Due to its great geological and landscape value, Cerro de Hierro has been declared a Natural Monument . It is located in the Sierra Norte de Sevilla, very close to the municipality of San Nicolas de Puerto.
This karstic zone, of limestone rock rich in iron minerals, has been exploited as a mine for centuries: from the Romans until the work culminated in the mid-20th century. However, the old mining town is still preserved as a village with very few inhabitants near the urban center of San Nicolas.
It was precisely the mining activities that ended up revealing a landscape with unique shapes and colors dominated by needles , corridorsand pencils . The limestone rocks, suffering erosion due to snow and rain, resulted in this unique landscape of extraordinary beauty.
The uneven relief has led to a great diversity of microclimates and habitats. For example, the places with the highest humidity give life to an emblematic species of this area: the durillo , which is accompanied by oleanders and fig trees that also seek shade. Among the diversity of fauna you can find rock fliers, airplanes or the peculiar black stork .
Get to know Cerro del Hierro through its routes
To get to know this unique place in depth, the most recommended thing is to take a route. As for everything, there are routes of greater and lesser intensity, so if you want to take a quiet walk while enjoying the scenery, the best thing to do is a short tour of just one hour that extends for 2 kilometers .
With this route, which has sections enabled for people with reduced mobility , numerous viewpoints, dumps and panoramic views of the hill will be visited. In addition, it also crosses bridges and enters galleries and caves.
Another option for a route of moderate intensity is the El Rebollar trail, a circular route that surrounds Cerro del Hierro. This hiking alternative is full of oaks, rebollos, holm oaks, gall oaks and meadows.
To carry out other types of activities of greater intensity, it is best to visit the Cerro del Hierro Visitor Center , located next to the natural area. Here you can find all the information related to hiking trails, climbing routes and other types of sports, as well as acquire the necessary information for a complete visit to Cerro del Hierro: information about the enclosure, mineral samples, historical explanation, examples of fauna and vegetation, etc
Observe the stars from Cerro del Hierro
Night under the stars in Cerro del Hierro.
In addition, beyond its routes, another way to get to know this unique enclave is through the sky itself. Cerro del Hierro offers one of the best night skies in Europe (declared a Starlight Reserve and Tourist Destination). During this summer , stargazing workshops will be organized in which the most important constellations will be discovered, they will be taught how to locate north in the sky, how to identify the Milky Way, as well as other secrets hidden in the sky.
The activity will be carried out with the collaboration of the Sierra Norte de Sevilla Natural Park. Given that this workshop requires a clear sky, if the astronomy workshop cannot be carried out due to adverse weather conditions, the possibility of returning to attend on one of the following dates will be offered.
The dates that remain available are August 6 and 10 at 7:30 p.m. and September 4 at 6:45 p.m. The ticket price is 15 euros and can be purchased at Engranajes Ciencia.
