Bahía de Cádiz Natural Park, Protected coastal wetland in Cádiz Province, Spain.
Bahía de Cádiz Natural Park is a protected coastal site in Andalusia containing salt ponds, beaches, reed beds, and sand dunes where the Guadalete River meets the bay. The roughly 10,500-hectare area is made up of different habitats spread across the flat shoreline.
Salt extraction in the bay started in Phoenician times and was later used by Romans for fish preservation and making garum sauce traded across the Mediterranean. This long tradition of salt production shaped the area for thousands of years.
The park preserves traditional salt-making methods still practiced in certain areas, keeping alive knowledge passed down by local salt workers over many generations.
Four marked walking trails guide visitors through former salt ponds, beaches, and pine forests, with the main park office located in San Fernando. The flat terrain and clearly marked paths make exploration easy for most visitors regardless of fitness level.
The site contains roughly 150 abandoned salt ponds that now provide resting and nesting grounds for migratory birds traveling between Europe and Africa. These inactive areas have turned into crucial habitats for thousands of birds, forming a critical stopover on long-distance flight routes.
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