SPANISH NATURE GEM: L'ALBUFERA OF VALÈNCIA
Many of us are in love with sunsets, places that transmit tranquillity, places that have an enormous diversity in terms of fauna and flora, that also have their own traditions and culture. From a very young age I have been lucky enough to grow up with one of the most important wetlands in the world nearby: L'Albufera de València.
Silhouette of flamingos taking flight at dusk at L’Albufera
There I not only took my first steps behind the camera but I have learned to treat nature in a respectful way. A magical place that is full of possibilities and that preserving it is one of the most complicated tasks that we all have to carry out together in order not to lose one of the jewels in the crown if we talk about nature in Spain.
In the east of the country, just 20 minutes by car from the city of Valencia, we find an extensive body of fresh water of just over 2,800 hectares. It is connected to the sea but separated by metal gates that allow us to preserve the freshwater ecosystem. This creates a very characteristic habitat where birds and aquatic plants come together.
Among its most characteristic activities are the boat trips that offer you the chance to sail the waters of L'Albufera and watch the sunset from them. Among its most characteristic activities are the boat trips that offer you the chance to sail the waters of L'Albufera and watch the sunset from them. You can also walk through the rice fields, taste Valencian paella in the famous village of El Palmar, which is the closest to L'Albufera, go bird watching in the Racó de L'Olla interpretation centre or book a guided tour of some of the wildlife conservation areas closed to the public and which have limited capacity known as "Tancats" which means closed areas in Valencia language.
Given that this is an area full of diversity and where you can lose yourself in activities for several afternoons in a row, I bring you the five things you should not miss if you visit.
Spoiler: some of them are not very touristy so you can also enjoy some solitude in this special natural setting, always remembering not to damage the environment and to leave everything as you found it before you arrived.
Here we go!:
RICE FIELDS
Rice is one of the star products of the Albufera area, along with eels and mullets obtained from fishing. That is why the entire Albufera lagoon is surrounded by extensive rice fields that are flooded during the fallow season and turn green once the rice has been planted and is growing, in preparation for the summer. These two stages leave us with beautiful and very different landscapes, both of which can be enjoyed depending on the time of year.
REFLECTIONS
An honourable mention should be made of the reflections obtained in the fallow season, when all the fields are flooded. Not only can we see the small white cottages where the farmers keep their tools, but on calm, windless days, we can also see the reflections of the sky and the tones of the sunset on the waterlogged fields.
Undoubtedly, from a photographic point of view, this is one of the greatest attractions that we can find there, as it allows us to take creative photographs with a different touch of the landscapes that surround L'Albufera.
PATHS THROUGH THE RICE FIELDS
The rice paddies not only have large expanses of land that turn blue or green depending on the time of year, but it is also possible to walk through them on dirt tracks and small roads, allowing us to explore every corner of this place and find new perspectives.
FLAMINGOS IN THE WILD
The diversity of fauna and flora in L'Albufera is very varied and during the migration season we will mainly find birds. For some years now, the flamingos that migrate from northern Europe to Africa have chosen L'Albufera as an obligatory stop. This decision of our pink friends allows us every year to be able to see these elegant birds in the wild, and there is a record of flocks of more than 1500 flamingos, which I was lucky enough to locate and photograph a few years ago.
Flamingos are creatures of habit, so as long as we continue to respect their space and take care of them, they will continue to choose to stop at the wetland every year and we will be able to enjoy them with our binoculars and telephoto lenses.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS
The light of the Mediterranean is soft and at the same time intense, it is a unique light and one of the most beautiful I have ever discovered. This not only makes it much easier for the sunset conditions to be what every photographer and lover of capturing beautiful moments in nature desires, but it also gives us the quality of having different sunsets every day, as a slight mist on the horizon can turn into a good polarizing filter or even on a stormy day, the light hits hard between the clouds and it is common to find purple tones and many textures in the sky.
The most crowded spot to watch the sunset is the main jetty, which is located next to the road and has a small car park. I invite you to discover the sunset from the rice fields or the back of the port of El Palmar, you will find much less people and spectacular views between rice fields.
L'Albufera is a place rich in landscape diversity and one of the most photogenic to be found in eastern Spain. If you like tranquillity, sunsets and trying your luck at spotting flamingos...this is a place not to be missed!