Las Batuecas Valley

Las Batuecas is a magic valley, situated in the south of the province, near La Alberca. Due to the fact of being an intricate area surrounded by the mountains of the Sierra de Francia, Las Batuecas is the refuge for the local fauna and some hermits. Lope de Vega called it “the everlasting happiness place”.

In the middle of this valley we can see the Carmelite Monastery of Desierto de San Jose, founded in the 16th century and recently restored. It provides accommodation for those ones who look for lonely peaceful periods of time.

Cars can be parked in a car park, 500 metres from the convent. After crossing the clear water of the river Batuecas, a footbridge takes the visitor to the monastery and goes upstream to reach the fascinating cave paintings, preserved on some rocks and “canchales” (stony areas).

The Spanish male mountain goat is the owner of the peaks of this area, declared Hunting National Reserve. We can also see black vultures and griffon vultures, golden eagles, peregrine falcons or eagle owls.