Discover Tornavacas: Nature, Hiking Trails and Culture

The PR-CC 1 Ruta de Carlos V is a marked, 28-kilometre linear hiking trail in the municipality of Tornavacas. It begins in Tornavacas at an altitude of around 860 metres and initially leads downhill along the left bank of the Jerte River. Along its route, it crosses the Reserva Natural de la Garganta de los Infiernos nature reserve and passes through diverse natural landscapes.

Culture

The Nuestra Señora de la Asunción church was recognised as a Bien de Interés Cultural in 1982. In Tornavacas, it is predominantly Baroque in design and houses altarpieces from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Historic crossings include the medieval Puente Cimero, which allows the Jerte River to be crossed, and La Puentecilla, an 18th-century bridge over the river of the Garganta del Cubo. The Picota is a 14th-century structure associated with Tornavacas’s historic Villazgo title.

On Calle Real de Abajo stands the Casa de Juan Méndez Dávila, a Renaissance house where Emperor Charles V spent one night during his journey to La Vera in November 1956. The C.I.R.V. Las Cárceles is located in the town’s former prison rooms and provides reception, assistance and orientation for visitors.

The hiking trail PR-CC 3 Minas del Wolframio passes the former Santa Ana mine. The remains of a mill or ore-crushing facility, as well as the homes of the supervisory staff and the clerk, can be seen there.

Hiking Trails

The Mirador del Monte de la Cruz can be reached from the upper part of Tornavacas via a walk of approximately 2.5 kilometres along the first section of the PR-CC 3 Minas del Wolframio hiking trail. The PR-CC 3 Minas del Wolframio circular hiking trail is 13.5 kilometres long.

For your own planning, the trails can be compared by route type and length: the linear hiking trail is followed by a circular hiking trail, while access to the viewpoint is described as a shorter walk.

Nature

A large part of the Reserva Natural Garganta de los Infiernos nature reserve lies within the municipality of Tornavacas. In this protected area, visible traces of glacial erosion, numerous waterfalls and cascades, as well as large pools of water eroded into the rock, can be found.

The Reserva Regional de Caza La Sierra features diverse ecosystems with birds of prey from the high mountains and Iberian ibex. The ruins of the Ermita de Santa María offer views of a landscape and ecologically diverse environment near the mouth of the Garganta de San Martín.

The Centro de Interpretación de la Reserva Natural de la Garganta de los Infiernos is located in the former Hospital de Pobres and focuses on transhumance and high-mountain ecosystems.

More destination pages:Torrejón El Rubio, Herreruela, Cabezuela Del Valle, Berzocana, Acehuche, Acebo, Ladrillar, Romangordo

To the higher-level travel overview: Cáceres.