Clot de Galvany Municipal Nature Area

The wetland route crosses fixed dunes with planted pines and former cultivation terraces before reaching pond viewpoints. It also climbs towards a bunker and views over the central basin, so allow for some uphill walking. Choose the open signed return past the hides, or ask staff for the shorter Anátidas approach. Allow 1–2 hours including stops.

Choose the near-Aula pond section for a shorter outing; verify its current surface and hide access before committing with wheels. The full route includes uphill ground.

This route explores more distant hills, former farmland, saltmarsh vegetation and bunkers with trenches, linking with El Humedal. Viewpoints put the wetland basin in its wider coastal setting. Keep to the signs around working private plots. Allow 2–3 hours including stops, choosing this walk for habitat variety and history.

More hill walking and exposed ground than the near-Aula option. It is not presented as a step-free circuit; request a suitable alternative if slopes or rough surfaces are a concern.

On eligible Sundays and public holidays, the guided service departs at 10:00 and covers about 2 km in 2 hours. Its exact itinerary can vary. Check whether a special event replaces the regular walk.

Explain mobility, sensory or pacing needs when contacting the service so staff can advise on that day’s itinerary.

Allow 60–90 minutes. Ask at the Aula about the nearest open pond access, spend most of the visit at Anátidas, and return to the recreation area. Add a second hide only if time, weather and the group’s energy allow.

Allow around 3 hours. Follow El Humedal with a central-pond viewpoint stop, then add an open section of El Monte y la Loma if conditions suit the group. Use the bunker views to connect the water basin with the defensive landscape. Return in time for a food break at the designated recreation area.

Spend time at Anátidas and, when the signed route is open, a central-pond hide. Compare the water’s extent, vegetation and where birds feed. Use the contrast to discuss why managers maintain some ponds while other parts change with the season. A photograph from the same public spot on a later visit is a useful comparison.

Give each child one task: find a bird swimming, a bird feeding near the edge, or a bird disappearing into vegetation. Describe behaviour before looking for a name. Keep voices low and make the session short enough to remain enjoyable; the picnic area provides a natural break afterwards.

The 2026 programme includes themed visits, hands-on activities and revegetation volunteering. Special-event registration only becomes valid after confirmation. Check the exact date and age guidance, and choose a session that suits the youngest member of the group.

For light rain, ask whether the Aula is staffed and whether a short visit is sensible; its interpretation displays can add context to the outdoor route. During heavy rain, flooding, lightning or a closure, postpone the walk. A bird hide is not a reason to enter an unsafe sector.

Long pink legs and a sharply black-and-white body make this a good bird for practising identification at shallow pond margins. The operator records breeding and migratory use of the Clot ponds. Watch from a hide; alarmed birds are a reason to give the shoreline more space.

Look for a dark waterbird with a white bill and forehead shield. Coots use the Clot’s deeper water, and local reporting describes winter groups becoming territorial pairs during breeding. Familiar birds make a useful starting point before trying to identify the rarer ducks.

Many of the pines on the hills come from past planting. Their irregular crowns frame views over the basin. Look below them for Mediterranean scrub adapted to the shallow, rocky soils: the pine cover and the low shrubs tell different parts of the site’s vegetation story.

The low, fan-leaved palm occurs on dry slopes and has also been reintroduced to former cultivation terraces. The contrast makes restoration visible: a locally native plant can be present both naturally and through deliberate planting. Look without handling the spiny leaf stalks.

Marbled duck and white-headed duck are important Clot species, though neither is a guaranteed sighting. In March 2026, the council reported releasing 20 captive-bred marbled ducks after acclimatisation at Anátidas. Released birds reinforce the free-living population; any management enclosure is not a public animal exhibit.

The operator records Mediterranean pond turtle in the ponds, especially Anátidas, with reinforcement of the natural population through releases. Watch for basking animals without approaching them. The site also identifies introduced pond sliders as a threat: never release a pet turtle into the wetland.

Treated water from Arenales del Sol supports the managed wetland, supplying Anátidas and Carabassí and supplementing the central pond after groundwater depletion. This helps explain why a protected wetland can require pipes and ongoing human care.

Old terraces, irrigation structures and surviving crop trees belong to the agricultural story, while bunkers and trenches belong to a later defensive landscape. View them as evidence in place, without climbing structures or assuming that any interior is open.

Taray was created from a degraded site and announced as closed to visitors in February 2023. Its ecological value does not depend on people reaching its shore. Keep it outside a self-guided itinerary unless the operator explicitly directs visitors there.

Prioritise quiet hide visits and breeding behaviour. Keep children close to the path and avoid lingering beside birds that appear unsettled. The themed migration programme can help explain why the species mix changes.

Make a short early visit, carry enough water and postpone the hill extension in strong heat. The Aula’s published summer hours start earlier than its winter hours. For an evening activity, check the current programme and book when required.

Revisit the same viewpoints to see changes in water and bird groups. A cooler day may suit the longer circuit, but heavy rain can make the low-lying wetland approaches unsuitable. Check conditions before travelling rather than assuming more water always improves access.

Use the Aula for route advice, interpretation and environmental activities. Published public-service hours are 07:30–13:00 daily in July–August, and 09:00–14:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from September to June. No service is advertised on 1, 5 and 6 January or 24, 25 and 31 December. These are staffed-service hours, not a promise of round-the-clock park entry.

There are hides at Anátidas, Charca del Carabassí, and the south and east sides of the central pond. Carabassí was remodelled in 2021 and is still called charca de limícolas on some visitor information pages. Follow current on-site labels and ask which hides are available.

The recreation area opposite the Aula has tables, seating and shade shelters. Toilets are advertised during daylight hours. Plan food breaks here, before or after the walking route. Confirm opening and any access needs rather than relying on a toilet symbol alone.

The operator directs visitors along Avenida San Bartolomé de Tirajana towards Gran Alacant, then right onto the unpaved entrance approach at the end of the avenue. Its published arrival point is 38.238596, −0.520944. Use the designated parking between the Aula and recreation area; keep entrances clear.

The arrival page links Elche–Arenales services, including R9/R10/R12 information. Check the current service, stop, onward walk and last return before setting out. Cyclists can leave bicycles in the designated parking and continue on foot.

Contact the environmental service on 966 658 028. Ask about the route from parking to Anátidas, gradients, loose ground, gate width, seating and a usable viewing position. Also ask whether the alternative hide access previously operated by staff is available for your visit.

The wider site includes hills and raised wooden viewpoints. A view from the path may be a better choice than a tower. Arrange assistance-dog needs directly with staff; the published protection document distinguishes guide dogs from the general ban on domestic animals.