The Manzanares Regional Park Information and Visitor's Center offers a wide range of facilities for blind persons and is fully accessible for people with reduced mobility.

It might be a little confusing that the region and the capital city of Spain share the same name: Madrid . The Cuenca Alta del Río Manzanares Biosphere Reserve includes a Regional Park in midland and highland mountain areas dominated by Mediterranean forests: La Pedriza (one of the most known granite rock climbing spots in Spain where "bandoleros" used to hide away during the19th century) is included in the Regional Park.

More than 200,000 tourists visit the Reserve each year and picnic areas become especially crowded in springtime. The Regional Park was created on 1.985 and has had many enlargements since then: it was declared Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1992. This beautiful landscape consisting of forests, 'dehesas' (pastures), pine forests and grasslands is located about 50 kms from the capital. If driving from Madrid , take road M-608 to Manzanares el Real, turn off to the right from the M608, marked Centro Interpretacion just after the village, and quite soon you'll see a sign pointing towards the Centro de Educación Ambiental (Information and Visitor's Center).

All premises at the Center are accessible . There's a car park and from there two paths (level) take to the main building : if you are a wheelchair user , you'd better take the one to your right as the ground is harder . Entrance to the main building ( Edificio central ) is ramped (there are some steps and two ramps with hand rails , one on each side). Once inside there's a reception area where written information is available, being the adapted toilet to its left. There are permanent and temporary exhibition halls (one level) where a mock-up of the Reserve is placed (some of the exhibits have cards in Braill) and an audiovisual in English, French and Spanish is shown. Now that you have collected information leaflets you're ready to enjoy the outside: Arboreto is where the main arboreal species in the Reserve are set by ecosystems: 10 of them can be touched and display Braille cards . The route is about 100 mts long along a circle wheelchair accessible path . There are posts linked by ropes all along the route that help blind visitors to follow the itinerary. The Jardín de Aromáticas is next to it and comprises a wide selection of plants of the zone characterized by their pleasant fragrance: all of them can be touched and there're posts linked by ropes along the path, too. 

The Observatorio de Aves ( Bird Observatory ) is located behind the Edificio Central, on the far right end of the area : itinerary to get there is marked too by posts and ropes and is wheelchair accessible (the hut, too ). Bird reproductions with sound devices are kept inside the observatory so that blind persons get to know what birds live around and what they are like.

The Acuario (Aquarium) consists of two vases where different kind of fishes that live in the Park can be watched. It's located next to the main bulding.

A very popular area is La Pequeña Pedriza , where the most and best known peaks in the massif are resembled. There are eight hands on models that soon will display cards in Braille. Posts linked by ropes guide blind visitors along the itinerary, which is as well, wheelchair accessible.

Groups visiting the Regional Park Information and Visitor's Center are requested to book in advance. The 10.00 visit offers a guided tour all around the premises and free leisure/educational activities for school groups are available (previous booking).

Individual visitors are welcome any time during the opening hours (opens all year round from 10.00 to 18.00 ) Just take into account that the audiovisual is played daily at: 10:00, 11:30, 13:00, 15:30 and 16:45h.

Centro de Educación Ambiental Manzanares
Parque Regional Cuenca Alta del Manzanares
Camino de la Pedriza , s/n
28410 Manzanares el Real. Madrid
Tel/Fax: +34 91 853 99 78
www.madrid.org

Rebecca Arce

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