Discover Cardeña: Nature, Trails and Culture

Cardeña invites you on a journey through nature observation, trails and regional history. The Parque Natural Sierra de Cardeña y Montoro offers an extensive network of trails for hiking, horseback riding, donkey riding and cycling.

Nature and Trails

A manageable route runs directly through the town: the Sendero Cardeña–Aldea del Cerezo begins in the centre of Cardeña and leads into a young dehesa. The trail is 6 kilometres long, takes about two hours and has a low level of difficulty. The different routes, time estimates and modes of transport can be compared clearly for your own planning.

Another connection with nature begins at the Venta Nueva visitor centre. The route to the Embalse de Tejoneras covers 5.47 kilometres by car and then 950 metres on foot; the estimated total time is 45 minutes. At the nearby Embalse de Tejoneras, visitors can use binoculars from observation points to watch little grebes, coots, ducks and great crested grebes.

When looking for a holiday apartment in Cardeña, you can review the respective offer pages based on travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions and compare the information side by side. Your own booking conditions remain decisive.

Cardeña can be reached via the N-420, A-423 and A-420 roads. The N-420 connects the town with the Guadalquivir Valley.

Landscape

The Parque Natural Sierra de Cardeña y Montoro features rounded granite hills and gentle slopes, as well as dehesas, reforested pine forests and Mediterranean scrubland. The Venta Nueva visitor centre in Cardeña presents this Mediterranean landscape with its dehesa systems, Mediterranean scrubland and pine forests.

The Jardín Didáctico Mediterráneo explains traditional uses of plants and various ecosystems. It also presents native plant species that are considered to occur exclusively in this municipality.

Culture

The Sala Expositiva El Arte de la Caza is a permanent exhibition about hunting and various hunting-related uses. The Mirador Astronómico near the centre of Cardeña offers a different view of the surroundings: it is located on the site of a former water reservoir. The viewpoint includes a computer-controlled digital planetarium that can simulate the sky for any date and any location on Earth. For astronomy enthusiasts, the astronomical observatory of Cardeña is a recommended stop.

The Aldea de El Cerezo originated as a small settlement of stone houses inhabited by around one hundred shepherds in the dehesa on the Río Yeguas. It was later rehabilitated for rural tourism. The Aldea de El Cerezo can be explored via trails on foot, on horseback or by bicycle.

The Parroquia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen was built from 1950 onwards and inaugurated six years later, after the former church had been completely destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. Its floor plan is in the shape of a Latin cross, complemented by Baroque-style decoration.

Other Places

Other places at the same regional level are La Carlota, Hornachuelos, Hinojosa Del Duque, Villafranca De Córdoba, Pedro Abad, Fuente Palmera, La Fuente Grande and Montilla.

Local Traditions

At the Feria del Lechón Ibérico in Cardeña, suckling pig takes centre stage in a gastronomic event accompanied by numerous activities.

For the higher-level travel overview: Cordoba.