After the Quijote Maratón: Las Tablas de Daimiel

The Route: Ciudad Real → Daimiel → Las Tablas de Daimiel National Park → Ciudad Real Logistics: Car, about 35 to 40 minutes each way. No public transport reaches the park. Level boardwalks and earth paths. Marathon Month: October Duration: Day trip

Ciudad Real ──(35-40 mins by car via Daimiel)──> Las Tablas de Daimiel ──(35-40 mins)──> Ciudad Real

The Quijote Maratón is run on the open, dry plain of La Mancha, and the flattest walk nearby is in the one place on that plain that is wet. At Las Tablas de Daimiel, the Guadiana and Cigüela rivers spread out into shallow lagoons and reed beds called tablas. Spain made it a national park in 1973.

October at Las Tablas de Daimiel is the start of the autumn season. The first wintering ducks arrive on the open water during the month, herons and egrets work the reed edges, and the common cranes that winter on the surrounding fields usually begin to appear towards the end of October and in November. The park's water level varies a great deal from year to year: it has shrunk badly in droughts, as the aquifer beneath it has been pumped for farming, and it reached its largest flooded area in years in the spring of 2026. Check the park's current water status before going.

There is no public transport to the park. Drive to Daimiel, about 30 km north-east of Ciudad Real, and follow the signs 11 km to the visitor centre. Entry to the park is free.

The boardwalks

From the visitor centre, marked routes of a few kilometres cross the lagoons on wooden boardwalks and follow earth paths along the banks. The Isla del Pan route, the most popular, loops out over the water to a small island. The walkways are level, with bird hides and benches along the way, and the circuit takes about an hour at an easy pace. Binoculars make a big difference; the light on the water is best in the morning.

The visitor centre explains how the tablas work and why they have come close to drying out. Check its opening hours, which change through the year.

Daimiel

The town of Daimiel, on the way back, has a centre of low whitewashed houses, two large churches and the Museo Comarcal, which covers the area's archaeology and wetlands. It is a good place for lunch before the drive back to Ciudad Real.

Ciudad Real is about 35 to 40 minutes from the park.