l’Ebre
I haven’t heard of EDEN before but sounds like aligned to UNESCO? Your pictures are stunning – such varied space and it looks massive! I’m going to look this up on the map, spring and autumn must be a perfect climate to explore!!
Anna, thanks so much for the lovely comment about the pics. 🙂 I woke up this morning feeling how much this area has affected me – you know that time before being fully awake and still a bit dreamy. Yes, Eden has been set up by the European Commission to find these excellent models of sustainable tourism development. They would be lovely times to explore normally, and if you’re coming from the UK, if you don’t mind using Ryanair you could fly into Reus.
This does sound an intersting area. I’m particularly drawn to the idea of discovering it on horse back even though I don’t ride! The photo you’ve shown here just looks so inviting.
I went birdwatching for the first time in December and I’d be keen to do that again too – I’d love to see the flamingoes in particular. I’ve only ever seen them from a great distance but would live to photograph them sometime.
Kathryn, I am not surprised that you want to discover it on horseback, it is such an idyllic way to enjoy it. I had an allergy to horse’s hair when younger so have only once been horse riding since, and that was an adventure – as my friend’s husband told the stables I was far more experienced than I am! I was given an ex racing horse, and the rest is history- let’s say I ended up with huge bruises on my inner legs from trying to stay on the horse. 🙂 As for flamingos, I adore them also. They symbolise happiness in love and our relationships. They remind us not to fear love, but to embrace it fully.
It looks like a lovely place to visit and enjoy a natural park at its best. All those birds list, I’m sure it’s a real destination site for birders to see so much variety.
Thanks Noel. It is a huge birders destination, but it also has great cuisine as well as the obviously beautiful nature.
It sounds and looks similar in some respects to an RSBP reserve near us, called Leighton Moss. It’s nothing like the same size but I think you’d see many of the same species of birds and the habitat (well, the reeds, at least) sounds not too dissimilar. A birdwatchers paradise, if the place near us is anything to go by…
You’re right Paul, it does look similar, I’ve just taken a look at Leighton Moss. I guess the main difference would be that the weather here would make the bird watching more pleasant. 🙂
Cycling is a great way to explore any city or region. I recall on my last (and only) trip to Spain, we used three forms of transportation to get around – bicycle, moped and foot. All of these are great ways to get around and allow you to see things that you would likely miss if you traveled by car or bus.
Maybe I don’t appreciate nature and the flora/fauna associated with it as much as I could do, but I know that whenever I visit a location I love to see the local surroundings and how the region is developing in terms of maintaining beautiful scenery. With the modernization of technology and development of today’s ‘city’, we are seeing a lot of these towns and regions lose their naturalistic appeal but it’s great to see from this post that there are still some out that maintain the natural beauty!
Chris, I love the idea of doing routes using different forms of transport. When I am cycling, however, I do feel that I blend more into the energy of the environment and feel it more. You definitely miss this when you travel by bus or car. I didn’t appreciate nature that much when I first arrived here, but I am very happy to say that being here has really changed that for me. Being a city girl originally, I didn’t have a strong connection with nature, but now I do.
We are planning to visit the Delta del Ebro in early september. My wife can not walk for long so is it possible to use boat and/or special cars?
Thank you for your advice and help
Jean-Pierre
Hi Jean-Pierre,
I love the Delta, and September normally is a lovely time to be there. 🙂
In all honesty mobility is not an area I am an expert in. However the best thing for you to do is get in contact with the tourist office of Sant Carles de la Rapita. They are based in the port of Sant Carles de la Rapita – the same port that has boat trips going over to the Delta. 🙂
Here is the link to their contact page.
I hope you and your wife have a wonderful trip`.
Jackie
Hi Jackie,
quite by accident I happened upon this website…while looking for nature(bird) photography opportunities….
Hence my short question: are there any hides/spots in the delta where one could try to photograph birds from a close distance (max 30 meters)?
Thanks for advice in advance,
Istvan
(from Austria)
Hi Istvan,
I adore the Delta! There are watching places so maybe this would work for you?
Thanks
Jackie
Wonderful to read about the area. Does this area have safe beaches for swimming that are suitable for young children? We try to keep our carbon impact low by not flying and would like to drive to spain again now that the restrictions have eased. I dont know the area at all but we are on a tight budget but love to immerse ourselves as a family in the culture of the area. Coming from the UK and having not had a holiday for a couple of years we are desperate to be by the sea, eat local food and for the kids to meet local kids.
Truthfully I can’t answer about safe swimming for children as I don’t have any and haven’t really thought about it. But I imagine it should be safe. Perhaps check in the tourist office for recommended safe beaches. Enjoy yourselves!!
Fantastic reading on the region. It appears to be a beautiful location to visit and take in a natural park at its finest. With so many different species of birds listed, I’m sure this is a must-visit location for birders
Thanks, Babu. it is a wonderful place and quite magical especially with the birdlife and mirages of sand dunes.
Oh Jackie, Thank you so much for this fantastic trip….I am a big lover of traveling…Some places I can visit, some just with the help of the internet:) There are always new exciting spots for my imagination ..but if there is a possibility to one day go there, I will definitely be there:)
Thanks Karen. It is such a wonderful location. 🙂