A freshwater lagoon ringed by rice fields and reed beds, the Albufera lies about ten kilometres south of Valencia, separated from the Mediterranean by a wooded sandbar known as the Dehesa del Saler. It is the largest lake in the Iberian peninsula and the centrepiece of a protected wetland covering more than 21,000 hectares. The name comes from the Arabic al-buhayra, meaning the little sea. The lagoon was a royal hunting and fishing ground from the 13th century, passed to the Spanish state in 1865, and has belonged to the city of Valencia since 1911. It was declared a natural park in 1986 to halt the steady conversion of marshland into farmland. Rice has been grown around its shores for centuries, and the dish most associated with the area, paella valenciana, originated in these fields. The village of El Palmar, built on former fishing settlements, is known for its rice restaurants and for a fishing community whose traditional system of allotted positions, the redolins, dates back hundreds of years. The wetland is one of the most important bird habitats in Spain, with several hundred species recorded across the year, including large numbers of wintering and breeding waterfowl. Herons, ducks, gulls and waders gather on the open water and in the surrounding marshes, drawing birdwatchers throughout the seasons. Visitors most often experience the lagoon from one of the flat-bottomed albuferenc boats that set out from the shore, particularly around El Palmar, where sunset trips are popular. The calm, shallow water and the wide horizon make the crossings unhurried. The Dehesa del Saler, the strip of pine forest and dunes between the lake and the sea, has its own beaches, trails and smaller ponds, while the Raco de l'Olla interpretation centre beside the El Palmar road offers exhibits, a viewing tower and a small reserve. Cycling and walking are easy here, as the terrain is almost entirely flat, and the mix of water, farmland and forest gives the park a distinct character within easy reach of the city. Traditional thatched farmhouses, the barracas, can still be seen near the villages. The landscape inspired the Valencian novelist Vicente Blasco Ibanez, whose work is set among its fishermen and rice growers, and the area remains a working agricultural and fishing region as much as a place to visit.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Valencia, Spain

Website: https://parquesnaturales.gva.es

Opening Date: 01/01/1986