Aguas Negras Reservoir and Lake Valdeazores
Singular places
, Cazorla
Although the natural beauty and richness of these two areas has resulted in a countless number of day-trippers coming to visit them in recent decades, they have managed to preserve their uniqueness and splendour. They are located in one of the most heavily protected areas of the park owing to the extremely delicate nature of their ecosystems, a delicacy which has resulted in a veritable explosion of biodiversity: mallards, coots and robins are just some of the many birds which have found ideal homes in these bodies of water and the vegetation which surrounds them.
Coming down from Collado Bermejo you will first come across Lake Valdeazores, a natural pool formed by the stream of the same name and which has been dammed with a wall across its inside bank. The water is an intense, turquoise blue, while ashes, boxwood and maples grow around its edges.
800 metres further down is Aguas Negras reservoir, another idyllic spot, where a dam was constructed many years ago in order to generate hydroelectric power from the River Borosa.
If you cross the dam and continue on for a further 300 metres you will reach the source of the Aguas Negras or the River Borosa, in the form of a spring which, swelled by the waters of Arroyo del Infierno stream, gives rise to one of the major tributaries of the upper section of the River Guadalquivir.
We recommend:
- From the River Borosa Visitors’ Centre (next to the fish farm), continue up the main route towards the lake and reservoir. You will pass the Cerrada de Elías ravine and the Órganos waterfall along the way. If you have the time, it is worth spending an entire day exploring this spectacular route.
- Visiting the village of Nava de San Pedro by continuing along the same trail which will have brought you to the hill of Fuente Bermejo.
LOCATION
From Cazorla, take the mountain road (A-319) to the Empalme del Valle junction. Turn right on to the JF-7092 and, after crossing the bridge over the River Guadalquivir (4 kilometres from Empalme) take the road leading off to the left (the JF-7091). Passing through Nava del Espino, Nava de San Pedro and Nava Ciazo, continue towards the Campos but before reaching them, turn left on to the track at the hill of Fuente Bermejo, which will take you up to Aguas Negras and Valdeazores.
Follow us #JaénParaísoInterior
