Arribes del Duero Natural Park Cliff-nesting Birds
Travel guide
This Natural Park is located in the Northwest part of the Provinces of Zamora and Salamanca where the Duero River serves as border with Portugal for almost 100 kilometers.
In addition to being a natural park of more than 100,000 hectares, it is protected by ZEPA (Special Protection Area for Birds), ZEC (Special Conservation Zone) and was declared in 2015 as a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco.
Its main interest, in addition to be a beautiful landscape, are the Clff-nesting Birds that live and reproduce in it.
Of the Rupicolous Birds it is necessary to highlight the density of Griffon Vultures, Egyptian Vultures, Golden Eagle and Bonelli's Eagle. Black Storks are also abundant.
Moors rush towards the water masses of reservoirs and rivers in the area in spectacular gorges with granite walls that can exceed 300 meters.
The sunny areas are adorned with scrub and Holm Oak, while the shady areas are home of Cork Oaks, Oaks and to a lesser extent Hackberry. In the surrounding rivers there are good areas of riverside forest.
Climate
Despite the time of year in which we will make the trip, days can be cold. Being canyons between reservoirs and rivers, wind can blow with a certain intensity which increases the sensation of cold.
Recommendations
Warm clothes because on this trip we will make footpaths through places that can be quite cold. Trekking shoes or hiking boots for walks, as well as a raincoat or similar in case it rains. A cap is also recommended.
Difficulty
Medium. There are no great routes and they are mostly flat, but being several days of walking I have preferred to set a medium level.