Ataria, Vitoria Gasteiz Interpretation Center.

Ataria, a very special visit in the Green Belt of Vitoria Gasteiz.

Ataria, the Wetlands Interpretation Center of Vitoria Gasteiz, is one of the great attractions of the capital of Alava. An essential space to understand why Vitoria Gasteiz is the only city in the peninsula with the titles of European Green Capital (Green Capital of Europe) and Global Green City (Global Green City). Along the Green Belt of Vitoria Gasteiz we find a large network of interpretation centers. Centers, among which Ataria stands out, a space designed to bring nature closer to all those who visit the city.This nature interpretation center, also known as the natural history museum of Vitoria Gasteiz, is located in the Salburua wetlands, on the outskirts of the city, a 40-minute walk from the center. A space that, together with Urdaibai, forms one of the most important natural habitats in the Basque Country. Would you like to visit Ataria with us?

The objective of Ataria is to highlight the importance of biodiversity and natural heritage in the city. In this case, Ataria, puts in value the great ecosystem of the Green Belt of Vitoria Gasteiz. Thus, this interpretation center allows us to know every detail of the ecosystem that surrounds the capital of Alava.

Guided tour in Ataria.

During the guided visit to Ataria a technician or environmental educator will accompany the group through the different spaces that make up this interpretation center. This guided tour will help us to understand how the Salburua wetlands were created, their evolution throughout history, the existing ecosystem around the ponds or the different itineraries and services offered by the green ring of Vitoria Gasteiz. A very interesting visit that will encourage us to visit the rest of the spaces that make up the green ring on our own.

As you can see, both the guided tours, as well as the loan of spotting scopes and the rest of the activities carried out from Ataria are free of charge. A fact that helps to bring nature closer to the youngest members of the family.

Ataria Schedule.

Ataria’s timetable varies according to the time of the year. There are two different opening hours: winter (from October 1 to April 30) and summer (from May 1 to September 30). The center is usually open every day except Mondays in winter, January 1, January 6, April 28, August 4, August 5, December 24, December 25 and December 31.

The Ataria cafeteria has a separate opening hours from the interpretation center: Tuesday to Friday from 11:00 to 14:00. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 10:00 to 20:30. That said, we recommend that you plan your visit in advance and book the different activities you want to do.

Ataria Building.

The building that houses the Ataria Interpretation Center has been selected for the World Architecture Festival and nominated for the Mies Arch Award. All this is the result of the peculiar characteristics of this building that extends over the Salburua wetland. It is a unique building. A construction, which has an auditorium, several exhibition halls, classrooms and cafeteria. But what is most striking is how this building is integrated into the northern lagoons of Salburua Park.

Ataria Exhibition.

Although Ataria is known for its permanent exhibition, you should know that it also has a temporary exhibition that, as its name suggests, varies throughout the year. In addition, this type of exhibition is usually accompanied by a large number of activities that you will find in Ataria’s agenda. We must say that all the traveling exhibitions that come to Ataria are usually linked to biodiversity and nature.

Salburua Park.

Salburua Park is one of the spaces that make up the so-called Green Belt of Vitoria Gasteiz. In the 80’s these wetlands had been drained with the aim of using these lands for the construction of houses and businesses. Fortunately, in the 90’s it was decided to recover the wetlands and with them their own ecosystem. A great job that has meant that today we can enjoy dozens of plant and animal species. As a curious fact we must say that the only species in Salburua that is not native is the deer. According to those responsible for Ataria, a large herbivore was necessary to keep the vegetation of Salburua at bay.

What does Ataria mean?

Ataria in Basque means entrance, portal, presentation, threshold. In short, Ataria is just another word in our language. Hence, there are many bars, restaurants and many other spaces with the same name. In fact, in order to find information about the Ataria interpretation center, we must do so by indicating its location, otherwise, search engines may present us with data from any other center in Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa or Navarre. An example of this is “Tolosaldeko Ataria” ( Tolosa‘s online news portal) or the Asador Ataria in Vitoria Gasteiz.

Berrea in Ataria.

The rutting season, the rutting season of the deer, is one of the great spectacles with which Ataria surprises us. Although the rut in Euskadi can be observed perfectly in areas such as Gorbeia or Karrantza, the proximity of Salburua Park with the city makes many people opt for this space to enjoy this natural event that attracts so much attention. If you want to enjoy the rutting in Ataria we recommend that you come at dawn or dusk between the months of September and October. We are sure you will love it. Nature in its purest form.

Other guided tours in Vitoria Gasteiz.

The city of Vitoria Gasteiz has half a dozen guided tours to choose from. Some services, which allow us to know the city by the hand of a local guide. In case you want to enjoy any of these guided tours we recommend you to read our article about guided tours in Vitoria Gasteiz. Here are some of the most popular guided tours in the capital of Alava:

What to see near Ataria.

After visiting the Ataria Interpretation Center, we recommend that you take advantage of your trip to Vitoria Gasteiz to get to know some of the most beautiful and interesting places in the province.

Nature in Euskadi.

The Basque Country has areas of great natural value. In addition to the Salburua Green Belt, we must also highlight areas such as Geoparkea, the Basque Coast Geopark, the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, the Natural Parks or the Laguardia Lagoon Complex. Although all these spaces are only a small representation of the natural areas that can be found throughout the Basque Country, we are sure that they will help you to get an idea of the natural wealth that we have. These places give us the opportunity to enjoy experiences such as bird watching, whale watching, swimming with sharks, shepherd for a day or enjoy the rutting.

Video of the guided visit to Ataria.

As usual we wanted to complement the words and pictures of this article with a short video about Ataria. We hope it will help you to get a more realistic idea of what awaits you in Ataria. If you like this kind of videos we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to know each of the spaces and experiences that we recommend throughout Euskal Herria.

Ataria is visited by thousands of people throughout the year. A space with a great natural charge that we recommend you to visit in any trip to Vitoria Gasteiz. In case you have any questions about Ataria, we encourage you to use the comment system that you will find below these lines to let us know. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!