# Lagunas de Ruidera

Fifteen turquoise lagoons linked by waterfalls between Ciudad Real and Albacete: kayaking, walks, the Cueva de Montesinos and where to eat and sleep.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castilla-la-mancha/lagunas-de-ruidera · Revisado: 2026-11-12

The Lagunas de Ruidera are fifteen lagoons stepped along a valley of the Campo de Montiel, between the provinces of Ciudad Real and Albacete, linked by waterfalls, streams and natural tufa barriers. In the middle of the La Mancha plain, the water is turquoise blue or green depending on the light and the depth, and the contrast is what surprises you on arrival. They are a natural park and are toured along a road that goes from lagoon to lagoon from the village of Ruidera towards Ossa de Montiel.

Cervantes put them in Don Quixote: in the Cueva de Montesinos, on the shore of the San Pedro lagoon, he sets the enchantment of the lady Ruidera and her daughters, whom the wizard Merlin turned into lagoons. That cave can be visited today with a guide.

## How do you get there from Albacete, Ciudad Real and Toledo?

By car: there is no useful public transport for touring the park. From Albacete you arrive along the N-430, in a little under an hour and a half. From Ciudad Real or from Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha Tourism says to go as far as Manzanares and continue along the N-430 via La Solana and Alhambra to Ruidera; from Ciudad Real it is also around an hour and a quarter or an hour and a half. From Toledo, about two hours. From Madrid it is about 230 km, between two and a half and three hours.

Ruidera is the gateway: the park information centre, the kayak companies and the first lagoons are there, the Rey lagoon beside the village. From Ruidera, the lagoons road climbs towards La Colgada, La Batana and Santo Morcillo and continues towards San Pedro and Ossa de Montiel.

## Where to park?

Along the road there are car parks beside the lagoons and at the starts of the paths, with picnic areas and information panels. For the circular waterfalls route, leave the car beside the Rey lagoon or in the Colgada car parks. For the Miradores path, at the Interpretation Centre in Ossa de Montiel; buses cannot park in the centre. On summer weekends, the car parks beside the swimming areas fill up early: arrive before eleven.

## What to do?

The plan people like most is getting into the water. Ruidera Activa runs guided kayak crossings on the Colgada lagoon, the largest in the park, with waterfalls, a cave and an island, and shorter ones on San Pedro and Tinaja. They are introductory and suitable for families.

On foot, the circular route through the Rey, Colgada, Batana and Santo Morcillo lagoons shows you the essentials in two and a half hours: the water falling from one lagoon to the next. The Miradores path, from Ossa de Montiel, sees the valley from above. The path to Rochafrida castle and the Cueva de Montesinos, with a guide, complete the morning in the San Pedro area. At the end of the system, already heading towards the Guadiana, Peñarroya castle looks out over its reservoir, and you reach it by bike along a flat 21 km route.

If you prefer to have it explained, Destinos Manchegos takes groups with an interpretive guide through the upper lagoons, the quietest part, combining trail and van.

## How much time?

A day covers a walk in the morning, lunch beside a lagoon and kayaking in the afternoon. With a night you can add the Cueva de Montesinos and the San Pedro area without hurrying, or watch dawn over the water, which is when the park is silent.

## When to go?

In spring the waterfalls carry more water and walking is pleasant. In summer it is swimming and kayaking season: the park has swimming areas and fills up at weekends, with strong heat on the paths at midday. In September and October calm returns and the water is still warm for kayaking. In winter there are few visitors; the Hotel Matías is open all year, but the campsite closes from November to March.

## What is there to eat?

La Mancha cooking in the restaurants of the village and of the lagoons road: the Hotel Matías has a La Mancha menu and is open at midday and in the evening; the Perca Rosa, beside the Rey lagoon, serves a daily set menu and combination plates; and in season, the restaurant of the Los Batanes campsite grills meat over embers.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Unusual places to stay in Spain
- Cerca: Riópar and the Source of the Río Mundo (a 64.5 km), Almagro (a 73.2 km), Consuegra (a 84.5 km), Úbeda and Baeza (a 114.3 km)

## Qué hacer
- **Kayaking on the Colgada lagoon, the largest in the park** (2 h 30 · Families and teenagers · Desde 24 € per person): The Colgada is the largest lagoon in the Lagunas de Ruidera Natural Park, between Ruidera and Ossa de Montiel, and the one that gives most when seen from the water: it has waterfalls at its edges, a cave and an island, things you can barely guess at from the road. Ruidera Activa tours it on a guided crossing, which it calls premium, with stops at the key points.
From the office to the water
You meet at its active tourism centre, at Avenida de Castilla-La Mancha 61, in Ruidera, a quarter of an hour before the departure time, to get kitted out. From there the company takes you to the starting point. Before paddling there is a while to adjust the equipment and a short practice. Then you paddle round the lagoon, stopping at the waterfalls, the cave and the island. In all it is about two and a half hours, counting the equipment and practice.
They are punctual: the courtesy wait is five to ten minutes, and anyone who arrives late may be left on shore.
Who it is for
It is introductory: you do not need to have ever sat in a kayak. It costs €24 per person and €16 for under-14s. The website gives no minimum age and does not say whether the kayaks are single or double: if you are going with small children, ask when you book.
There is a shorter option, 1 h 45, through the San Pedro and Tinaja lagoons passing the Chorro de las Minas, for €18 (€12 for under-14s), booked on the Lagunas de Ruidera portal.
What the company provides and what you bring
It includes the kayak, paddle, life jacket and a dry bag for your phone and keys; the wetsuit is optional. You bring swimwear and water shoes, or flip-flops if you do not have any, and a change of clothes for afterwards.
Booking and when
Book by WhatsApp or by phone on 684 029 344. The website does not publish a calendar or season: confirm the date and time with the company before going.
It is the morning of the Sunday of waterfalls and kayaking. For lunch afterwards without going back to the village, the restaurant at the Hotel Matías is on the same lagoons road; in the afternoon, the walk between the Rey, Colgada and Batana lagoons shows you from land what you saw from the water.
- **Montesinos Cave and Quebrada del Toro, with a guide** (3 h · Families and teenagers · Desde 20 € per person): The Montesinos Cave is the cave into which Cervantes has Don Quixote descend in the second part of the novel, and the place where he sets the enchantment of Ruidera and her daughters, turned into lagoons. It is in the municipality of Ossa de Montiel, near the San Pedro lagoon, a kilometre's walk from the track. Castilla-La Mancha Tourism recommends visiting it with an authorised company, and this Ruidera Activa outing combines it with the Quebrada del Toro, a nearby canyon: two very different landscapes in a single morning or afternoon.
Going down into Don Quixote's cave
Inside, the guide shines light on the stalactites and stalagmites so that the formations can be seen, and tells the story of the cave from four sides: the nature that lives in it, its geology, its history and its place in literature. It is the moment to remember that, in the novel, Don Quixote is lowered on a rope, falls asleep and comes back up telling how he saw Montesinos, Durandarte and an enchanted Dulcinea. If you have read it, here you understand it differently.
The Quebrada del Toro
The second part is outdoors: a canyon with high rock walls, with riverside vegetation, birds and other animals of the park. After the half-light of the cave, it is the open-air part of the outing.
Hours, price and level
There are two departures, at 10:00 and at 16:00, and the activity lasts about three hours in all. It costs €20 per adult and €13 for children under 14. The company provides the necessary equipment. The level is introductory: no caving experience or special fitness is needed. The meeting point is given when you book, on 684 029 344 (also by WhatsApp) or at info@ruideractiva.com; their office is at Avenida de Castilla-La Mancha 61, in Ruidera.
The website does not publish departure days or cancellation conditions: confirm them when you book, especially out of season.
What to bring and what to combine it with
Non-slip trainers, comfortable clothes and water.
If you have the afternoon free, it goes well with a morning of kayaking on the Colgada lagoon, from the same company. To sleep near the cave, the Hotel Rural Albamanjón is above the San Pedro lagoon, and the Los Batanes campsite is on the same road.
- **Circular route round the Rey, Colgada, Batana and Santo Morcillo lagoons** (2 h 30 · 5.5 km · Families with children who can walk · Self-guided · free): The classic walk of the park, the one suggested by Castilla-La Mancha Tourism: a circuit round four linked lagoons, the Rey, next to Ruidera, the Colgada, the Batana and Santo Morcillo, joined by the waterfalls and tufa barriers that shape the park. The official listing gives 5.5 km, about two and a half hours and 97 m of climbing, with longer variants for anyone who wants to extend it; the route has a downloadable GPX.
What you will see
The Lagunas de Ruidera are a system of fifteen stepped lagoons on the upper Guadiana, between Ciudad Real and Albacete. The water passes from one to the next over natural tufa barriers, a porous limestone that the river itself deposits, and that is why the landscape is full of small and large waterfalls. According to the park's leaflet, the name Ruidera would come from the noise of the water falling from lagoon to lagoon: the "roideras" that could be heard in the silence of the Campo de Montiel.
On this route the water changes from turquoise to emerald green depending on the light and depth. Upstream of the Colgada are the Batana and Santo Morcillo. On the banks grow rushes, reeds and canes, and on the slopes, holm oaks, savin junipers and pines. You can see water birds, such as ducks, herons and cormorants, especially first thing and at dusk.
Variants
The regional government has waymarked several paths that let you adapt the walk. Route 1 on the left bank skirts the Rey, Colgada and Batana lagoons, from the N-430 to the Santa Elena power station: 6.9 km linear, low difficulty, about three hours there and back. A short but steep link via the Tinada de las Hazadillas joins the Colgada with the Santo Morcillo. And on the other bank, the scenic road path accompanies the lagoons road with a cycle lane on both sides and a pedestrian path: 10.9 km of low difficulty, which can also be done by bike.
Very close to the Rey lagoon, downstream, is El Hundimiento, the waterfall that separates the upper lagoons from the lower ones. It was born in 1545, when an exceptional flood broke the tufa barrier. It is worth stopping by before or after the walk.
Tips
There are car parks, fountains, picnic areas and panels along the way. In spring, and after a rainy autumn, the waterfalls carry more water. In summer, set out early: there is little shade in some stretches and the heat bears down. Take water, a hat and sun protection, and shoes for dirt and stone paths. At the park's information centre in Ruidera they give you the map of the paths.
If you want to see the lagoons from the water, the kayak route on the Colgada lagoon covers this same area. To see them from above, the Miradores trail starts from Ossa de Montiel.
- **Guided visit to the upper lagoons, on foot and by van** (3 h 30 · 3 km · Families and nature lovers · Desde 42 € per person): A morning with an interpretive guide through the upper lagoons, the part of the park least seen from the road: upper lagoons, former power stations, water mills, hillocks and out-of-the-way corners that those who only drive the lagoons road never reach. The combination is what makes it different: some stretches are done by van and others on foot, so that in three and a half hours you cover more ground than you would walking.
Van, trail and viewpoints
The visit combines journeys in an air-conditioned passenger van with a circular trail of about 3 km with 64 metres of climb up to panoramic viewpoints. The difficulty is medium: it is not a long walk, but there is an uphill stretch, and it cannot be done with a wheelchair or a baby buggy. A pair of binoculars per couple is included, useful for the birds of the lagoons and for the views from above.
It is run by a partner company of the Lagunas de Ruidera portal, from Destinos Manchegos, which is who takes the booking.
Time, meeting point and price
It leaves at 9:30, or at 8:30 in the summer months, from the car park of the Hostal Restaurante Guadiana, in Ruidera. Departures are punctual, with a maximum of five minutes' grace. In 2026 it costs €42 per person and €34 from 0 to 12 years, VAT included. It needs a minimum of six people: you request a date and quote on the portal's form and the company replies confirming whether there is a departure. If there are fewer than six of you, ask whether you can join another group.
What it does not allow
Pets are not allowed: if you are travelling with a dog, this is not the activity. Bring water and something to snack on.
How it fits into the trip
First thing in the morning, the visit puts the map of the park in your head; afterwards it makes sense to head out on your own to the Miradores trail or the Peñarroya castle. For lunch on your return, Perca Rosa is beside the Rey lagoon, at the entrance to Ruidera.
- **Miradores Trail, from the Ossa de Montiel interpretation centre** (2 h 30 · 3.5 km · All audiences · Self-guided · free): The yellow trail, the Miradores (viewpoints) one, is the one the regional government uses for its interpreted visits: a 3.5 km circuit, about two and a half hours at an easy pace and 64 m of climbing, which rises above the lagoons and shows them from above, with botanical and ethnographic points of interest on the way. It starts at the park's Interpretation Centre, on the road to the Colgada lagoon, 21, in Ossa de Montiel, the former Alonso Quijano youth hostel.
What the trail is like
It is the easiest way to understand the park at a glance. From below, on the shore, each lagoon looks like an isolated lake; from the viewpoints you see the whole chain, with the water passing from one to the next over the tufa barriers and the contrast between the turquoise water and the slopes of holm oak, savin and scrub. With no great slopes, it can be done by children used to walking. In summer it is best to set out early, before the heat. Take a hat, sun protection and water at any time of year, and do not lean on the viewpoint railings.
Those who want more can link it with the Tinada de las Hazadillas route and the Almendral table: 6.5 km and three hours, of medium-high difficulty, which the regional government recommends from age 14. At the Almendral table there is also a 2.9 km circular route that leaves from the Santa Elena power station and climbs to three viewpoints.
With a guide, on Sundays
From March to early December, on Sundays at 10:15 the regional government runs the programme "From the centre to the trail" (Del centro al sendero), open to all audiences. Guides and environmental monitors show the interpretation centre, a documentary about the park is screened and then the interpreted route along the Miradores is walked, returning to the centre. The activity lasts between two and a half and four hours. In 2026 it runs from 7 March to 6 December.
You must register beforehand, one registration per activity, and the reply is not automatic: they only answer Monday to Friday mornings, so sign up a few days ahead and check your spam folder. On weekdays, the centre also has a programme for schools and organised groups, "Explore your space" (Explora tu espacio).
For people with reduced mobility, the park lends a Joëlette chair, a single-wheel all-terrain chair that allows hiking with the help of companions, according to its loan calendar.
To round off the day
From Ossa de Montiel the Montesinos Cave and the Rochafrida castle trail are close by. If afterwards you want to go down to the shore, the route round the Rey, Colgada and Batana lagoons covers the water you saw from above.
- **Rochafrida Castle Trail** (2 h · 4.3 km · Families and teenagers · Self-guided · free): Rochafrida is a ruined castle on a rocky outcrop in the San Pedro area, in Ossa de Montiel, very close to the Montesinos Cave. The regional government includes it among the park's waymarked trails: a 4.3 km walk that starts and ends at the chapel of San Pedro, with seven interpretive stops. The official listing gives it 1 hour 40 minutes and low difficulty; with stops and photos, allow about two hours. Combine it with the Montesinos Cave on the same morning, because they are a stone's throw apart.
The route
After a short stretch along the road, you take a dirt track that leads to the foot of the castle. From there, a stony path climbs through dense vegetation to the enclosure: it is the only demanding stretch of the route, and the leaflet marks it as the main difficulty. Then the track goes round the fortress and returns. The stops are marked with numbered stakes about 30 cm high, so it is a good idea to carry the park's leaflet, which explains each one.
Along the way you see the Fonfrida, a spring at the foot of the castle; a stretch of a medieval road that still keeps some of its paving; a tufa spring, with remains of petrified trunks and leaves in the tufa; the remains of a water wheel that raised water to irrigate gardens; and the ruins of the Tobar mill, one of the four owned by the residents of Ossa de Montiel. On the limestone cliffs rock-dwelling birds nest: the leaflet mentions Bonelli's eagle, the eagle owl, the peregrine falcon, rock doves and jackdaws.
The castle and its legend
According to the regional government, it is a small military castle built in the 12th century by the Almohads, part of a defensive line between Toledo and Córdoba. What remains is a polygonal walled enclosure of lime, sand and limestone, with walls about two metres thick. The rock and the old marshy lagoon that surrounded it, fed by the Fonfrida and three other springs, made it almost impregnable.
Little is known of the real history, which is why the minstrels made it up. A 15th-century ballad places Doña Rosaflorida here, weeping for the knight Montesinos, the same one who gives his name to the cave Don Quixote visited. Telling the children this before you climb makes the route more fun.
Before you go
The trail has no shade in summer: go early, with water and a hat. They are open-air ruins, unfenced, with no hours or entrance fee: keep an eye on children on the walls. Do not light fires and do not leave the paths. The park's information centre in Ruidera provides the leaflet and the state of the paths. If you like walking, in the area you also have the route round the Rey, Colgada and Batana lagoons and the guided visit to the Montesinos Cave.
- **Peñarroya Castle and its interpretive trail** (1 h · 1.8 km · Everyone · Self-guided trail · free): Peñarroya castle rises above the reservoir of the same name, in the municipality of Argamasilla de Alba, where the water of the lagoons carries on towards the Guadiana and the Campo de Montiel gives way to the plain of La Mancha. It can be seen in two ways: with a short trail around the castle, or at the end of a long route from Ruidera, on foot or by bike. By car it is about 20 minutes from Ruidera.
The interpretive trail
It is a 1.8 km circular walk around the castle, with six thematic stops and a viewpoint with a panel halfway round. The regional government estimates about 40 minutes and gives it medium difficulty, because there is some climbing; with stops, allow an hour. There is no shade in summer. It is the option for families who want to see the castle, the reservoir and the dam without a long walk.
The route from Ruidera
The linear route starts beside the Ruidera cemetery and is 21.3 km one way. At first it runs along the shore of the lower lagoons, Cueva Morenilla, Coladilla and Cenagosa, and then along that of the reservoir; after a steep climb it crosses a moorland of farmland, vines and remnants of Mediterranean woodland, and at the end crosses the Guadiana canal to climb to the castle. It is waymarked with the stakes of the Don Quixote Route. It is almost flat and the track is in good condition, which is why it is recommended by bike; the drawbacks are the steep climb on leaving the reservoir and mud in the rainy season. The regional government gives 2 hours 30 minutes one way and about 5 hours there and back.
There are things to see along the way. El Hundimiento, the waterfall that separates the upper lagoons from the lower ones, was born in 1545, when a flood broke the tufa barrier of the Rey lagoon. There are also remains of the Gran Canal del Prior, the irrigation canal that the architect Juan de Villanueva planned in 1781 for the Infante Gabriel, son of Charles III. The Peñarroya reservoir has regulated the Guadiana since 1959.
The castle
According to the park's leaflet, the fortress stands on a large tufa platform, may have been Muslim and belonged to the Hospitaller knights of the Order of St John. It was extensively remodelled in the 14th and 16th centuries. Despite its towers, it was not a castle built to withstand major sieges but to protect farmers and ensure the collection of taxes. Inside is the sanctuary of the Virgin of Peñarroya, with its altarpiece.
To see the interior, ask the hours beforehand at the park's information centre in Ruidera, because we have not found a published timetable. To round off the day, do the walk of the Rey, Colgada and Batana lagoons in the morning or the Rochafrida castle trail, the park's other castle.

## Dónde comer
- **Abrasador Restaurant at Los Batanes Campsite** (Restaurant, Ossa de Montiel, €€). Qué pedir: The grilled meats, which are the house speciality.
- **La Perca Rosa Restaurant** (Restaurant, Ruidera, €). Qué pedir: At lunchtime, the daily menu; in a hurry, a combination plate such as the lamb chops or the rabbit with garlic; the paella, to order
- **Restaurant at the Hotel Matías** (Restaurant, Ruidera, €€). Qué pedir: Ask about the La Mancha dishes of the day and eat on the terrace if the weather is good.

## By car: By car from lagoon to lagoon
The park is toured along a road that links the lagoons from Ruidera to Ossa de Montiel; the car is the only practical way of getting between the areas.
Presupuesto orientativo: 60–120 € por persona y día.
### Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hotel Zielo Las Beatas** (Hotel, desde 160 € / night): Sleeping inside a transparent dome
Zielo Las Beatas is the bubble part of the Finca Las Beatas, a rural hotel in the countryside, 8 km from Villahermosa on the road to Villanueva de la Fuente. Each bubble is a transparent, fireproof plastic capsule of about 20 m², with a 1.80 m bed with a canopy and curtains, set on a plot of about 200 m² fenced with heather and with its own gate. From the bed you see the sky; in rain or storm, too.
There are two types:

Bubble with indoor shower: a second small bubble, of about 7 m², acts as the bathroom, with shower, basin and toilet. You never leave the dome.
Bubble with outdoor bath (they call it Newton): it is completely transparent, and the bathroom, with a bath, basin and toilet, is a metre away, outside the bubble but within your plot.

The website lists both from €160 a night. All are for two people, so it is not accommodation for going with children.
Cold, heat and privacy
The bubbles are air-conditioned, but their walls are a sheet. The hotel itself warns that on very cold or very hot nights the temperature may shift a little. In midwinter, the bubble with the indoor shower saves you leaving the dome at night.
Privacy comes from the fence and the distance between plots, not the walls. The bed has curtains. No smoking inside the bubble and you can't bring in outside food; if you dine at the estate, the restaurant is a few steps away.
What you pay extra and when to go
The hotel is open all year. Check-in is from 16:00 to 22:00 and check-out before 11:00. Parking is inside the estate. No public transport arrives: there are buses to Villahermosa and Villanueva de la Fuente and from there, a taxi.
Extras are chosen when booking: dinner at the restaurant (€74 for two), dinner in a converted wine jar (€92), a private 45-minute jacuzzi session in a separate building (€64) and a decoration pack with cava (€75). The estate's pool opens from 1 July to 30 August. The hotel adapts the menu and breakfast for coeliacs and vegans if you give notice.
The website doesn't say whether dogs are admitted: ask before booking.
The lagoons are about 50 minutes by car, towards Ossa de Montiel or Ruidera. It is a base for spending the night looking at the sky and heading down in the morning for kayaking on the Laguna Colgada or the Miradores trail.
- **Albamanjón Rural Hotel** (Small hotel): Terraced above the San Pedro lagoon
Albamanjón is a small rural hotel at Calle Extramuros-San Pedro 16, already in the municipality of Ossa de Montiel, in the part of the lagoons facing the San Pedro lagoon. The rooms are terraced on the slope, each with its own terrace and a fireplace or wood stove. There is no village around: you are in the middle of nature, about ten minutes by car from Ruidera, and that is what people come looking for.
It accepts dogs in all rooms and in all areas of the hotel, and offers free charging for guests' electric and hybrid cars.
From the windmill to the basic room
Suite El Molino: the windmill-shaped building that dominates the façade. It has 88 m² on three floors, for three people, with a double bed and views of the lagoon; you enter by the terrace into a middle floor with a living room, armchairs and a wood stove, and from there go up and down to the other two. Television, wifi, minibar and wardrobe.
Superior double: 23 m², for up to three people, with a double bed, fireplace or stove, hot tub and a terrace with views of the lagoon.
Superior wooden double: an 18 m² cabin for two, with a 1.50 m bed, a balcony with views, hot tub, a small dressing room with fridge and capsule coffee machine, and air conditioning.
Small basic double: 14 m² for two, a 1.35 m bed, a bathroom with a semicircular bath and a little furnished terrace with no view of the lagoon. If you come for the water, this is not the one.
According to the house, all the rooms have powerful heating for winter and air conditioning for summer. Prices and availability are on its official website, which guarantees the best price there.
Breakfast only
It has no restaurant: it serves only breakfast, from 9:30 to 11:30. For lunch and dinner you have to take the car. The restaurant at Los Batanes, at the campsite on the same road, opens in season, and in Ruidera you have the restaurant of the Hotel Matías all year.
What is nearby
The San Pedro lagoon is below the terraces, and the Montesinos Cave, Don Quixote's, is near that same lagoon. To see the lagoons from above, the Miradores trail.
- **Hotel Matías** (Hotel): At the gates of the park, at the edge of Ruidera
The Hotel Matías is on the lagoons road, at km 0.8: you leave Ruidera towards Ossa de Montiel and, less than a kilometre on, already inside the Lagunas de Ruidera Natural Park, you have it on the left, level with the Rey lagoon. That position is its selling point. You are not sleeping in the village, but not far from it either, and from the door you can walk to the first lagoons. It has parking.
The house presents itself as a quiet place for short breaks, long weekends or holidays, with many returning guests, especially in summer. It is open all year, except 22 to 26 December and 30 December to 2 January.
The rooms
All have a private bathroom with bath, air conditioning and heating, wardrobe, desk and flat-screen television. Wifi is free throughout the hotel. The website does not publish how many rooms there are or of what types, nor their prices, nor whether breakfast is included: all that appears in its booking centre or can be asked on 926 528 156 or at info@hotelmatias.es. It also says nothing about pets or check-in and check-out times.
Pool, garden and restaurant
The outdoor pool is the most sought-after spot in the house in summer; the website does not give its opening dates, so if you are travelling in spring or autumn and the pool is the reason, ask beforehand. Around it are gardens with a terrace for sunbathing or reading.
The hotel restaurant serves La Mancha cooking at lunchtime and in the evening, all year, with a large terrace in summer, a children's play area and premises adapted for people with reduced mobility. Out of season, dining at the hotel itself saves driving at night along the lagoons road.
What is around
The Rey, Colgada and Batana lagoons begin almost at the door: the walk between the three works well on foot from here. The kayak on the Colgada lagoon is in the centre of Ruidera, a couple of minutes by car, and for a meal beside the water, Perca Rosa is on the shore of the Rey lagoon.
- **Los Batanes Campsite** (Campsite, desde 31 € / night): In the middle of the park, beside the Redondilla
Los Batanes is at km 8 of the Lagunas de Ruidera road, in the municipality of Ossa de Montiel, in the heart of the Natural Park and beside the Redondilla lagoon, among the central ones of the fifteen the park has. It covers some 83,000 m². It is a large campsite, the kind that fills up with families in summer, and is a few kilometres both from Ruidera and from the San Pedro area and the Montesinos Cave.
The pitches
They are under a large grove of deciduous trees: in summer it gives shade and in winter it lets the sun through. The ground is flat, without stones and almost all gravel, so that it does not raise dust, with some grass pitches. Its website does not give the number of pitches or detail the electricity: ask if you are coming with a caravan or motorhome.
Bungalows for 2 to 6
The campsite's website speaks of six types of bungalow, for 2 to 6 people, with names like Nidal, Autillo, Boga, Batán or Encina, all equipped; the listing on Campingred, the chain it belongs to, speaks of eight types. When you book you see what each one has.
Pools, restaurants and entertainment
The pool area has more than 12,000 m² of green space. There are two places to eat: the Abrasador restaurant, with a menu of beef and Iberian produce, and another terrace-style one beside the pools. In summer the entertainment team organises workshops, sports competitions, games, crafts, face painting, bingo and parties, by day and by night, for children and also for adults, and there is a children's adventure circuit. For going out, there are cycling and walking routes, and local companies offering diving, canoeing, fishing, 4x4 routes, birdwatching, caving and abseiling.
Season and prices
It is open from March to early November. It is now closed for the end of the season and reopens on 12 March 2027; bookings for 2027 are already open. At the end of October 2026, Campingred gave prices from about €31 a night for a pitch and from about €91 for a bungalow; in summer they rise. The rules, including those on animals, are in its regulations. Contact: 926 699 076, 926 699 020 or camping@losbatanes.com.
From here, the Montesinos Cave and Rochafrida castle are very close.

## As a family: Water, caves and a castle

Ruidera works very well with children: there is water to splash in, introductory kayaking, a cave from a novel and short trails.

### What works best
Kayaking on the Colgada lagoon, with a reduced price for under-14s

The Montesinos Cave, with a guide and stalactites

The waterfall route, 5.5 km with water tumbling at every turn

The Miradores trail, 3.5 km for all audiences

### Where to sleep
Los Batanes Campsite, with pools and bungalows

Hotel Matías, with a pool and garden

### Where to eat
Hotel Matías, with a play area for children

Perca Rosa, combination plates

### Bear in mind
The combined visit to the upper lagoons does not allow pushchairs

In summer, walk the trails first thing: there are stretches without shade

### Qué hacer as a family
- Kayaking on the Colgada lagoon, the largest in the park
- Montesinos Cave and Quebrada del Toro, with a guide
- Circular route round the Rey, Colgada, Batana and Santo Morcillo lagoons
- Guided visit to the upper lagoons, on foot and by van
- Miradores Trail, from the Ossa de Montiel interpretation centre
- Peñarroya Castle and its interpretive trail

## With teenagers: Paddle, cave and long routes

For a teenager, Ruidera is above all the water: kayaking, and if they feel like it, paddle surfing or snorkelling with the same company.

### What works best
The long kayak crossing of the Colgada lagoon, two and a half hours

The Montesinos Cave and the Quebrada del Toro

The Hazadillas route, 6.5 km, which the regional government recommends from age 14

The Rochafrida trail, with ruins to explore

### Where to sleep
Los Batanes Campsite, with a large pool

### Where to eat
Grilled meats at the campsite restaurant, in season

### Bear in mind
Kayak crossings are booked by WhatsApp; confirm the time

The Rochafrida walls are unfenced: take care

### Qué hacer with teenagers
- Kayaking on the Colgada lagoon, the largest in the park
- Montesinos Cave and Quebrada del Toro, with a guide
- Miradores Trail, from the Ossa de Montiel interpretation centre
- Rochafrida Castle Trail

## Consejos

### Bring water shoes
For kayaking and for any rocky shore: the tufa cuts and is slippery.

### Combine by area
Ruidera and the Rey lagoon, La Colgada and La Batana, and San Pedro with Montesinos and Rochafrida are three areas; do not go up and down the road more than necessary.

### Respect the signs on each shore
The park has swimming areas; swim in them and follow the signs.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How many lagoons does the Ruidera park have?
Fifteen, according to Castilla-La Mancha Tourism, linked by waterfalls and streams.

### Where is it?
Between Ciudad Real and Albacete, in the municipalities of Ruidera, Ossa de Montiel, Argamasilla de Alba, Villahermosa and Alhambra.

### Which route should you do in the Lagunas de Ruidera?
The circular one through the Rey, Colgada, Batana and Santo Morcillo lagoons: 5.5 km and two and a half hours.

### Can you go kayaking?
Yes, with Ruidera Activa: crossings of the Colgada lagoon from €24 and of San Pedro and Tinaja from €18.

### How do you visit the Cueva de Montesinos?
With a guide; Ruidera Activa combines it with the Quebrada del Toro for €20.

### How long does it take from Madrid?
Between two and a half and three hours by car, along the A-4 to Manzanares and the N-430.