Waterways
Valle del Jerte is the valley of water. The union between valley and river is such that they even came to share the same name. The river was born at the top of the valley next to Tornavacas Port; humble origins for a true force of nature that sustains the life of this district. The valley and river cannot be understood without the network of creeks and ravines that feed them, forming a water system of transparent blood that circulates the valley below looking for a path between imposing rock walls. This millennia old struggle has formed a network of intricate labyrinths that hide a handful of unique geographic spaces: the ravines of Valle del Jerte, true geological and environmental treasures. To approach this path of water and rock is to approach the very heart and history of this valley at the foot of the Gredos sierra; a journey that leads us to corners where natural beauty is shown in all its splendour.
Waterways - Cabeza Merina Cliff
CABEZUELA DEL VALLE
Viewpoint that is accessed via Honduras Port. This is a European protected space, the Sierra de Gredos and Valle del Jerte Site of Community Importance (LIC), which helps with the conservation of natural habitats and wild flora and fauna. Next to the Cabeza Merina Cliff and Los Buitres Ravine is where a visitors can see a combination of granite cliffs, rock birds, Pyrenean oak forests, chestnut and cherry trees, gallery forests (of sycamores, ash trees and willows) and, of course, a little known waterfall: Vadillo Pasture Creek waterfall, which looks its best during periods of rain and thaws. This creek flows through a craggy place plagued with vultures and other rock birds, but the queens of the summits are golden eagles and Bonelli’s eagles, whose silhouettes still fly over these valleys and sierras to the delight of ornithologists and enthusiasts.
