What to do in Ciudad Real

Ciudad Real lies at the centre of La Mancha, surrounded by wetlands and holm-oak dehesas that support notable biodiversity. Cabañeros National Park, about 50 km to the north, is the largest area of the Mediterranean central system and the main destination for hiking and wildlife watching in holm-oak and gall-oak dehesas. Las Tablas de Daimiel, some 35 km to the northeast, is one of the most distinctive wetland ecosystems on the Iberian Peninsula, with birdwatching routes where flamingos, spoonbills and ducks can be spotted at different times of year. Around the capital, paths through dehesas and olive groves offer mountain biking and horse-riding routes with little elevation and good accessibility. The network of royal drove roads crossing the province remains passable on horseback or by mountain bike, linking La Mancha villages across an open plain landscape with mountains in the distance.