Natural Park, Biosphere Reserve, Wetland of International Importance… Their titles would suffice to highlight the relevance of the main wetland in Catalonia and the second in Spain after Doñana. But you have to visit the Ebro Delta calmly to check the reason for its credentials and enjoy this ornithological paradise. curiously, only 7,800 of its 32.000 hectares are Natural Park. The rest are essentially rice fields, for which birds do not stop appearing at any time of the year, as in its lagoons, canals or sandy areas.
Tens of thousands of copies, of more than 350 species, surprise from any entrance: The Ampolla, Amposta or Sant Carles de la Rápita. On the edge of these towns, in slight penetration towards the delta, aquatic environments arise through which herons parade, anatids, seagulls and waders, to which are added kingfishers, goldfinches, nightingales and washerwomen.
Towards the mouth of the Ebro the ornithological safari is completed, with long journeys, but slow, by car and short, but juicy, walk along the Encanyissada, La Tancada, Riet Vell, Migjorn, The Garxal, Canal Vell, Les Olles and tips of Fangar and de la Banya.
And it is that interest in the Delta is not only human. Precisely one of the most beautiful birds, the flamingos, have chosen to settle in the thousands of hectares of water and land that separate El Fangar from Punta de la Banya. Despite the fact that the natural conditions of the marsh have remained stable for years, Flamenco did not begin to show interest in breeding in the Delta until some areas were specifically protected and the passage of people was prohibited. The restrictions have prevented the avalanche of visitors that the area has received, interfered with the breeding of flamingos.
The park's technicians have ringed 4,370 flamenco specimens in recent years, which has allowed them to be monitored by tracking them down the track in destinations as far away as Mauritania, Senegal, Montenegro or Turkey.
But not only the flamingos inhabit visit this environment every year. Calamones arrive from remote places, moritos, Audouin's gulls, red ducks, coots or white jars.
El HotelL’Algadir del Delta always bet on ornithology and the birdwatching, given the relevance of the natural parks that surround us, the one of Ebro Delta and that of Ports.
In 2010 the hotel joined the organization SEO-BirdLife, one of the most important in Europe and with outstanding relevance in Spain, with which in addition to a small financial aid, signs a "commitment to good practices" thus ensuring a tourism project compatible with the conservation of nature and birds in the environment.
Is at that moment when SEO-BirdLife provides training and advice to Hotel L’Algadir del Delta, to ensure responsible ornithological tourism, so that when a customer arrives, from the same reception, can you explain where you can go, what to see, where to look ... and most importantly: where you CANNOT go or what you MUST NOT do, thus preventing possible damage to the flora and fauna of the Delta. For example, avoiding places where turtles nest, preventing them from eroding some sensitive territory or scaring away birds if they go on quads.
El Hotel L’Algadir del Delta aims to promote ornithological tourism in Spain in a responsible way, betting on the conservation of nature as a fundamental principle and supporting the economy of the area and the development of rural areas. And not least, giving a quality service to our clients, making schedules more flexible given the peculiarities of birdwhatching, facilitating picnics on their routes or adapting some furniture in their rooms for special boots and other items. Likewise, the hotel's library is full of literature from the area and a space full of bird and nature guides.
It is every September when one of the most important ornithological events in Europe takes place: he Delta Birding Festival. At Hotel L’Algadir del Delta your speakers are staying, the best and most prestigious bird experts in the world.
For all this, the philosophy is to continue working to make the Delta one of the most important tourist destinations at the ornithological level, also promoting the conservation of our environment.