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Description
The bird numbers at Es Grau Albufera the winter season has reached the figure of over eleven thousand water birds and over a hundred different species. The most common are liska, veliki kormoran, močvirski martinec, žametna penica, španski škrjanec and krivokljun. The birds of prey found here include sokol selec, egiptovski jastreb, mali orel, ribji orel and rjavi škarnik.
These species share a natural habitat of wide variety, where we can come across different vegetation communities within the water areas. The banks of the lagoon grow plants rooted into the sediments, whilst their stems and leaves are above water level. The daily sinking sediment also grows thick bushes and magnificent tamarisk forests.
Details
Access
To reach S'Albufera es Grau take the PM710 out of Mao and after 1km turn off right on to the Es Grau road. After 3.5km the reserve entrance is signposted on the left. For the beach trail keep on the main road until you reach the village of Es Grau, there is car parking here and the beach trail can be reached by walking around the bay to reach the signposted start to the trail. Buses travel infrequently from Mahon bus station, but check times especially on public holidays.
Trails are open all year round - all day.
The Visitor Centre of the reserver is open Daily 9.00am to 3.00pm year round, with later opening on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, to 5.00pm Nov-Mar and to 7.00pm Apr to Oct. There are toilets at the visitor centre.
If intending to walk the trails from the Visitor Centre, you can park closer to the start of the trails by passing the Visitor Centre and driving downhill to a dead-end just after a villa on the left. The entrances to the 2 trails are here and parking here cuts out the long drag uphill at the end of the walk.
There are three way-marked trails that can be followed on the reserve, wandering away from the trails is strictly forbidden. The Santa Mondrona trail is the longest and can be reached from the Visitor Centre and follows the south bank of the lake in a Westerly direction. There are a couple of viewing screens and one hide overlooking the lake with more viewpoints as well. The other trail reached from the Visitor Centre is the Cala de Llimpa trail and this is the shortest following the southern shore to the East. The third trail is reached from the beach (easiest access) or from the road into the village of Es Grau (not as obvious to find), this crosses the scrub to a viewpoint overlooking the lake.
Terrain and Habitat
Wetland , Sea , Beach , Scattered trees and bushes , ReedbedsConditions
Flat , Sandy , Wet , Slippery , High water possible , HillyCircular trail
YesIs a telescope useful?
Can be usefulGood birding season
Spring , Winter , AutumnBest time to visit
Winter , Spring , Spring migrationRoute
Paved road , Wide path , Narrow trailDifficulty walking trail
EasyAccessible by
Foot , Bicycle , CarBirdwatching hide / platform
NoExtra info
You can do coastal walks in area to see more sea birds if you walk from Es Grau on the Cami de Cavalls round island footpath. Walking information is on Boards around the Nature reserve. The site has boardwalks over flooded sections of the park.
The three main trails around the reserve are detailed below.
C1.- Llimpa’s Route (40min/ 1.7km). From the information centre, follow the road to its end where you can also park. Take the dirt track on your right that leads you to a beautiful viewpoint over the lagoon.
C2.- Santa Madrona’s Route (1hr). From the information centre, follow the road to its end where you can also park. Take the closed dirt track on your left and, after 200 meters, turn right to a bird watching hut. From there, go back some 100 meters, turn right and, at the next turnoff, again to the right on a wide track which you follow until another bird watching spot. Keep straight on and take a narrow path to the left that joins up with the dirt track. Go to the right to the car park.
C3.- Sa Gola’s Route (45min, 1.7km). It starts at K. 6 of the Me-5, near Es Grau. After the bridge, turn left to a viewpoint (5min), go back to the forested path (5min) and turn left. When you reach the beach (15min), go to the right to the village of Es Grau.