REINA SOFIA PARK & PARQUE ALFONSO XIII
A visit to the parks is one of the many things to do in Guardamar del Segura.
Francisco Mira y Botella (1862 – 1944) was a forester who led in 1896 the reforestation of the peninsular of Guardamar del Segura and the restocking of Mount Benacantil in the city of Alicante initiated in 1912. Francisco Mira began reforestation of the dunes of Guardamar in the spring of 1896 and dedicated 28 years of his life to this work to stop coastline erosion and constructed an extension that would prevent flooding of the village. This work began with the construction of an artificial coastal dune barrier that served to fix the sand. After neutralizing this dune coast, he designed an inner slope, set by planting trees. In Guardamar town, there is a house-museum with his name and houses two statues in his memory within the reforested areas. This pine forest, currently divided into two parks called Parque Alfonso XIII and Reina Sofia Park, stretches between the city center and the beaches of Babylon and nurseries.
Reina Sofia Park, Guardamar del Segura is near the beach and is surrounded by many bars and cafes. It is quite a large park, probably about 800 acres. The park contains many things to do including spaces for children to play, amazing wildlife including several ponds and waterfalls where a wide range of animals such as squirrels and birds such as peacocks, swans, and varieties of ducks can be seen. There’s also lots of walking paths and areas shaded by the many various types of trees, including pine trees.
Parque Alfonso XIII is a natural park, with an abundance of pine tree providing the park with many excellent natural recreation areas, offering shaded walkways and picnic areas. The Dunas de Guardamar del Segura forms part of the Parque Alfonso XIII.
The parks have sports facilities and are only a few minutes from the town center. There is ample parking alongside the Parks. At night there are events in the Auditorio del Parque. During the summer month a funfair with rides and food stalls is open and from mid-June to mid-August, a market is open along the promenade of the Carretera a La Playa.
A visit to the parks is one of the many things to do in Guardamar del Segura.
Daytime, sunset and sunny days are best for visiting. Allocate 1 hour to 3 hours for visiting. No public toilets provided. Please find the map and directions below.
