Dúrcal
Natural Areas
Los Baños
The Dúrcal baths have been renowned for their beneficial properties since ancient times. This group of springs comprises two very different sources: the large Vacamía bath and the small Urquizar bath. According to legend, when the Moors who inhabited these lands found themselves besieged by Christian troops in one of their ongoing struggles, they decided to hide their treasures, including a life-size gold cow with diamond-set eyes and ivory horns. They hid it very close to the Vacamía in a cave in the cliffs. The Vacamía and Urquizar sources are located next to the Dúrcal River, although they are separated from each other. In this part of the river, marble materials with schistose interactions emerge. These permeable materials allow a large amount of rainwater to infiltrate the 175-square-kilometre Albuñuelas aquifer. This enormous aquifer covers land from Padul, Dúrcal, Albuñuelas, Escúzar and Agrón. The temperature of these springs is much higher than that of other nearby springs, and the amount of water that emerges varies significantly: the water temperature at Vacamía is 21.2 °C, whereas at the Urquízar baths it is 24 °C.
The mineralisation of the neighbouring springs is also much weaker. The Urquízar baths comprise four springs with different mineral compositions: units 1–2 and units 3–4. It has always been said that the spring on the left is better for drinking than the spring on the right. These sources, located at a depth of around 2,000 metres, rise to the surface after decades in the subsoil, dissolving minerals such as magnesium, calcium and potassium along the way. The waters of the Urquizar baths were declared mineral waters in 1990 and thermal waters in 2006, obtaining the declaration of mineral-medicinal waters in 2010. They are said to be very good for skin diseases and joint, digestive and kidney problems. However, their continuous habitual use is not advisable due to the concentration of sulphate ions exceeding the recommended limits for health. The baths are located 3 kilometres from the town.