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Description
This area in the Sierra de Gredos is a strictly alpine habitat, although with some Mediterranean influence, which translates into hotter summers. Still, there are huge differences coming with each season, as winter covers the peaks with snow, and almost no bird stays here; and summer brings with it most of the bird variety that can be seen in this area. Some of thr special birds include the rare Steintrost and the Steinskvett, which can both be easily spotted when they sing on top of the highest rocks.
Several streams, created by the melting snow, attract many insects, and birds such as Klippesvale chase them to feed their young. The vegetation is formed by grasses and bushes, with no tree in sight, so the influence of the sun is very strong. In order to avoid this, it is recommended to use a lot of strong sun cream and a hat; if not, there is a very high risk of getting some serious burns.
There are many different routes, but the more commonly visited takes you from the parking lot up to a mountain and down to a glacial lake, and it is 14km in total, including going to and coming back. This means it is a hard and difficult walk. However, only the start is favorable for watching birds, as the path towards the lake is very rocky and abrupt; so I personally recommend doing half of it, which means going from the parking to the mountain top, as you can see the lake form there, and it is just 7km. In this case, it is just a medium difficult walk.
Details
Access
The entrance to the Plataforma de Gredos is quite complicated, as the parking lot has just 150 spots, so the access is controlled.
Firstly, you have to get to a checkpoint (5km away from the actual area) where a controlled fence blocks the road; and you must wait until some car comes back from the top to enter, due to the limited space. The entrance cost 3€ if you go by car. Apart from this, the only comfortable way to get to the area is by car, as there are 5km uphill to be walked in order to get to the Plataforma if you want to go by foot or bike. The wait can be quite long, up to an hour, but when you get to enter it is very easy, as you just have to follow a road to the parking lot. There, you leave the car and start heading towards the actual start of the paths.
Terrain and Habitat
Plain , Mountain , Grassland , Moors/heathland , ValleyConditions
Mountainous , Rocky , Open landscape , No shadowCircular trail
NoIs a telescope useful?
NoGood birding season
Summer , SpringBest time to visit
SummerRoute
Unpaved roadDifficulty walking trail
Average walkAccessible by
FootBirdwatching hide / platform
NoExtra info
Apart from the variety of alpine birds, some endemic reptile species and some mammals call these rocky areas their home. Just to name a few, the Cyren’s rock lizard (Iberolacerta cyreni) and the Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica hispanica) are some of the easier ones to see.