Website of the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council - Green Belt - Green walks

Salburua, Betoño Pond - Nature on the city's doorstep

The path around the Betoño lagoon and its surroundings brings us close to a unique ecosystem, associated to water, which is home to a large variety of aquatic birds and other species of fauna, some in risk of disappearance. The aquatic vegetation is equally valuable in this environment, and some species of flora are rare or very infrequent.

The panels that you will find along the path describe the most characteristic species of flora and fauna that are found in this area such as coots, grebes, great reed warblers, agile frogs, reed grass, greater pond sedge, marshmallows, etc.

Technical data sheet

Length: 2.4 km | Approximate time: 40 minutes | Type of path: surfaced path | Suitable for pushchairs | How to get there: L5, Juan Carlos I, 27 stop

Click on the map to see a bigger PDF version.

Route

The itinerary runs around the Betoño Pond. The starting point is the entrance to Salburua Park, located on Bulevar de Salburua Street.

We take the first path to the left, following the indications of the Route around the Green Belt, with which this path coincides for over half of its length.

After passing over a wooden bridge over the water, we reach Paseo de los Humedales Street, where the path turns right. Continue for some metres parallel to this street.

Turn right again and take a path that passes alongside a poplar grove.

A bit further ahead we find a turn to the left, along which the Route around the Green Belt continues which, crossing the Duranzarra Lagoon over several wooden paths, goes on towards Ataria (an Interpretation Centre for the Wetlands of Salburua), and the River Alegría path. We leave this turn and continue our path through forests and hedges.

We leave a new turn to the left behind which connects with the path of the Arcaute/Arkauti Pond and return to the starting point through the fields of Salburua.

Points of interest

Betoño Pond
To the east of the city and bordering the neighbourhood of Salburua, is the Betoño Pond, the westernmost pond of those which form the lagoon complex of Salburua and the first to be recovered in the year 1994 after it was drained in the mid 20th century. This pond is currently flooded at least nine months a year, which has allowed the establishment of rich lagoon vegetation. The greatest botanical singularity of this lagoon is its extensive and well preserved mass of greater pond sedge, an aquatic plant that shows in this lagoon the best community in all Spain. Along with the greater pond sedge other aquatic species grow such as reed grass, yellow iris (recognisable in spring due to its yellow flowers) and bulrush, among many others.

The poplar grove
The poplar grove of Betoño was planted several decades ago on the bank of the River Santo Tomás, where they have reached a considerable height. Today, their state is quite precarious, and as these trees die, forest plantations are being carried out that seek to transform them into ash groves and oakwoods, which are the autochthonous forests of the rivers and wetlands of the Alava Plains.

Duranzarra Pond
Between the ponds of Betoño and Arcaute/ Arkauti is the lagoon of Duranzarra, with an area of close to 4.5 ha. Thanks to an exemplary hydraulic engineering project, it was flooded in the winter of 2003, contributing to the recovery of the wetland areas of Salburua.

The fields of Salburua
The fields of Salburua occupy the place which for years was used for the runways of an old airport. This area, subsequently grazed by herds of sheep, is currently a terrace where many citizens from Vitoria-Gasteiz find it as a perfect place for recreation and for practising sports and flying kites. In fact, the fields of Salburua regularly host events, festivities and festivals related to flying kites at a local, national and international level, organised by several sports associations.

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