Cycling and Birdwatching in the Ebro Delta

Delta Natural Park

The Ebro Delta, covering an area of 320 km2, is the largest aquatic habitat in Catalonia and a wetland internationaly recognized for its importance and for the sustainable tourism that has developed. It's been Natural Park since 1983. 

The protection of nature coexists with traditional agriculture and fishing activities, mainly rice and mussels.

Typical villages in the area are Deltebre, Sant Jaume d'Enveja, Els Muntells, Poble nou del Delta, L'Aldea and Camarles.

A good option to visit the Delta is to go to the information center named La Casa de Fusta,  in the Encanyissada lagoon, the bigger one in the Delta.

From La Casa de Fusta you can go around the lagoon by a 12-18 km route.

Cycling and Birdwatching

As a delta is plain terrain, cycling is available for everybody. Traffic is low and calm, and there are paths adapted for bikes. Neither you don't have to take your bike, because you will find rentals near your lodgement. It is a real pleasure ride in the middle of nature!

Birdwatching is also easy (it is a special protected area for birds), although depending on the time of year there are more or fewer birds; there are some places where you will not miss them, like the observatories in La Tancada i L'Encanyissada.

Summer wildlife:
Purple Heron, Squacco Heron, Little Bittern, Black-winged Stilt, Pratincole, Mallard, Common Tern, Whiskered Tern, Bearded Tit, Reed Warbler

Winter wildlife: 
Cormorant, Grey Heron, Great Creste Grebe, Marsh Harrier, Cernícalo Vulgar, Lapwing, Snipe, Red-crested Pochard, Reed Bunting, Kingfisher

Accomodation and gastronomy

Fortunately, the building of big hotels and appartment buildings is not allowed, as the Delta is a protected area. The amazing landscape invites tourists to lodge in little hotels, campings or country houses. The latter is the option I prefer, here or here you can find entire houses or individual rooms to rent.

Since it is a rice area, it is highly recommended to stop at one of the many restaurants in the little villages inside the park and order one of their rice specialities: paella, arrossejat, rice with duck, rice with lobster, black rice or caldereta. Remember to book in advance!

Special dates 

The extensive rice fields change the landscape with the seasons: earthy in winter, water flooded in spring and green in summer. 

Summertime is a great time to enjoy dunes and wild beaches, gastronomy and birdwatching (you should take mosquito repellent). 

Every year there is a popular fiesta to celebrate the beginning of the harvest rice, where you can see the traditional work of mowing. This year is scheduled on 13th September (2015). 

How to get there

 By car: Main N-340 road through Amposta and Sant Carles de la Ràpita along the Ebro Delta.

By train: Amposta, Camarles and l´Ampolla stations on the Barcelona-Valencia line.

GPS coordinates X: 0.7230895243530724, Y: 40.72263451312286

The surroundings

Delta Ebro area can be a destiny of a several week vacation:

- Besides Delta Natural Park there is Els Ports Natural Park, a limestone massif located between Catalonia, Valencia and Aragon. 

- Tortosa, Amposta and Miravet Castle

- River ebro activities: boat travel or canoeing. 

- Cycling in the Greenway Terres de l'Ebre