As already mentioned, we have decided to give some space on our blog to a very special guest who wanted to share with Fuerte Hoteles her travel diary from her five day stay at Fuerte Grazalema. After the Llanos de Endrinal (Endrinal Plains) route and Salto del Cabrero tour, today we continue with Campobuche River Lagoon Route. Over to Petra to tell us about her experience with trekking and nature:
Day 3: Wednesday
In reality, this route can be started right from the hotel. However, Gloria took us by car to a plain located about 2 km away from the hotel.
We walked alongside the Campobuche fresh water stream, enjoying the aroma of the herbs in the meadow, the beautifully lit colours and the sun. We had to cross the stream on several occasions.
The stream becomes a river, and small water plants with white flowers grow on its banks. Our path takes us through an oak forest. Rosa shows us the extremely evolved method used by these trees to defend themselves from parasites. They grow very large, round fruits that look a bit like pineapples, which the parasites feed on, allowing the acorns to mature without any problems. We came across mushrooms, turtles that stopped sunbathing and hid underwater, and some green frogs. We carried on walking through a beautiful cork oak forest.
On the way back, a herd of cows made it difficult for us to pass. Rosa and Christo forged bravely ahead, armed with sticks and stones. The cows had calves with them and, of course, the bulls were looking after them. Soon after leaving the oak forest behind and closing the last gate in the fence, we saw a group of vultures lazily spiralling in the sky. As we walked across a gorgeous meadow, we had no problems identifying the different mountain peaks.
Finally, Rosa showed me the largest cork oak tree, known as the Cork Oak of the Spirits. It is a very mysterious and powerful tree. It was a very pleasant stroll.