10. Villarreal de San Carlos
Villarreal de San Carlos
If this is your first visit to the Monfragüe Biosphere Reserve, Villarreal de San Carlos should be your first stop. It is in the middle of the National Park and is the heart of the Reserve, the place where you will find all you need to organise your visit.
There you will find the Tourist Office, the Visitors’ Centre, and numerous tourist resources. Moreover, it is also the venue for the Extremadura Birdwatching Fair (Feria Internacional de Turismo Ornitológico, FIO) which every year attracts thousands of bird-lovers from all over the world.
Villarreal de San Carlos is today the starting point for some of the best-known and popular itineraries of the whole of the Biosphere Reserve, both for hikes, touring cyclists, or visitors willing to cover large areas by car.
Why is it a must?
Because it is the nerve centre of the Biosphere Reserve and the National Park. It is small but has all the visitor needs: a car park, tourist information, a birdwatching centre which can give you advice, accommodation, restaurants, picnic areas… What more can you want?
How to get there?
Villarreal de San Carlos is alongside the EX-208 road 17 kilometres from the exit off the EX-A1 which is signposted to Monfragüe National Park; it is 30 km from Plasencia and 15 kilometres from Torrejón el Rubio.
Work out your route
