Lake Sanabria, the largest glacial lake in Spain
In the province of Zamora, and very close to the beautiful town of Puebla de Sanabria, is the Sanabria Lake Natural Park, the largest lake of glacial origin in Spain and one of the most important tourist destinations in our country.
If you have the opportunity to go, do not miss it, we do it every summer and spend a few days in the area.
The origin of this beautiful place must be placed in the Quaternary, no less than 100,000 years ago. If you want to visit the lake, you cannot miss this Boat Trip on Lake Sanabria, an unforgettable experience.
What is the origin of Lake Sanabria?
The origin of Lake Sanabria dates back no less than 100,000 years, specifically in the Upper Pleistocene.
At that time there was an impressive glacier with ice tongues 20 km long.
With a thickness of more than 300 meters, this glacial tongue remained in the area for almost 90,000 until it melted 12,000 years ago, forming the lake we know today, different canyons and valleys.
In addition, in the mountains that surround it there are several dozen lagoons forming one of the main groups of glacial lagoons in Europe.
What to do in Lake Sanabria
In addition to visiting the historic town of Puebla de Sanabria, there are numerous activities to do in the surroundings of Lake Sanabria
From hiking to paragliding, as well as relaxing with a swim in cold crystal clear waters or simply enjoying the surroundings and Zamora’s cuisine.
To get to Lake Sanabria you must drive along the A-52, the highway that connects Benavente with Zamora, and exit towards Puebla de Sanabria. Following the indications that take you to the Natural Park, take the ZA-104 and you will circulate bordering the Tera River.
The first town you come across is El Puente, where there is an interesting medieval bridge and which is also very famous for its Monday market.
Behind it you will find Galende, another picturesque town and where you will begin to see the oaks and holly trees that abound in the park.
From this moment on, you will be able to admire the impressive Sanabria Lake that you will skirt around, leaving it to the right until you reach the town of Ribadelago, where you can start a route on foot through the Tera Canyon that will take you to some impressive waterfalls.
Along Lake Sanabria there are numerous restaurants and campsites and there are also several beaches that in summer are filled with bathers who enjoy the waters of the lake. It is also an ideal place for fans of fishing.
The Helios Cousteau
One of the activities that can be carried out on Lake Sanabria is to get on the Helios Cousteau, a catamaran that carries out tourist and educational tours around the lake and that is also completely ecological because it works with wind and solar energy.
Thanks to this boat you can observe the depths of the lake through the underwater cameras it has.
San Martín de Castañeda and the rest of the glacial lagoons
As we have said before, in addition to the huge lake there are numerous lagoons in the Natural Park, smaller but no less interesting.
To get to them you will have to skirt the lake on the opposite side that we have taken before.
Thus we arrive at the beautiful town of San Martín de Castañeda, where the Monastery of the same name is located and to which Miguel de Unamuno dedicated several of his famous poems.
From there you can go up the mountain and visit some of the different lagoons that make up the park, the most beautiful of all of them being the Laguna de los Peces, which can also be accessed by car.
Several hiking trails start from the Laguna de los Peces and there is also a viewpoint from which you can get the best views of Lake Sanabria. It should be noted that in winter this area is covered with snow and the frozen lagoon.
