Salinas Andalucia Spain

Estacion de Salinas as it is most commonly known is just off the Malaga to Granada motorway and close to the towns of Lo

ja and Alhama de Granada. The Salinas railway station is now a restaurant serving up fantastic food & wines in a beautiful surrounding. The Estacion de Salinas platform has a lovely view of the Andalucian countryside and makes a great outdoor dining room for the summer.

There are four good bars/restaurants all of which come highly recommended for there great range of tapas and good cooking. Cafe Bar Mejias has the beautiful salmon with olives and Russian Salad tapas, while Restaurant Manolo serves up tasty meat Pinchitas and potato croquetas. Both have great restaurants with a menu of the day as well as al la carte. There are several shops, banks etc. but Salinas is probably most famous for The Lagoons.

The lagoons of Archidona, also called the Salinas, are situated to the north-west of the province of Malaga, within the municipal district of Archidona and to the south-west of the Salinas Station, at 37º 7’ latitude north and 4º 18’ longitude west. The height at which the lagoons are situated is between 780 and 800 metres above sea level, the highest level being at 823 metres which appears on the periphery of the protected area. The Andalusian government, by virtue of the Law 2/1989 by which the Inventory of Protected Natural Spaces in Andalusia was approved, declared them a "Natural Reserve", the Environmental Agency being the organization in charge of its management. The Access to this natural space can be reached by following the Salinas Station road towards Villanueva del Trabuco, having to then take a lane at the height of kilometre 2.2.

The natural reserve "Archidona lagoons" is a humid area, with inflowing origins and saline waters rich in sulphates, whose ecological and scenic value are increased by the existence in its perimeters of a mass of holm-oaks, which shelter many bird species which presently enjoy the legal protection.

In the background, and contributing to emphasize the beauty of the place is the Gibalto sierra, which can be seen from the lagoons towards the south-east and is situated in the province of Granada, and further south are the San Jorge and Gorda sierras, situated in the municipal district of Villanueva del Trabuco.

Within the natural space "Archidona reserves", the area catalogued as the reserve, in the strictest meaning, occupies an extent of 6,3 hectares and contains the lagoons; around them, there is a Protected Peripheral Area of 187 hectares, making a total area of 193,3 hectares. The complex consists of two lagoons, called "Laguna Grande" (large lagoon) to the north, and "Laguna Chica" (small lagoon) to the south of the first. As the name indicates, the Laguna Grande is the largest with 350 x 250 metres, and shows a sub-quadrangular form. The Laguna Chica, separated from the other by "Cortijo de Las Lagunas", is longer and narrower with approximately 500 x 175 metres, its water volume being much less, which makes it look much smaller. It presents a narrowing on the extreme north which gives it a kidney shape, more pronounced in the summertime when the level of water descends considerably.

Some mammals can be seen at the banks of the lagoons as well as in the Protected Peripheral Area , such as the fox, the badger and the weasel; the rabbit, relatively abundant in the Protected Peripheral Area is the object of hunting, as well as some other birds such as the wood pigeon or the turtledove. The only mammal which is strictly tied to the aquatic medium is the water rat.

The holm-oak grove and the clear areas also constitute a habitat where it is possible to find many reptiles.

The lagoons of Archidona and the surroundings (Protected Peripheral Area), constitute the ideal habitat for numerous fauna species. The community of vertebrates tied to the aquatic medium is represented by an ichthyofauna (barbels) which is only important in the Laguna Grande, accompanied by a multitude of species of minute arthropoda and other invertebrates which overrun the banks and in-between the rocks; with regards to the avifauna, some swimming species of birds visit the lagoons of Archidona coming from Fuente de Piedra and other lacustrine complexes nearby, such as the royal heron, and coots.

This same aquatic medium, in relation to the marshy vegetation, is the habitat for reptiles (water snakes, tortoises) and amphibians.

In the Protected Peripheral Area, as much in the tree coverage as the associated bushes, provide the ecological conditions for the wintering period and nesting of numerous species of birds, above all Passerine (Fringilline, Parus, Motacillidae, Gavia immer and others); there is also an abundance of blackbirds. As representatives to the avifauna there are also predatory falcon-like birds such as the kestrel, tawny owl and the little owl.

In general, the largest part of the vertebrate fauna in the area is under protection by the current legislation, according to decree 4/86 (in the Andalusian scope) and the royal decree 439/90 of the development of the law 4/89 of the Conservation of Natural Spaces and Wild Flora and Fauna, so the maximum respect towards the inhabitants of this natural space is recommended.

1. "Any activity which is subject to alter the elements and the dynamic of the Natural Systems of the Natural Reserves is prohibited"(Art. 9º. 1). Given the effect of aquatic activities or sports on the lagoons fauna, it is prohibited to swim or sail in the lagoon.

2. "The insertion, adaptation and multiplication of species of non-indigenous fauna and flora is prohibited" (Art. 9º. 3), this also includes the prohibition of releasing fish specimens and other vertebrates not belonging to the local fauna.

3. "Hunting and Fishing is prohibited in the Natural Reserve" (Art. 11).

The visit to the Natural Reserve "Archidona Lagoons" must be limited to the Protected Peripheral Area , without invading the Natural Reserve area shown by the signs; do not bother or capture the animals, don’t pick flowers or plants, don’t lift stones up and keep the area clean.You can, with your example, help to conserve the protected natural space