It has an area of 65 hectares, as well as an additional protection area around it of 220 hectares.

Laguna Honda is a humid, endemic area that is flooded with the first rains of autumn and remains as such until spring, with a small river mass, making it a seasonal lagoon although a small stream, which comes from the Sierra de Orbes, provides water flow.

This lagoon has a high saline content, caused by the materials of the substrate as well as the washing of adjacent land.

Vegetation

The area is surrounded by agricultural land of rainforest olive trees, highlighting its perilagunar palustre vegetation of eneas (typha dominguensis), carrizos (phragmites australis) and juncos. One of the primitive and still preserved plant varieties in this reserve is tarage.

Fauna

The main species that are located in Laguna Honda are vertebrates, always with a temporary or seasonal character, highlighting the aquatics, such as the hens (gallinula chloropus), easily recognizable because it emits a strong graznada, the common focal (fulica atra), which has the white peak and black plumage or the real anade (anas platyrhnchos), which has a yellow peak and is known as a common duck.

It covers an area of about 206 ha., including the lagoon itself and a protection perimeter of 500 metres.

The vegetation it presents is typical of a wetland, with the presence of eneas (typha domingensis) and carrizos (phagmites australis). As for tree species, the white acacia (populus alba), taray (African tamarix) and strawberry (fraximus angustifolia), even in isolation, is highlighted. The rest of the area is dominated by olive groves.

As for the present fauna, there is a particular interest in the presence of typical wetland birds: common fences (as it grows), spoon duck (as clypeata), common porron (aythya ferina), small zumpullin (tachybaptus rufilollis), cold anade (as strepera), real anade (as platyrhynchos). In spring, many of these species move to their nesting area, remaining only those that do so in this area: storks (himantopus himantopus), the chorlitero chico (charandrius dubius) and the water cock (gallinula chloropus).

There are also the presence of non-aquatic birds, such as the common charcoal (parus major), the common pineapple (coelebs fridge), the capirotated curling (silvia atricapilla), the black head curling (silvia melanocephala), the common myrtle (turdus merula), the common cernícalo (falco tinnunculus), the common mouse (butyo buteo), the calcada eagle and the lagoon (circuls aeruginosus).

The mammals are minor, although the gineta (genetta genetta) and the badger (meles meles) stand out. As for amphibians, the gallipato (pleurodeles waltl), the southern ranite (hyla meridionalis), the San Antón ranite (hyla arborea), the common frog (rana ridibunda) and the common toad (bufo bufo) stand out.

Its importance is increased, as in the case of Laguna Honda, due to the shortage of wet areas in the province. Natural vegetation has been transformed and only remains of perilagunar vegetation remain. The most common species are carrizo, swordsman and tarage. The fauna of this nature reserve of 6.5 hectares of extension, as such, and 39 hectares of protection area, is related to that of the neighbouring Laguna del Conde or Salobral in the province of Córdoba.

Surrounded by olive groves, it has a small natural vegetation of spadaws, reeds and carrizos. Among the aquatic birds, the occasional presence of pink flamingos, storks, royal anades and whistles and red ducks and spoon stands out. As for the terrestrial fauna, the rabbit and the red partridge abound in the area.

Through the Toba passes the path GR 147, so we can travel some sections either in the direction of Santiago de la Espada, or in the direction of the Casicas del Río Segura. You can also gain unforgettable views over the Segura Valley if you go up the forest track of Awake-up.

Cobos not only had territorial jurisdiction over these populations, but also exercised strong control over all of them of their Councils and their inhabitants.

In Torres, apart from certain actions to preserve the medieval castle, the Council planned various works throughout the 16th century, such as the capitular houses, the posite, the reform of the parish temple and a bridge, absolutely necessary to unite the town with the site of the Fuenmayor, where the mills of the secretary Cobos were located, by which the neighbors were required to pass. In the population, the only one who had a privilege to build mills was Cobos and his wife, Maria de Mendoza. Their control assured them of a safe income, so it was absolutely necessary to keep the bridge in good condition.

Dead Cobos, Mrs. Maria de Mendoza, through his butler Bartolomé Ximénez, ordered the Council to make a new bridge, as the old man was destroyed by a heavy storm. The project was carried out by Andrés de Vandelvira, an architect at the service of the family of Cobos. According to María José Sánchez Lozano the works began in 1561, and the following year the Council agreed that all that was left to rise from it should be done according to the trace of Andrés de Vandelvira: "(...) I saw what is left to be made of the work of the bridge that is to be done in the river of the said villa for the passage of the mills of the bread of his lordship (...) command that everything that is left to be made of the bridge be done by the trace that has given Andrés de Vandelvira (...). The bridge, which is currently preserved, although removed, is made of stone and has a single half-point eye rather high, as the ravine on which it rises is very deep in this area.

Vandelvira draws a bridge without great pretensions, without decorative attachments, in which security and permanence in time must take precedence over other aspects. Vandelvira will be an experienced bridge builder, sometimes simple as this one of Torres, others of great architectural and engineering monumental, such as those raised on the channels of the Guadalmena, Guadalimar (Ariza) and Guadalquivir (Mazuecos) rivers.

It is a cozy road and recreational area, which has a lookout from where to enjoy stunning views. It also has shadow areas and a water source.

Location: Very close to the urban core.

Distance: 2.5 km.

Medium: Tourism vehicle.

Access route: Through a dirt lane that leaves directly from the city centre.

From this place you can see thePantano de Giribola,Caves and Castle of Giribolaand the municipality of Vilches. Nearby we can find some cortijos such as:The Lambra,Mirabuens,The CologneandLa Casería.

The ground is limestone and reddish. The vegetation that covers it is typically Mediterranean with species such as the oak, the lentisco, the retama, the olive thyme, the spatter, the steppe jara, the brown and the cuckoo.

Until a few years ago, on spring and summer Sundays it was a very busy place. The Sunday of Resurrection was difficult to find a shadow of free oak or chaparro, because almost all the people of Canena, Rus and other villages camped that day to enjoy a day of field.

In the vicinity of the Hueta there are waterfalls and a lagoon that we suggest you discover. Very close to the Hueta there are other villages such as Puente Honda and you can even approach the ruins of the castle of the same name.