CABAÑEROS NATIONAL PARK


The Cabañeros National Park is in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula between the provinces of Ciudad Real and Toledo, including the hills of Toledo; it covers 41,805 hectares ha. extremely well preserved. It is made up of low uncultivated hills offering pasture to a variety of animals, interspersed with mountains. Cabañeros is the only spanish National Park which supports Mediterranean forest-type. This area has adapted to the adverse environmental conditions imposed by low quality soil and harsh climatic conditions. The partial maintenance of the natural structure of the canopy and the understory within the systems has preserved several elements of biodiversity.

Its flora include a wide variety of trees and bushes. The Mediterranean forest-type ecosystems of this National Park is constitutes of mainly mixed formations of Quercus ilex. Cabañero's dehesas are important biodiversity hotspots and constitute habitat for some endangered species. Its structure depends on the area, soil conditions and topographic relief; pure pasture alternates with small croplands, open woodlands with pasture-crop-shrub understory, shrubland, or pure dense oak woodlands.

The National Park contains some 200 different bird species; it is especially important for black vulture (second biggest colony in the world, with about 130 pairs). Other species that can be seen are back stork, white stork, black-winged kite, golden eagle, imperial eagle, and eagle owl (achieving densities that are probably Spain’s highest). It also contains 45 species of mammals, including deer, wild boar, and the Iberian lynx.

How to reach the Park



From Toledo, the Park is reached by following the N-401 and N-403 as far as "El Molinillo" petrol station. Here there are two possibilities: one of them is to continue by following the same road (N-403) as far as Pueblonuevo de Bullaque, Santa Quiteria and Alcoba de los Montes; the other villages located around the National Park are reached by following the CM-4017 as far as Horcajo de los Montes or as far as Navas de Estena, after passing through Retuerta de Bullaque.

Advice of interest to visitors

  • The Park has several entrances; the most convenient being at Horcajo de los Montes and Navas de Estena.
  • Visits to the perimeter of the park are free. Visits to the main parts of the park need booking, and visit can be guided on foot or in a jeep. The park´s offices supply information.
  • Each of the different areas belonging to the Park has very individual features. All of them deserve to be visited, each for its own particular characteristics.
  • Pueblonuevo de Bullaque and Horcajo de los Montes have a visitors' centres, and there are some guided itineraries which provides the best opportunity for a complete visit.
  • The best time of the year for a visit is the spring or the autumn.
  • A good pair of binoculars and a camera should be part of the visitor's equipment.

National Parks are exceptional areas of the Spanish nature heritage where the environment is protected and visits are possible for everybody's enlightenment. But is also everybody's obligation to conserve and protect it since nature is a heritage of mankind, of the present as well as of future generations.

For full details on the Spanish National Parks (services, towns, hotels, adventure, maps, etc.), please look under "Parques Nacionales" at the website:
http://www.parquesnaturales.com (spanish only)