The Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark is an ideal place to understand the history of the Earth by observing the landscape or hiking, while bird watching or enjoying local cuisine.

It is part of the European Geoparks Network and the UNESCO World Geoparks Network.

However, before starting to get to know this area of great ecological value better, it is advisable to know, for example, some general aspects of what a geopark is or what geoparks we can find in Spain.

What is a geopark?

Unlike what is usually thought, a geopark is different from what we know as a natural park.

A geopark is a delimited territory that is characterized by having an outstanding geological heritage in terms of its scientific quality, uniqueness, aesthetic and educational values and that, in addition, has a sustainable development strategy for the local communities that comprise it.

The main objective of geoparks is to conserve and publicize areas of geological importance, through which the history of the Earth is explained, in addition to promoting and making known the relationship of this geological heritage with aspects of cultural heritage. natural and intangible nature of the area. Geoparks are made up of places of special geological interest, which are known as geosites, but also by localities and customs of the area.

The geoparks of Spain

The designation of geopark began to be granted in Europe when the European Geopark Network was formed in 2000 and, since then, there have been several geoparks that we can find on our continent.

Subsequently, UNESCO supported this initiative and extended it to the entire world by creating the Global Geoparks Network.
Currently, in Spain there are 11 geoparks:

• Maestrazgo Geopark
• Cabo de Gata-Níjar
• Sobrarbe
• Subbetic Mountains
• Basque Coast
• Sierra Norte of Seville
• Villuercas Ibores Jara
• Central Catalonia
• Molina Alto-Tajo
• The iron
• Lanzarote and Chinijo Archipelago

Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark

Once we know the context, let's focus on the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark and everything you need to know to be able to organize a route through this area.

The first thing we are going to do is place it on the map and find out some interesting data to discover what makes this territory considered a geopark, that is, what makes it unique.

Where is the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark?

The Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark receives this name due to its location along the Villuercas, Ibores and Jara regions, southeast of the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura.

The mountains and valleys that form the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark are aligned in a SE-NW direction and include the land between the Guadiana River basin and the Tagus River basin.

The main population center of the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark is Guadeloupe (UNESCO World Heritage Site), which with its monastery and its characteristic historic center, becomes an essential visit for the majority of travelers who pass through the Geopark.

The Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark in figures

• It was declared a geopark in September 2011.
• It has been considered a World Geopark by UNESCO since November 2015.
• The geopark extends over 2544 km2
• It has about 45 geosites
• Its highest peak is the Risco de la Villuerca, with 1601 m
• Its origin dates back to more than 600 million years ago.

What makes the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark unique?

As we already know, for a territory to be considered a geopark, it must have a series of geological characteristics that make it unique.

The Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark has the honor of housing some of the oldest mountains in Europe (more than 600 million years old).

Therefore, it is a perfect place to learn about the history of the Earth through its formations and fossils, another of the jewels of the Geopark.

It is worth highlighting the “Appalachian relief” that predominates in this area, formed at the same time as that which can be found in the Appalachian Mountains of the USA.

It is curious that many nature-loving travelers travel to the American continent to contemplate these mountain formations, when they are just a stone's throw from their home, in Extremadura.

The origin of the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark

To better understand what makes this area special, we must go back to its origin.

More than 600 million years ago, the Earth had nothing to do with what we know today and what is currently the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark area was occupied by a sea.

On this seabed, different layers of sediments accumulated which, over the years and due to the forces of the tectonic plates, folded and transformed into mountains.

In this way, a mountainous continent was formed that, with the passage of time, eroded and formed a large peninsula.

Subsequently, about 480 million years ago, this land was flooded again and sediments were redeposited on the seabed (covering the previous layers).

The rocks that form at this time (the Paleozoic) are conglomerates, sandstones, quartzites and slates.

About 300 million years ago, tectonic forces occurred again that compressed the terrain, forming folds and giving rise to anticlines and synclines, so present in the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark. Anticlines are folds that are ᴖ-shaped, and synclines are folds that are ᴗ-shaped.

The water retreated again and the highest areas of the anticlines were exposed to erosion. About 280 million years ago and up to 60 million years ago, the new mountain range eroded, forming a large peneplain in what was originally an anticline.

At the time of the Alpine Orogeny, tectonic plate movements occurred, creating an elevation (which is what we currently know as Villuercas Peak) and two large depressions (the Guadiana basin to the south and the Tajo basin to the north), as well as like big lakes.

Sediment was deposited in these lakes and is what we know today as “Rañas”.

The last tectonic forces, about 3 million years ago, generated fractures and staggered the relief, giving rise to the river network that we can see today in the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark.

Later, during the Preglacial climate at the beginning of the Pleistocene period, the crests of the elevations, which were formed by quartzite, suffered the effect known as “ice wedge” or “gelivation” giving rise to what we can see today as Pedreras. .

The quarries can be seen on the slopes of the Geopark and, at first glance, they look like fairly recent rock falls, but in reality they are more than 1 million years old.

Finally, thanks to all these actions of nature on the ground, we obtain the Appalachian landscape that we can see today.

As seen in the last figure, the relief of the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark is formed by mountain ranges, mostly oriented in the SE-NW direction.

Once in the Geopark, you can look at the shape of the mountains and see, with the naked eye, how these folds are distributed, reflecting each other as if they were a mirror.

Knowing the origin of the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark also helps us to know the geosites and know what we are seeing at all times (rales, anticlines, synclines, faults, etc.).

The fossils of the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark

During the period in which the mountains were forming, there were a large number of animals that became trapped between the layers of sediments.

Thanks to this, today we can find, in perfect condition, fossils of those animals that inhabited the Extremadura sea more than 600 million years ago.

In the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark, numerous specimens of Trilobites or Bivalves have been found, for example.

Although, without a doubt, the queen of fossils is the Cloudina Carinata, considered the first animal with a skeleton outside the body (exoskeleton) that has given rise to many of the animals we know today.

This is a difficult fossil to find in the world, since it is one of the oldest, and we are lucky to be able to find it in the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark.

The best point to observe and learn about these fossils is, without a doubt, the Navatrasierra Fossil Interpretation Center (Schools Street, 6).

Visiting the center is free and has the following hours:

Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of holidays:
In autumn/winter: from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
In spring/summer: from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Sundays and holidays: from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

We want to remind you that collecting fossils from the Geopark is strictly prohibited.

How to organize a route through the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark by car?

Now that we know the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark better, it is time to organize the route.

The best thing to make the most of your time on this visit is to prepare it beforehand, since there are many geosites that you can find in the Geopark and prior organization will allow you to know which ones interest you the most and where they are.

The best thing to make the most of your time on this visit is to prepare it beforehand, since there are many geosites that you can find in the Geopark and prior organization will allow you to know which ones interest you the most and where they are.

The geosites of the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark

The Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark has a total of 45 places of special geological interest (geosites).
These geosites are classified into groups, based on their morphology. Therefore, we can find:

• Cliffs, hills and mountains
• Frogs
• Failures
• river valleys
• Mining activity
• Canchos and berrocales
• Pedreras
• Synclines and anticlines
• Other geosites of interest
• caves

Does it sound like what type of geosite each one is? It is impressive to know that you are seeing or stepping on mountains whose origin dates back to about 600 million years ago.

And, what may be more incredible, is that everything that we see today as mountains and mountains, at some point was a seabed.

When preparing the visit, keep in mind that some of the geosites are not marked on the map to preserve them and, others, cannot be visited, but rather consist of observing the geographical feature (for example, anticlines or synclines), for What the visit will consist of is contemplating what was formed millions of years ago.

On this map you can see all the geosites of the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark and their location.
This geosite map is interactive and you can download it to use it on your device. At the end of the article we tell you how you can make your own map.

Interpretation Centers of the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark

Another element to take into account when planning a route through the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark is knowing where the interpretation centers or visitor centers and what can be found in them.

The interpretation centers are dedicated to the closest geosites in the corresponding area of each one, while, at the Visitor Reception Center of the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark, in the town of Cañamero, you can find information about the entire Geopark.

We could say that this Visitor Reception Center is the main one. In it you will find everything from a general explanation of the origins of the Geopark to samples of some of the most visited geosites.

Without a doubt, we recommend that, before visiting any geosite or beginning your visit to the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark, you stop by this Visitor Reception Center because this way you will understand much better what you are seeing and “walking on.”

Therefore, it will be the best starting point for the route through the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark.

The address of the Cañamero Visitor Center is Paseo de Extremadura, 6 (Cañamero), admission is free and its hours are:

Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Friday from 4 to 6 p.m.
Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Accommodations and restaurants in the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark

To organize the route, we will also have to choose where to sleep and where to eat in the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark.

When searching accommodations in the Geopark, most of what you can find are rural accommodation.

As always, the choice will depend on the type of accommodation in which you want to stay (rural hotel, rural house, etc.), the budget and, above all, the route you plan to take, since choosing a strategic point will depend on it. to make the most of the visit.

As for the restaurants in the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark, in any of the population centers there are restaurants where you can taste the cuisine of the area.

If we have to highlight some of the typical products of the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark, it will undoubtedly be cheese (especially goat and sheep), game meat, goat, lamb, honey and, if in season, chestnuts. .

Of course, we cannot leave aside the products from the garden of this area, which have an authentic flavor.

Route through the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark

Having now all the necessary information about the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark, you can start organizing your own personalized route, choosing to visit what best corresponds to your tastes or preferences.

If you need some prior ideas, we have made a map with a route through the Geopark, so you can use it as a base.
In this map we have united what for us are the main geosites of the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark, as well as points of interest in the area:

Cañamero Visitor Reception Center

As we have mentioned, this should be the starting point for any route through the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark, since there you will find all the information necessary to visit the Geopark.

Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe has a monastery and a basilica declared World Heritage by UNESCO, both of which can be visited.

In addition, the center of the town is very well preserved and has a wide range of restaurants and bars, as well as shops where you can buy typical products from the area.

Villuerca cliff

It is the highest peak in the entire Geopark (1601 m) and, from here, there are incredible views of the entire landscape.

It is possible to go up by car or on foot and there are two alternatives:

Through the Humilladero hermitage (kilometer 4 of the EX-118) or, from Navazuelas, at kilometer 3.6 of the CC-121 highway.

Carbonero Cliff

Another peak of the Geopark, from which you can also enjoy an incredible view of the entire area, perfect for photography lovers.
It can be accessed on foot, or by doing a section by car and another on foot, from the forest track that leaves at km 34.5 of the CC-20 highway (between Guadalupe and Navatrasierra).

Navatrasierra Fossil Interpretation Center

This is undoubtedly the center that contains the most fossils in the entire Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark, most of them donated by the residents of Navatrasierra, who have been living with these jewels of history for decades.

To visit the Navatrasierra Fossil Interpretation Center you must take into account the opening hours that we have mentioned previously.

Castañar de Ibor Cave

Due to the conservation of the high value of the cave, its visit is restricted to a number of people per year, who must have a prior appointment requested online.

What you can normally visit is the Castañar de Ibor Interpretation Center, where you can see a virtual visit to the cave in 3D and receive all the information about it.

Clock Field

It can be accessed from a forest track that leads towards the Santa Lucía Gorge, on the road that connects Berzocana and Solana.

On the way to the top you can see archaeological vestiges and cave paintings and, once at the highest peak, it is possible to see the Santa Lucía syncline, faults and peneplains, as well as birds of prey (griffon vultures, golden eagles, kestrels or Egyptian vultures, among others).

Arm Hill

This is another point from which you can enjoy the landscape and we have included it in this list because it is very accessible by car and, if you are one of those who do not feel like walking or do not have much time to include a hiking route , it is a more affordable option.

San Cristobal Hill

The San Cristóbal hill is an isolated mountain 680 m high and about 2,500 meters long that is located southwest of Logrosán.

The curious thing about this mountain is that it is formed by cooled magmatic rocks, that is, there was a time underneath when there was a volcano (in a way, it still exists) and the lava that came to the surface was petrified, giving rise to the hill. of San Cristóbal (or Logrosán batholith, as it is also known).

This is one of the reasons for the mineral wealth of this area.

Costanaza Mine

This phosphorite mine, which was active until 1944, was one of the main extraction points for this material, which was used to manufacture fertilizers that were then exported throughout Europe.

The Costanaza Mine is located at kilometer 45.5 of the EX-102 highway, in the vicinity of Logrosán.
Today it is possible to visit the Costanaza Mine, whose tour includes the galleries in which phosphorite was extracted and, in addition, you can see the museum, the workshops and the laboratory.

The Ruecas River Gorge

The Ruecas River is located northwest of Cañamero and runs for about two kilometers parallel to the highway (it is the highway that goes from Cañamero to Guadalupe).
The route goes along the river bank, sheltered by the rocks, and there you will find, among others, the Álvarez cave or the Chiquita cave, occupied about 3.5 billion years ago, and where you can see cave paintings. .

Now you have all the information to design your route through the Villuercas Ibores Jara Geopark and, also, if you want create and customize your route map, we leave you a tutorial that we have created for customizing road maps, so that you can tailor your route on any mobile device.