ROUTE GARXAL DESEMBOCADURA

1-WELCOME

We have designed this interactive map to offer our clients the possibility of easily knowing a small part of our company and the wonderful surroundings of the DELTA DEL EBRO NATURAL PARK

This circuit is a guide, an invitation to visit these very special places, you will find recommended stopping points and through a QR you can expand your visit with information of interest.

There are 5 essential points and during the tour look at the information panels if you want more information, it is a circular circuit of 5.24 km without difficulty and suitable for all audiences

We start from our base, DELTANATUR Complex.

Deltanatur is an adventure activities company and Guided tours located on Riumar Beach in the heart of the Ebro Delta created in 2010. We have a team of native professionals who are in love with these lands, in order to transmit to our clients the history, culture and traditions through feelings that we have for this unusual territory.

We offer adventure sports and family activities in the Ebro Delta .
We also do horseback riding, Excursions through the Ebro Delta , Tourist Routes,
Vehicle Tours , Guided Hiking, Kayak Routes , Paddle Surf Excursions.

You are located facing east, looking at the sea where you can see the golden coast, on clear days we can see the tip of Salou. To highlight in the South-East the Fangar Lighthouse, a point of interest and where movies and video clips have been recorded, U2 for example.

The Ebro Delta is an ideal place to practice adventure sports and family leisure thanks to its special weather conditions and characteristics, large stretches of beach, shallow waters, mild climate and wind. Essential elements to be able to enjoy, train and learn any water sport or spend a day of sun and beach. This beach is called Riumar Beach and has all the security services (RED CROSS) and leisure.

In the North-West you can see part of the Garxal area, where we will go in a few minutes. The so-called Isla Margarita, is currently the only area of the delta that continues to grow, due to the sediments of the sea itself. The delta is in regression due to lack of sediments carried by the river (later on, we will explain the formation of the delta and its main characteristics)

You can continue the tour observing all your surroundings until the next stop, where we will explain the DUNES and we will be located in the Delta.

2- THE DUNES AND THE DELTA OBSERVATORY

During the tour you have been able to observe large mounds of sand, they are called Dunes, and there are mobile or fixed, the vegetation is in charge of fixing these mountains of sand. The dunes act as a natural barrier and are great allies in keeping the coasts and urban centers more protected from adverse weather conditions. Without going any further, the last relevant episode was GLORIA, where the face of the delta changed in a few days.

You are in a circular viewpoint located on top of the same dune (see photograph) This area that you observe is the Garxal, and the Isla Margarita to your right, forming a point. It is the only area that is growing due to the contribution of sand carried by the sea from the seabed. It is a space that belongs to the Natural Park and where different species of birds live .

As for the excursions to the Ebro Delta that we offer, we have several options so that clients can enjoy our landscapes and the birds that inhabit it, combining our guided tours through the Ebro Delta with boat cruises through the old mouth of the river or with kayak or paddle trips on the Ebro River, horseback riding through the rice fields or bicycle routes , among other options to enjoy the Ebro Delta and bird watching in this wonderful environment.

The Ebro Delta , is located in the south of Catalonia , encompasses two regions, Montsià (Capital Amposta) and Baix Ebre (Capital Tortosa), belonging to the region called Terres de l'Ebre.
The delta was formed more than 4,000 years ago with the sediments carried by the Ebro river, which is the determining geographical element in its natural and human evolution. Being currently the third most important bird reserve region in Europe (more than 350 different species of the approximately 600 known today in Europe have been detected.
It has a total area of 320 km², of which 80% is rice monoculture, a phenomenon that makes this crop part of the delta's character, both at a landscape, economic, and human level.

In 1983 the Natural Park of the Ebro Delta was declared, it represents 20% of the Ebro delta, the remaining 10% are urban centers and orchards.

It must be said that this cereal began to be cultivated from 1837, with influences from the Valencian and Aragonese population, this characteristic has given the people of the land a particular fusion in terms of festivals, customs and traditions. 2 parties continue to be held in honor of international rice cultivation. La Plantada (at the beginning of April) and la sega (at the beginning of September).
Before this crop, the economy was based on salt and shellfish and the population was very small. It was from the cultivation of rice that urban centers began to be established, which represent 10% of the current delta.

Being located on the beach, our company has different alternatives for practicing and enjoying the most popular adventure sports in recent years in the Ebro Delta , such as windsurfing and kitesurfing courses , as well as renting everything the material windsurfing boards, kayaks, light sailing and paddle surfing.

Follow the route to the next point to observe the birds, you have to take the dirt road making a curve through the same sand from the viewpoint

3- VISIT GARXAL OBSERVATORY - THE BIRDS OF THE EBRO DELTA

The Ebro Delta Natural Park is the third bird reserve in Europe, the first in Gavina Corsa. We can highlight the area of Punta de la Banya, Punta del Fangar and the Garxal area, where the current mouth of the Ebro River is located and where we are lucky to be located right now.

Of the great variety of birds that we can observe we can highlight, Cormorants, Ardeidos, Flamingos, Spoonbills And Common Ibis, Ducks And Grebes, Rails, Diurnal Raptors, Waders, Gulls, Terns And Terns

In the same viewpoint you can see different panels of birds, we highlight the Flamingo for its majesty, the coll verd and the Corsican Gavina, the first reserve in Europe due to the peculiar characteristic of sandy soil, essential for their nesting. The birds in the Delta nest on the ground and find the ideal conditions to develop and perpetuate themselves.

The flamingo is grayish in color when it is born, then it changes to a whiter color and finally, due to its diet, it takes on such a peculiar pink hue that it astonishes any visitor.

Before reaching the next stop, you will find an information panel on the saline vegetation on the right. And you follow the route until you see the Garxal viewpoint, attached photo.

4-THE LAGOON AND ITS FISHING

The Lagoons are formed by isolations of large masses of marine water, surrounded by cords of sand and sediments that came from the overflow of the river with its way to the sea or by the abandonment of the old mouths. The Garxal lagoon is the only one currently open to the sea, its combination of fresh and salt water provide a special nutritional richness for the different fish. Its depth is relatively short, from 0.50 to 0.70 cm. We find both freshwater fish sweet, salty and quality in gastronomy is relevant due to its organoleptic characteristics

Of the traditional fishing of the Delta, it is worth highlighting El rall , a net that is collected and held by both hands and the mouth. It is thrown with a circular movement and releasing all the support points in a coordinated manner and causing it to fall into the completely open water due to the counterweight of the weights that it has attached to the end and that help it to open when casting it and also to collapse, trapping the fish that it has managed to cover when throwing it. Ideal for fishing: butterflies, eels, eels, etc.

Tresmall : it is made up of three meshes (hence the name). Both outer ones are of wide mesh and are fitted with more or less straps, while the central one, or linen, is of finer mesh and approximately double. From head to head of the net at the top, there is a rope with cork or plastic floats. And at the bottom, another with weights that will allow the nets to remain vertical once set. When the fish enters, it forms a bag and is stuck.

At each end of the gear the towline is tied with a stone or death on one side and, on the other, a rooster made of corks or other material that floats.

The trammel unit is about 70 meters long by 2.5 meters high.

Ideal for fishing: cuttlefish, sea bass, eels.

Gamber : it is a semicircular wooden device with a net, which is used in areas with very little water and with the hands. It consists of nibbling, taking as much as possible, normally it is done with two people forming a funnel to get the maximum surface area. Ideal for fishing: tench, eels, butterflies, crustaceans. Currently it is no longer used.

Gánguil : it is a conical-shaped device where there are openings inside where the fish enter and can no longer leave. It is planted in a drought zone, canal, lagoon, extending the apparatus to the maximum and fixing it well in the ground, leaving it for a couple of days and turning to see the fish. It takes advantage of the current of the water and of the schools of fish. Ideal for fishing: eels.

Finally, it should be said that the boats typical of fishing in the lagoons are small flat wooden boats, without draft and the action is called Perxar .

Here you have several informative panels, which reinforce the explanation, at 100m you also find panels that explain the regulation of ecosystems through hunting .

We continue our route to our last stop. Before arriving on the left, you will find an informative panel on bird migration and another on the right, a little further on, the history of our lands .

5- MOUTH-ILLA DE BUDA- ZIGUART TOWER

You have reached the last recommended stop. You have to climb the steps of the tower to appreciate the beauty of the place. There are 3 information panels, one on fish, another on traditional fishing and one on invasive species. It is advisable to pay attention, since the information is simple and very clear. After visiting this unique space you can return by the indicated path to the initial starting point.

The Ebro river, with an extension of 960 km, passes through seven autonomous communities and is the longest in Spain, since it is born and flows into our lands, a privilege to be able to work and live together with its majesty and beauty. From the Mirador del Ziggurat you can see the current mouth of the Garxal north direction

Migjorn's goal.
The Migjorn gola was one of the last mouths of the last 100 years, located in the east, it is currently an area of interest thanks to its tributary of the Ebro river , an ideal place for kayaking and small-dig boats. We offer a boat route to visit the area.

buddha island
With an extension of 1,200 h, it is currently the largest island in Catalonia . Its name comes from a phonetic transformation of Buga, a native plant of the area that gives its name to the place. Currently, a part is privately owned and rice is cultivated. It must be said that this cereal began to be cultivated from 1837, with influences from the Valencian and Aragonese population, this characteristic has given the people of the land a particular fusion in terms of festivals, customs and traditions. 2 parties continue to be held in honor of international rice cultivation. La Plantada (at the beginning of April) and la sega (at the beginning of September).
Before this crop, the economy was based on salt and shellfish and the population was very small. It was from the cultivation of rice that urban centers began to be established, the other belongs to the Ebro Delta Natural Park.

Ziggurat viewpoint 
Viewpoint 14 m high, with a Persian style, in homage to the tower of babel, It was built approximately 10 years ago, it is made of wood and its visit is essential, since we have a 360 degree view and we can perfectly appreciate the river mouth Ebro , its contrasts, its colors, fauna and vegetation.

Finally, to recharge your batteries, we suggest you taste the gastronomic richness that our surroundings offer in our restaurant .

DARWING BEACH-DELTANATUR RESTAURANT is located on the beach, the same base of the Deltanatur company. We offer the autochthonous gastronomic product of the Ebro Delta and the season. Our menu is nourished by rice dishes and all the fish and shellfish that our land provides us.

Our winery is from DOTERRA ALTA RESTAURANT DARWING BEACH is designed and thought to taste and delight the visitor with its flavors, smells, customs and to be able to taste the essence of the delta itself.

We have a children's area, terrace, indoor dining room, just 20 m from the beach, with access to toilets and showers. Our range of Cocktails will not leave you indifferent either, just like our store of typical products that once tasted you can buy and take with you to share with your loved ones.