Hiking in Tajo Internacional
One of the best ways of exploring Tajo Internacional is on foot. Its landscapes split abruptly by the great River Tajo and its numerous prehistoric, Roman, and medieval remains, together with examples of traditional architecture, make this frontier enclave an ideal destination for walkers.
Below we give you a selection of the best routes and their most spectacular spots. Each has its own level of difficulty and duration, but some of them are suitable for all types of users.
The starting point is the Chapel of El Cristo de Garrovillas. Follow the Cornejo Trail and once you cross the stream of La Rehana you must continue on a track to the Cerro Peón. Then you come to the dehesas and the cattle farms to gradually lose height as the Alcántara Reservoir is approached but instead of descending to it you must take the Tajo Trail uphill. Via dirt tracks this trail will take us to our destination, Mata de Alcántara, via the Vinagre Trail.
The stage begins in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento of Mata de Alcántara. Once the village has been left behind, follow the local road for a couple of kilometres to reach the spectacle of the dehesa. This is accessed by a well defined dirt road, the ‘Colada de la Recovera’, which must be followed to Alcántara.
The stage leaves Alcántara and rises little by little on a path until the Gata Royal Drovers’ Road is reached. Continue on this trail until you come to the Puente Viejo (Old Bridge) over the River Salor where you will find a picnic area. From this bridge a steep slope leads to the Membrío to Alcántara Drovers’ Road. Here you will find a landscape that is typical of the Cáceres peneplain.
The route leaves from Santiago de Alcántara on the path from Cedillo to Santiago, in the vicinity of which can be observed a large number of dolmens, megalithic constructions which are very abundant in this district. We cross the Aurela Stream and then ascend the ‘Herrera Trail’ and make our way through dehesas to Herrera de Alcántara. Take a few moments to observe from the hut, just before reaching the Cabriosiño Pool, the views of the Portuguese side of the River Tajo and the municipality of Malpica do Tejo. To finish, the La Garapetosa Trial takes you directly to Herrera de Alcántara, the end of the stage.
Valencia de Alcántara. This is one of the star routes of Tajo Internacional as it passes the Dolmen de La Barca, several anthropomorphous tombs, various fountains, and the hamlets in which you will find the medieval aqueduct and the abandoned Chapel of El Valbón.
The natural resources are no less attractive as you will explore landscapes typical of Extremadura of dehesas and granite berrocales and low hills which produce undulating terrain and hold flora such as holm oaks, rockroses, broom, and chestnut trees. Moreover, don’t forget to look up to watch the gliding flight of griffon vultures, Bonelli’s eagles, partridges, and turtle doves which are characteristic of this ZEPA and also coexist with red deer, fallow deer, wild boar, and aquatic species on the Alpotrel Reservoir.
The route starts in the village of Cedillo alongside the El Salto Road towards the fountain of La Nosera. After crossing the bridge and descending through the Parque de los Pinos and the Huerta Paneras Trail, stop to enjoy the Dolmen de La Joaninha and the other dolmens and anthropomorphous tombs which surround it. Then border La Machiera and take the Iberdrola Trail, flanked by eucalyptus and rockroses, as far as the basin of the River Sever. At this point, stop a moment to admire the dam of the Cedillo Reservoir.
On this route you will get to know the landscapes of the border, the so-called Campiña de Valencia de Alcántara, and its rich cultural heritage, its dolmens, and its traditional architecture. Right on La Raya you will come to the Casas de la Duda once you cross the El Jola Stream. You will pass through the hamlet of El Pino, the Cortijo de la Paja (Farmhouse of Straw), the southern limit of the Campiña de Valencia de Alcántara, and the foot of the Puerto de Aguas Claras (Clearwater Pass). Then you will reach La Aceña de la Borrega and 200 metres further on to the right of the trail the Dolmen de El Mellizo, one of the best preserved in the district. Two other dolmens (Data I and Data II) are also located in this area.
This route coincides with stage 43 of the Tajo Natural Trail and runs parallel to the waters of the Tajo and the Sever on a natural frontier of more than 60 kilometres. On a concrete track you reach the 15th-century Fuente de Pizarra (Slate Fountain) on the path from Cedillo to Santiago. Then it continues to rise via Las Pasaderas among holm oaks, olive trees, and cork oaks from El Cotillo to the area of La Gándara, the highest point of the route, to descend again to the Cabrioso Stream. Here you will find a slate bridge with two spans surrounded by rockroses, which appears to be of Celtic origin. Then continue until you return to the junction of Herrera de Alcántara and Cedillo.
This route is suitable for all owing to its short distance and lack of difficulty. It is circular and starts from Herreruela on the Cáceres Drovers’ Road, which joins the Gata Royal Drovers’ Road towards Alcántara and the Merinas Drovers’ Road towards Cáceres. Then the tarmac ends as we turn onto the Las Viñas Trail to enjoy one of the best dehesas of the area. The route then continues northeast on the Mohedas Trail and crosses the El Lugar Stream towards the River Salor:
This area is included in the Natura 2000 Network as a Site of Community Interest (Lugar de Importancia Comunitaria, LIC) (Arroyo del Lugar) as it of great ecological importance since it lies between the plains of Brozas and the Sierra de San Pedro.
On this route we pass from granite to slaty terrain where ‘dogs’ teeth’ formations rise between livestock farms. Once past the Judería Stream we come to the hydraulic infrastructure of the Salto del Caballo (Horse’s Jump) with the dam and power station of the early 20th century. The trail that runs along the River Sever with its large ashes and alders combined with mills and fulling mills makes a genuine theme park of industrial architecture regarding the making use of water and also holds a large amount of fauna and flora typical of La Raya. The route again ends on lands of granite, which is the rock of the Dolmen del Caballo, the geological formation of the Porra del Burro, and the Dolmen Fragoso. We return to Valencia de Alcántara on the Buenavista Trail.
The CC-126 road which connects Membrío and Carbajo is the starting point for this route. On it you will enjoy the Sierra de San Pedro: gentle parallel sierras aligned in a northeast-southwest direction with quartzite tops which represent one of the best examples of the Mediterranean ecosystem. At the San Juan picnic area the climb to the Refugio de los Bejaranos begins through cork oaks and olive trees. To one side stands the Sierra de la Clavería, the home of red deer and an exceptional place for hearing the bellows of the rut.
On the way you will find a wood of cork oaks, strawberry trees, laurustinus, rockroses, and heather on the way to the Los Bejaranos Viewpoint, the highest point of the route where you will enjoy the sight of the frontier almost touching the clouds.
On the way down, stop at the Cancho de Elías Viewpoint to contemplate Carbajo.
By means of the San Vicente de Alcántara Drovers’ Road on a sudden climb in the shady part of the valley amidst olive trees and fruit trees, the walker penetrates the area of special interest of the Sierra de San Pedro. This undulating hilly country is the home of black storks, golden and Bonelli’s eagles, and Egyptian and griffon vultures. The ascent through this wood will take you to the Morrón de Valencia Viewpoint. The shady side of La Polea will take you back to Carbajo.
After passing the 18th-century Church of Our Lady of La Encarnación in Herreruela and the fountain of El Copete, walk through the dehesa to the La Palanca Estate where the broom comes into its own. Then cross the farm of the Casa del Pajarito and continue towards the La Gineta Stream near Salorino until you reach the El Rocho Viewpoint where you can enjoy seeing the Las Torres Brook flow into the River Salor and views of the El Lugar Stream.
These three watercourses are included on the Natura 2000 Network as Sites of Community Importance (Rivera de los Molinos y la Torre LIC, Llanos de Brozas LIC, and Arroyo del Lugar LIC) and as Special Bird Protection Areas (River Tajo Internacional and banks ZEPA and Plains of Alcántara and Brozas ZEPA).
The centre of Membrío is the starting point. Leave the village behind until you cross the CC-126 road which connects Membrío to Carbajo; cross the Puente Grande (Big Bridge) over the Membrío Stream and take the Clavería Trail. You should know that this watercourse is also included on the Natura 2000 Network as a Site of Community Importance (Rivera de Membrío LIC). Continue along the Piñero Trail as far as the Clavería Reservoir, which is an ideal place for watching waterfowl, waders, and cranes in the springtime amidst a large number of holm oaks.
The centre of Membrío is the starting point. Leave the village behind until you cross the CC-126 road which connects Membrío to Carbajo; cross the Puente Grande (Big Bridge) over the Membrío Stream and take the Clavería Trail. You should know that this watercourse is also included on the Natura 2000 Network as a Site of Community Importance (Rivera de Membrío LIC). Continue along the Piñero Trail as far as the Clavería Reservoir, which is an ideal place for watching waterfowl, waders, and cranes in the springtime amidst a large number of holm oaks.
The route leaves San Vicente de Alcántara on the Alburquerque Drovers’ Road to reach Salorino. It does not leave this road until it comes to the point of interest of the path: the rock known as the Cancho del Soldado or del Regato de San Pedro. We are in part of the Natura 2000 Network, the Special Conservation Area (ZEC) of Rivera de los Molinos y la Torre along the course of the La Mula Stream which empties its waters into the River Salor. We cross the Corcho Trail, a linear section which rises through a shady area full of cork oaks until we come to the Cancho del Soldado. Here we must make a stop to breathe clean air with a sea of dehesas at our feet. We are on the Torrico de San Pedro, the highest point of the Sierra de San Pedro at 702 metros.
We leave Salorino on the Alcántara Drovers’ Road so as to take the La Mediana Trail and cross the N-521 road.
This route passes the Getrero Stream until it reaches the Justicia Estate which is surrounded by rockroses, heather, and broom. We border the estate as far as the landscape of La Mesa to observe the magnificent panoramic view to be had at this point.
Then descend to the Puente del Infierno (Bridge of Hell). This 18th-century structure is built of stone, lime, and brick and crosses the La Torre Brook as part of the Natura 2000 Network as the Special Conservation Area (ZEC) of Rivera de los Molinos y la Torre. It is an important ecological corridor between the Tajo Internacional protected areas of the plains of Brozas and Alcántara and the Sierra de San Pedro; indeed the bridge is within the limits of the Tajo Internacional Nature Reserve and is an exceptional place for birdwatching.