San Pedro del Pinatar Salt Flats

Highlights

  • • Murcia Region's largest flamingo colony
  • • Free therapeutic mud baths
  • • Unspoilt dune and pine beaches
  • • Over 100 waterbird species
  • • Pink salt mountains at sunset

Description

An 856-hectare Regional Park of salt flats, dunes and unspoilt beaches at the northern tip of the Mar Menor. Salt lagoons host the Region of Murcia's largest flamingo colony and over 100 waterbird species. Mud baths in natural pools are a local tradition famed for therapeutic properties. La Llana and Encañizada beaches, free from development, preserve the original dune and pine landscape.

Guide

Essential information for visiting San Pedro del Pinatar Salt Flats

Location

How to get there

By carBy public transport
Planning Information

Visitor Tips

Free access year-round. Best for flamingos: autumn-winter. Mud baths at the pools area (signposted). Rinse off at La Llana beach. Bring water shoes. Spectacular sunset from the salt flats viewpoint.

Historical Facts

The salt flats have been in production since Phoenician times (7th century BC). Romans exported tuna preserves (garum) from Carthago Nova. The park was declared a Regional Park in 1992 to protect the ecosystem from Mar Menor urbanisation pressures.