Santiago De Alcántara: Rock Art, Nature and Holiday Apartments

Santiago De Alcántara is home to prehistoric rock art at the Cueva del Buraco: the cave contains schematic rock paintings that are more than 5,000 years old and are located on the quartzite of the Sierra de Santiago. The 25 rock-art motifs include mainly headless anthropomorphic figures with bent arms, as well as bars and dots.

Culture and History

Another example of this rock art is the Peña Grajera. It contains rock paintings with six anthropomorphic figures; it is accessible only when the Rivera Aurela is dry or carries little water. The El Péndere Nature Interpretation Centre is located in the 13th-century Ermita de El Péndere and presents the landscapes, ecosystems, flora and fauna of the Tajo Internacional through exhibitions and audiovisual materials.

The Dolmen Culture Interpretation Centre explains the megalithic significance of the region through reconstructions, models, information panels and videos. Santiago De Alcántara’s artistic heritage includes the 16th- to 17th-century Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Consolación. The Eras de Ulloa are associated with a Roman settlement near the Rivera Aurela, where gold was sought. The Castillo de Cabeza del Esparragal was conquered by Fernando II in 1167 and handed over to the Order of the Templars.

Santiago De Alcántara’s patron saint festivities are dedicated to the Santísimo Cristo de las Batallas and take place from 31 August to 3 September. La Frenda is an annual cultural celebration held in Santiago De Alcántara in August, commemorating a historic wedding procession through the town.

Routes and Landscapes

The Senda Verde is a signposted route in the Parque Natural del Tajo Internacional that runs from Santiago De Alcántara to Cedillo. The signposted El Buraco megalithic route is 7 kilometres long and begins at the Ermita de San Cristóbal. It leads to a natural viewpoint beside the Castro Cabeza de Buey.

The Ruta de la Geregosa is a 14.6-kilometre out-and-back route from the El Péndere Centre to the Fuente de la Geregosa on the Tagus and takes approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes. It connects the Sierra de San Pedro area of regional interest with the Parque Natural Tajo Internacional and offers opportunities to observe large birds of prey and black storks. A viewpoint on the Ruta de la Geregosa offers views of the Tagus and its Portuguese bank.

The BTT routes cross the Rivera Aurela, the Regato de las Tomasas and the Regato Negrales, passing through eucalyptus groves and Mediterranean woodland.

Nature Observation

The Mirador de las Viñas is suitable for observing the deer rut at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. A section of the Tagus can be visited from 1 August to 15 January to protect biodiversity; the route leads upstream towards Santiago De Alcántara. The seasonal period on the river therefore establishes its own timeframe alongside the walking and viewpoint routes.

Places to Visit and Dates

The Ermita de San Cristóbal has picnic areas, barbecue facilities and drinking water. Visits to the El Péndere Centre are possible by prior arrangement; there are also nine signposted routes in the surrounding municipality. You can take this information into account when planning your day.

When searching for a holiday apartment in Santiago De Alcántara, you can compare travel dates, room or accommodation categories and cancellation policies on the respective listing pages. Nature, culture and the different route durations remain separate topics that you can consider alongside the listing details.

Further Destinations

Other places at the same higher-level location are Acebo, Arroyomolinos De La Vera, Moraleja, Cabezabellosa, La Aldea Del Obispo, Horcajo, Almoharín and Benquerencia.

For the higher-level travel overview: Cáceres.