The water in the gardens of Aranjuez didn’t always come straight from the river. In the 16th century Philip II had a dam built on the Ontígola stream to create a reservoir supplying the Royal Site, a project involving Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera. The Mar de Ontígola did that job until the mid-20th century.
Today it is a naturalised lagoon surrounded by reeds and gypsum hills, part of the El Regajal-Mar de Ontígola Nature Reserve. Naturalists from across Europe know it for its butterflies: very rare species live on its slopes, tied to plants that only grow on these soils.
It’s another side of Aranjuez, without palaces: silence, birds and steppe landscape ten minutes from the gardens.
What few people tell you
- El Regajal is one of Europe's most important butterfly reserves, with protected species such as Zerynthia rumina, Iolana iolas and Plebejus pylaon. Spring is the best time.
- Bring binoculars: the reed beds give shelter to many waterbirds.
- In July 2022 a fire affected between 25% and 30% of the reserve. Take extreme care with fire.
Sources and official links
- visitmadrid, other natural areas in the Madrid region
- Hispanopedia, Reserva del Regajal-Mar de Ontígola
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