Route length: 17 km. Duration: 3 hours and 45 minutes (approximately). Type: Circular. Difficulty: Low. Start and Finish: Starts and ends in Alange. Season: Spring, Autumn and Winter. Recommendations:... (plus +)

Route length: 17 km. Duration: 3 hours and 45 minutes (approximately). Type: Circular. Difficulty: Low. Start and Finish: Starts and ends in Alange. Season: Spring, Autumn and Winter. Recommendations: Wear suitable footwear, comfortable and light clothing. Do not forget binoculars and cameras for bird watching. The route starts from the Tourist Office, where you will be given directions to the starting point near the crossroads of the road leading to Mérida, and where you can find information about the route. We depart from an area with irrigated crop landscapes, such as corn and tomatoes, and head towards the Matachel River. Once we have soaked up all kinds of crops in this part of the Extremaduran irrigated lands, we reach the river. At this point, we can briefly leave our route and, turning left, visit a hermitage and its surroundings. Back on the marked route, we will have the opportunity to walk either along the perfect track that accompanies us on the journey or through some stretches among very accessible riverside forests in this part of the Matachel. Walking among ash and willow trees with the current by our side is one of the best sensations we can experience in the nature of this riverside area. As in the other routes, it is worth noting in this space between the Guadiana and Matachel rivers the riverside birds with their spectacular songs, which can be the best companions on the way. The harmony provided by golden orioles, nightingales, both common and marsh warblers, reed warblers, sedge warblers, and blackcaps, accompanies another species that will surprise us if we walk near the bank in this first section of the route along the Matachel: the common swallow perched by the dozens on the branches hanging seeking the light from the center of the river. Obviously, we will take into account the time of year when we do the route; winter robs us of these beautiful birds as well as others, but compensates with the arrival of the northern European birds. Herons and waders can be seen in the ornithic fauna of the route along this stretch. The route will gradually separate us from the river as if wanting to punish us with the fading of the songs, but perhaps all it wants is to show the exuberance of the crops forcibly captive to this river system through which we walk. It will be just a parenthesis before returning to the river at the height of a flour mill known as Rabia, which is perfectly identified and interpreted through the signage. Fortunately, it will not be the only one that we can enjoy on the route. We continue along the right bank until crossing the river by a ford to the other side, soon after moving away to learn something about the implementation of irrigation. We will be surrounding the Alajón hill to inevitably return to the king of the route, the Matachel River. In this last stretch on the left bank, we will pass through horticultural areas that give an idea of the quality of these lands. The bank will delight us again with the same gallery forest as at the beginning, not in vain are we in the same stretch of river but on the other bank. We will come across a rest area very close to the remains of an old well that still preserves part of the machinery for extracting water. We cross the river again at the height of the hermitage and, by the same path we came, we return to the starting point to finish this journey. This last stretch, far from seeming repetitive, will reveal itself to be different as the direction in which we walk places the mountain range and the imposing castle of Alange as absolute protagonists. We must also pay attention to the birds that this rocky space offers us, as we will be able to see very different types from those that have accompanied us so far, such as large birds of prey, including the Northern Goshawk. If after the walk our body craves relaxation, there is nothing better than the Roman-origin spa that is a major part of the area's tourist attractions. **Inform the visitor that the signage is lost in some sections.
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