Los Barruecos Natural Monument

Los Barruecos has been declared a Natural Monument because of the beauty of its landscape of granite formations sculpted by water and other erosive agents. The strange shapes of the boulders tempt the imagination to run wild, glimpsing the shapes of animals, things and even people.

Water has played an essential part in creating this unique natural habitat. The many lakes provide a habitat for numerous animal species, such as white storks and the grey heron, which find this an ideal place for their colonies.

And this has also been an ideal place for human settlement, as demonstrated by the many archaeological remains. There are remains dating from the Neolithic through the Roman period to the 19th century.

A number of routes have been created through this vast expanse with differing durations and itineraries.

The Peñas del Tesoro route starts at the Vostell-Malpartida Museum and ends at the Peñas del Tesoro, skirting the Barrueco de Abajo lake. This is the most popular route, lasting just 30 minutes.

The Barrueco de Arriba route is a little longer. This is a 1 hour route around the lake that gives it its name.

But if you are looking for something more demanding, other routes take between 2 and 3 hours.

If you visit Los Barruecos, don't miss out on the Vostell-Malpartida museum, which houses a unique collection, consisting mainly of the work of the German artist Wolf Vostell. This is also the site of the old wool washery, which has now been converted into the Vías Pecuarias Visitors' Centre.