Camping in Zamora: Lake Sanabria, the wolves of La Culebra and Romanesque stone
Zamora has Lake Sanabria, the largest glacial lake on the Iberian Peninsula, and that alone would justify a trip. But the province of Zamora has many more layers: the greatest concentration of Romanesque art of any European city, the Arribes del Duero with their spectacular canyons, the Sierra de la Culebra with the highest density of Iberian wolf in Spain, and an Easter Week declared of International Tourist Interest that turns the city into something solemn and unique for several days.
Lake Sanabria, in the natural park of the same name in the far north-west of the province, is the star destination for summer camping in Zamora. The lake, of glacial origin, has clean, cold waters that are perfect in summer for swimming and canoeing. The oak and birch woods on the shores, the village of San Martín de Castañeda with its Romanesque monastery overlooking the lake and the mountains surrounding it create a landscape of calm and enduring beauty. The Sanabria district also has a network of small lakes and lagoons that can be explored on foot over successive days.
The Sierra de la Culebra, between Sanabria and the Arribes, is wolf territory in Spain. The density of packs in this mountain corridor is the highest in the country, which makes sightings, although never guaranteed, more likely than in any other mountain range on the peninsula. The nocturnal howling at campsites in the area is, for many travellers, one of the most memorable experiences of the district. The Arribes del Duero, on the border with Portugal, are a system of deep canyons where the granite drops vertically to the river, with griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures and black storks soaring over waters that look like a thread at the bottom of the cliffs. The microclimate of the slopes allows almond, olive and even orange trees to be grown at 900 metres of altitude.
Zamora city has more than twenty Romanesque churches in its urban centre, a density unmatched in Europe. The cathedral, crowned by a dome of stone scales in the Byzantine tradition, and the collection of medieval tapestries in the Cathedral Museum are little-known jewels that deserve more attention than they receive. Puebla de Sanabria, with the castle of the Counts of Benavente dominating the town from its rock, Toro with its collegiate church and its wines from the designation of origin of the same name, and Benavente with its parador in a Renaissance mansion are stops with character on any route. Zamora's cuisine is that of the interior and the frontier: arroz a la zamorana, bacalao a la tranca, cured meats from the sierra and the powerful red wines of Toro close the day with substance.
