Los Toruños Route is a bike route through the Marismas de los Toruños and Pinar de la Algaida Metropolitan Park, in El Puerto de Santa María. Not only can you go hiking, but also kayaking, cycling (there is a bicycle rental service), recreational activities related to nature, nautical routes and eco-gardens. Along the main route we find sports practise areas. There are also viewpoints where visitors can blend in with the environment and observe wildlife.
Its full name is Parque Metropolitano Marismas de los Toruños y Pinar de la Algaida (“Los Toruños Marshlands and La Algaida Pine Forest Metropolitan Park”). It is a large protected area that separates, with its 1,000 hectares, the cities of Puerto Real and El Puerto de Santa María. With this Los Toruños Bike Route, you will be able to know in detail the beauty that this Metropolitan Park houses.
This park is characterised by the salt evaporation ponds and the mouth of the San Pedro River. This cluster of factors makes the trail network very attractive. Not only can you go hiking, but also kayaking, cycling (it has a bicycle rental service), recreational activities related to nature, nautical routes and eco-gardens.
This metropolitan park is also composed of Levante beach. It is one of the few unspoilt beaches that remain in the urban centre of the province. It has an access service to the beach with a train that picks up visitors at the entrance and takes them to the beach. This train is only available in July and August.
In this metropolitan park there are perfectly defined thematic trails. There are two of them cataloged as historical routes. The first of them is the Vía Verde de Matagorda y Patrimonio de la Humanidad (“Matagorda Scenic Route and World Heritage Site”). It is based on the first railway line that was built in Andalusia that takes advantage of the groove of the railway network, with its corresponding tunnels and stops. It is the least known route of the Park. The second path is the Dehesa Litoral de la Algaida (“La Algaida Coastal Meadow”). This path takes us five centuries ago, when this farm was used for municipal uses such as livestock and agricultural.
The third path is that of Salinas de Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados (“Our Lady of the Forsaken Salt Evaporation Ponds”). This route is intended to inform the visitor of the different uses of a salt evaporation pond and the different parts of which it consists. Finally, within the cultural routes, we find the Fortificaciones del Parque Metropolitano (“Fortifications of the Metropolitan Park”). In this route you can see the different remains of watchtowers in time of war between Muslims and Christians.
In this Los Toruños Route there are also routes with natural setting. There is a botanical route thanks to which, through the trails and the perfectly signposted information panels, we can know the flora and fauna of the area. In these panels the species is explained, where it grows, the flowering seasons and other interesting data.
Along the main route we find sports practise areas. There are also viewpoints where visitors can blend in with the environment and observe wildlife. A large number of birds abound in this area, becoming a great attraction for birdwatchers. We recommend for this to bring some binoculars and see the vast area of marshes and all the fauna that inhabits it.