Salburúa wetland (Vitoria-Gasteiz)

The prime objective of enjoying leisure areas related with nature and the biotope of Álava, has led to an effort to habilitate several areas for cycling or walking.

The green belt, which surrounds the capital of Álava, is one of these. It is a broad area situated on the Llanada, a broad agricultural valley that occupies the central part of the province. The green belt includes the park on the River Zadorra and its sports and leisure complex, the park of Zabalgana, with its pedestrian itineraries, the park of Armentia, with large groves of trees and a Romanesque basilica, that of Olárizu and its Country Estate House, and the wetland of Salburúa, amongst the best in the Basque Country.

Heron (Salburúa)

Back in 1857 this wetland was known for its great wealth of pasture, hunting and fishing, and in the 1990s it was rehabilitated, becoming a reference point for research into ecosystems in the north of Spain.

Salburúa has two observatories open to the public, from which a wide variety of fauna can be viewed: little bitterns, minks, herons, spring frogs, etc., all endangered species.

Deer (Salburúa)

There is also a herd of deer in semi-freedom.

The green belt allows the integration of nature into the city, connecting the urban green spaces and those of the agricultural environment.