Stage of great ornithological interest. It leaves Crevillent for Guardamar del Segura, passing through two districts, the Baja Vinalopó and the Vega Baja del Segura. Landscapes of rare beauty and ecological value such as the El Hondo Natural Park. We walk across wetlands, around lakes and next to orange and lemon orchards and palm trees. Numerous birds, inhabitants of the wetlands, will be our fellow travellers for a large part of the trip, so this stage will offer us a unique opportunity for birdwatching.
We set off from Crevillent towards the railway station, walking through orange, lemon and palm tree groves. We cross the extensive plain formed by the Valley of the Vinalopó, surrounded by mountain ranges, natural lagoons and marshes, until we reach El Hondo Natural Park, a protected ecosystem located in a floodplain of the river Segura, formed by a group of lagoons, wetlands and salt marshes that have undergone numerous transformations carried out by human beings, and configuring the current landscape.
Once we reach El Hondo Natural Park, we can visit the Visitor Centre, or have a rest in the picnic area with views of the wetland.
A walk between the Embalse de Poniente and the lagoon, as well as the Embalse de Levante, the Reserva Integral and the salt marshes, will probably be the stretch we find most fascinating on this stage due to its extraordinary environmental value, with the abundance of birds that live there and also the prized landscape, having well-tended salt marshes and being
surrounded with historic
groves of palm trees.
Given the large number of birds living in this place and their importance, it has been declared a Special Protection Area for Birds. Some 172 species of birds have been identified, among these we can see black-winged stilts, common grebes, purple herons, marbled ducks or teals and white-headed ducks.
In the aquatic environment there are eel, mullet, carp and the common Spanish toothcarp, a small endemic fish of the Spanish Mediterranean.
As far as flora is concerned, it is dominated by reeds and rushes. We can see plant micro-reserves where the vegetation is that associated with saline soils.
We continue our tour towards Guardamar del Segura along the road to Azarbe del Convenio. Our next destination, the Hondo de Amorós is a wet area consisting of two lagoons nestling between fields of vegetables and cereals, so this stretch of the tour is still of great ornithological interest.
The last part of this tour will take us to Guardamar del Segura on the left bank of the river Segura, which is part of the Corredor Verde of the lowland plain of the Segura, where we can watch lots of aquatic birds such as the moorhen and the coot, or we also have the option of turning off towards the mouth of the river Segura and ending today's stage by enjoying the dusk in this beautiful spot.