Routes through the Els Ports Natural Park
The Els Ports Natural Park is a mountain system located in the southern part of the Catalan coastal mountain range. This Park is presented to us as a natural space full of wildlife, characterized by a great variety of fauna and botanical wealth, with one of the southernmost beech forests in Europe and the presence of several monumental trees.
Likewise, the Park has a different facilities and routes designed to facilitate its visit to the public. In the southern area (and closest to la Sénia) you will find the picnic areas of La Fou and La Vall that offer various possibilities:
- La Fou: https://parcsnaturals.gencat.cat/ca/xarxa-de-parcs/ports/gaudeix-del-parc/equipaments-i-itineraris/itineraris-arees-lleure/fou-la-senia/
- La Vall: https://parcsnaturals.gencat.cat/ca/xarxa-de-parcs/ports/gaudeix-del-parc/equipaments-i-itineraris/itineraris-arees-lleure/vall-roquetes-mas-barberans/
Route of the Sénia river
The Sénia river rises in Els Ports and is a typically Mediterranean river with a short course, irregular flow, and strong low water levels, which flows into the area known as “Sol-de-riu”, between Alcanar and Vinaròs.
It is considered one of the main references on which the socioeconomic history of la Sénia has been based, and it has a highly valuable ecosystem.
As it passes through our district, we can see a river surrounded by riverside forest with places that invite you to visit, which is why several accesses and paths have been recovered.
Bathing areas in the Sénia river
From the Sénia City Council we want to guarantee the quality and safety of the visit to the Sénia river by promoting guidelines of good conduct that help maintain the balance of this vulnerable and fragile ecosystem.
Guaranteeing its ecological balance is a responsibility that must be assumed by those who visit it and, therefore, we detail various recommendations below:
- Bathing is a regulated activity and must be carried out with great caution and common sense, aquatic ecosystems are very fragile, and our attitude will determine their conservation.
- Avoid sun creams if you want to cool off in the river, they negatively affect the fauna that lives there.
- Do not release animals, it can cause serious impacts on the native flora and fauna.
- Park in authorized areas and do not drive through areas where it is forbidden.
- Take your trash and throw it in the nearest designated containers.
- Keep pets on a leash.
- Don't make fire.
- Observe the fauna without disturbing it and do not uproot plants, as they may be protected.
- Leave nature as you found it.
Visit us at the information point, we will answer all your questions and guide you to make your visit a great experience.
Sea of olive trees and dry stone
The typical landscape of the Sénia plain is defined by an immense sea of olive trees. The olive tree is one of the oldest and most characteristic crops of Mediterranean Europe, and it is the most widespread crop in our area, since it adapts perfectly to our meteorology with the long summer droughts and low annual rainfall.
Thanks to various historical and geographical factors, the territory around the Sénia river has the particularity of hosting the largest concentration of ancient olive trees in the world. These majestic trees meet the requirements of a minimum of 3.5 meters trunk circumference at a height of 1.3 meters from the ground.
To be able to observe specimens of ancient olive trees, we recommend walking along the different signposted routes that we show you below, where you will also find various elements built with the traditional technique known as dry stone:
