San Juan Lagoon

The Laguna de San Juan is a wetland of natural origin located between Chinchón and Titulcia, in the lower course of the Tajuña River, with an area that local sources place at around 40-47 hectares and a temporary character, linked to groundwater and rainwater. It is a protected area of the Community of Madrid, declared a Fauna Refuge in 1991, with a remarkable diversity of reed beds, cattails and other marsh plants. From its observatories there is a wide view of the water, the perimeter reeds and the smooth reliefs and gypsiferous cliffs of the environment, a landscape of transition between meadows, drylands and slopes that is especially interesting for the observation of waterfowl and migratory birds. The enclave is known for its biological and educational value, and the municipality of Chinchón highlights it as the most important wetland of the municipality and one of the main bird reserves of the Community of Madrid.[14 The lagoon appears in local and nature guides for its ornithological interest and for the environmental restoration that allowed the recovery of a space that had become very degraded. The best time to visit it is usually spring and autumn, when there is more bird activity and better conditions for observation; being a wetland of variable water, the appearance of the place changes a lot depending on the rains and the season.