The Endorheic Complex Natural Reserve of El Puerto de Santa Maria is made up of three lagoons: la Salada, la Chica and la Juncosa, with la Salada being the largest. La Chica and la Juncosa dry up completely in the summer and also parts of la Salada. The three of them are mainly surrounded by reeds and can easily by visited on foot as there is only about one kilometre between them. The first one to visit would logically be la Juncosa, and from there you could continue walking or driving, athough the road is not very wide. There is plenty of place to park near the first lagoon. The names of the lagoons are a bit misleading, as not la Chica but la Juncosa is the smallest one.
 |
| Very basic viewpoint near La Juncosa |
 |
| La Juncosa Lagoon, muddy after some rain showers but basically dry most of the year |
Don't expect to find a great numbers of water birds in this area in the dry season, but in winter and spring you might see something of interest. It is quite likely to spot Mallards, Shovelers and Greater Flamingos. Don't forget to scan the sky, because this area is also often visited by birds of prey like Buzzard and Marsh Harrier. In the bushes you will also hear or see several songbirds.
 |
| Entrance to La Salada Lagoon |
There is another wooden construction which is supposed to be a viewpoint to the Salada Lagoon, but it seems like a waste of money to me to be honest, unless the area gets really flooded and therefore becomes inaccessible, forcing you to watch this lagoon from this place using a telescope. With or without a telescope, it is probably always better to try and reach the border of the lagoon and observe from there.
 |
| Southern corner of La Salada |
 |
| La Salada normally always has some water |
 |
| The rather weird viewpoint to La Salada |
Type: linear (1 kilometre)
Difficulty: easy
Best season: spring
Number of species to expect: 20+
Find Lagunas de El Puerto de Santa Maria on the map.
Check out some of our visits to this place: