Laguna Fuente de Piedra Natural Reserve
History of The Natural Reserve La Laguna Fuente de Piedra
The famous Laguna Fuente de Piedra Nature Reserve is located in the province of Malaga, specifically in the northeast, on the shores of the Torcal de Antequera Natural Park.
This reserve is the largest in Andalusia having up to 1,400 hectares that constitute a magical and unique enclave located within the wetlands of the Western Mediterranean. It is the second most important lagoon of the European continent after the already existing Camargue, in France. It belongs to the well-known set of lagoons of the Antequera area, which has some other natural reserves of interest, having a total of 3,000 hectares of wetland.
This lagoon is known worldwide as it hosts a large colony of common flamingos of the Iberian Peninsula, has saline and shallow waters. It is the second most important lagoon in Europe.
Due to the increased evaporation of water in the spring season, the salt is completely crystallized on the surface. This has favored the industry since Roman times until the last century due to the different structures that have been created.
The Laguna Fuente de Piedra Nature Reserve is very characteristic for its abundant vegetation that has adapted to the salinity of the environment and thus constitutes the main part of the lagoon edge. In the clay soils of the lagoon, different types of plants have also developed, such as the sosa de las salinas, the sosa or the alacranera; together with other existing plants typical of a pasture of arid climates mixed with dry climates.
To the limits of the lagoon is associated an abundant arboreal vegetation characterized by the formation of tamarisk. Sometimes, abundant and thick forests are formed, which are very important areas in the breeding season of birds.
Here you will not only enjoy the birds, but you will also find mammals such as the dormouse and water rat, as well as rabbits and hares that are very abundant around the perimeter of the lagoon.
The origin of Fuente de Piedra is due to the existence of a spring, baptized by the Romans as fons divinus.
If after this visit to the nature reserve you want to know the city of Malaga in depth you can always contact us for a guided tour or a free tour.
What Can You Find in the Nature Reserve?
In this lagoon you can find several important areas that we will classify so that once you are there, you will have a clear idea of each corner you are visiting.
Fuente de Piedra Lagoon, Flamingo’s paradise
As we have already said, this lagoon is the largest in Andalusia with a total of 1,400 hectares. The main interest you will find in the incredible colony of flamingos that is located in this lagoon being one of the main and best known of the peninsula.
You can find up to one hundred and seventy registered species where the main ones are the crane or the common goose.
You can also see a surrounding race on the perimeter of the lagoon where you will see incredible landscapes of oaks, olive trees, mastic trees and Mediterranean scrub.
You will have time to breathe because a few meters away you will have to stop the car where you will be impressed with the views and the smells of spring.
In the viewpoints you will find you can enjoy the different places that are in this enclave as they have a magnificent location.
Thanks to the informative panels you will find an explanation of the origin or the use of the place as a salt exploitation.
We recommend you to stop the car and enjoy all that this site has to offer.
Route of the viewpoints
The beginning of this route starts at the Cerro Palo viewpoint that takes you directly and well signposted to the small lagoons called “El Laguneto” and “Cantarranas” that have incredible observatories so you can see and photograph the birds without disturbing them as it is very camouflaged.
Once you have observed the birds and taken your time you can access the path of Las Albinas, which has a route of no more than an hour, reaching the Mirador de la Vicaria.
For those who want to enjoy this gift of nature at a leisurely pace, we recommend returning along La Carretera del Cortijo de la Herriza, which is a local road that wraps around the lagoon.
You will find olive groves, cereal fields or hills that end in a cortijo, a holm oak or a scrubland.
Visiting Hours
Visiting hours are very flexible. This has been done so with the idea that everyone can enjoy this wonderful place that will leave you enchanted once you make the visit.
You should know that the visit will last for two hours and there must be a minimum of 15 people for it to take place.
If you decide to take this guided tour you should know that you will be shown the best part of La Laguna Fuente de Piedra, accessing the best information points and bird watching and you will be provided with binoculars and telescopes to see the birds up close. You will always be accompanied by at least one tour guide who will explain the tour in depth and will be able to assist you in the best possible way.
We recommend that attendees have supplies of water, food, comfortable clothing and footwear to make the visit enjoyable.
The cost of the activity does not usually cover transportation to the places where the activities take place nor the arrival at the meeting point.
All this information can be found on the official website of La Reserva Natural La Laguna Fuente de Piedra, which you can find at the following link:
How to get to The Nature Reserve Laguna Fuente de Piedra
The Laguna Fuente de Piedra is located in Calle la Laguna, 29520 Fuente de Piedra, Malaga.
To get to this wonderful place you should know that you have several options.
Here we are going to suggest four of the options that we have considered most useful for all visitors. (Both national and international).
- By car. You must know that the main road to reach the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra is the A-92 highway, taking exit 132. You must continue on MA-701 towards Fuente de Piedra, taking the second exit at the traffic circle of the flamingos (continue straight), continue straight on Avenida de Andalucía through the village. Once past the bridge over the railroad line, take the first exit on the left. Continue along the asphalt road to the Visitor Center.
Don’t worry! we tell you the distance from some specific towns that might be useful for you:
Antequera at 26,7 km. See route in Google Maps
Málaga at 72,6 km. See route in Google Maps
Granada at 115 km. See route in Google Maps
Seville at 139 km. See route in Google Maps
Madrid at 476 km. See route in Google Maps
Barcelona at 968 km. See route in Google Maps
- By bus you will find two bus lines with some stops in the center of the village of Fuente de Piedra:
Málaga-Sevilla line, with stop in Fuente de Piedra See timetables in ALSA.
Seville-Malaga line, stopping at Fuente de Piedra See timetables at ALSA
From the bus stop you will have to walk for about 20 minutes (2 km) to get to the lagoon.
- By train. The closest train station is Antequera-Santa Ana, about 10 km away. The nearest train station is Antequera-Santa Ana, 10.8 km away. See timetables at ADIF. You should know that there is currently no bus line that connects the train station, so you must take a cab to get to the Reserve.
- By plane. You should know that the nearest airport is Malaga-Costa del Sol, 81.3 km away. From the airport you can take some bus, train or suburban lines.
Curiosities about The Nature Reserve Laguna Fuente de Piedra
In addition to everything we have told you so far about this wonderful place, we will tell you some curiosities about it that will make you want to know it even more.
It is six kilometers long and almost three kilometers wide.
- One of its curiosities is that it is the only place in the Western Mediterranean where the pink flamingo reproduces in a stable way.
- It is considered a pink sheet because of the colony of flamingos in the lagoon and its great extension.
- On occasions, more than 20,000 breeding pairs of flamingos have been counted, always in rainy years.
- The largest colony of flamingos is present between March and July.
- Other 170 species of birds find in this lagoon their place of breeding, wintering or migratory passage of mainly aquatic birds, such as the grey heron or the black-headed gull or the black-billed gull.
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