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Plataforma de Gredos

Ávila, Castilla y León  >  Spain

An insight into the highest peaks of the Sierra de Gredos, including the Almanzor. Rock walls and alpine fields provide the perfect habitat for unique species.

Adicionado* por Raúl Marín
Ultima atualização 6 julho 2020

Descrição

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 Melro-das-rochas and the Chasco-cinzento, 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 Androinha-das-rochas 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.

Detalhes

Acesso

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.

Terreno e Habitat

Planice , Montanha , Campina , Zonas húmidas , Vale

Condições

Montanhoso , Rochoso , Paisagem aberta , Sem sombra

Caminho circular

Não

é útil um telescópio?

Não

Boa temporada de observação de aves

Verão , Primavera

Melhor hora para visitar

Verão

Rota

Estrada não pavimentada

Caminho dificil

Caminhada média

Acessível por

Abrigo/plataforma deobservação de aves

Não

Informação extra

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.

Ligações

Veja outros pontos de observação de aves na área publicados em Birdingplaces

Mapa

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