알카사르 데 산 후안‬에서 가장 멋진 ‪12‬개의 호수

After riding through dry environments, a nice place to stop and watch the birds for a while.

The Laguna Grande de Villafranca de los Caballeros is one of the largest river lagoons in La Mancha and the only one in the region with recreational use. With its 2.5 km long beach, it is a popular tourist destination, especially in the summer months.

Beautiful surroundings with bird watching points and to enjoy nature

We are facing the Laguna Grande in the city of Villafranca de los Caballeros, with a more than acceptable water level thanks to the recent rains. This area is very well suited for resting and relaxing as they have numerous roofs with tables and seats to eat and enjoy the surroundings.

This town is located next to an important lagoon area, of a brackish nature, at the confluence of the Cigüela and Amarguillo rivers. The lagoons have been used from the times of the Iron Age to the present, in the 18th century they were exploited to manufacture gunpowder. From the visit to this town we must highlight the church of the Asunción and among its hermitages that of Santo Cristo.

The next wetland is the Laguna Grande de Quero, first you have to pass through the town and then the immense endorheic lake emerges surrounded by whitish mountains. The high level of salinity of the water prevents numerous species of birds from abounding, but it has always been a source of resources due to the collection of salt for canning in brine. The path passes the bed of the Cigüela River and enters the surroundings of the Villafranca lagoons, included like all in the Natura 2000 Network within La Mancha Húmeda and declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. The Fauna Reserve is the artificial union of the Small and Large lagoons, creating a huge swamp surface of permanent, deep waters with abundant aquatic and steppe birds prowling over the reed beds on the banks. In the lagoons it is easy to see red duck, mallard, crested pochard, common pochard, little grebe, common coot, great crested grebe and marsh harrier. The shore of the Laguna Grande is equipped with bathing areas for the summer season, recreational spaces, bird observatories and an interpretation center, maintaining a tradition of public use that dates back to the 18th century, when the inhabitants of Villafranca de los Knights took advantage of the medicinal properties of saline waters to cure rheumatic ailments and skin diseases.

It is a saline wetland with a peculiar vegetation that shelters a significant number of birds: species such as the breeding population of the black-billed goose, migratory birds such as the flamingo, common spoonbill, gosling, crane and common humpback, and steppe species such as the bustard and little bustard. One of the most beautiful characteristics of this lagoon is that in summer it becomes a kind of color palette, not only because of the gold of the cereal fields that surround it, the browns of the small islands that emerge within the lagoon or the pink of the flamingos; but because its waters acquire several different shades. The most recommended time is the summer period, to be able to enjoy the chromatic value of the lagoon. Due to the heat and the water, if we go at this time it will be more than necessary to bring insect repellent so that mosquitoes do not bite us.

It is one of the largest river lagoons in La Mancha. It is the best known and visited. It is part of the Natura 2000 Network and is a Biosphere Reserve, Natural Reserve and Wildlife Refuge. It is an endorheic lagoon, which means that it has no access to the sea, so the water arrives through aquifer 20. Since the 18th century it has been a bathing place, due to the local belief in the healing properties of its waters.