Cáceres province destinations: Villages in Valle del Jerte

Cáceres is a great area to explore by car. With the vast majority of cácereños living in small towns and villages, there’s plenty of little places for rural tourism lovers to choose from. Valle del Jerte, in northern Cáceres province, is a good example.

This article, aimed at helping you research villages worth including in your trip, showcases all villages in the Valle del Jerte area, arranged in a descending population order. Each sub-section includes a brief description of each village’s location and highlights the main places of interest and reasons for visiting.

Villages in Valle del Jerte

Piornal

At 1,175 metres over sea level, Piornal is the highest inhabited place in Extremadura. Located in the Sierra de Tormantos, Piornal is, geographically speaking, halfway between La Vera and Valle del Jerte. It’s known for its Jarramplas festival, when several masked locals dressed in a colourful attire walk around playing a drum while people throw turnips at them. There are a number of interesting murals around the village and several viewpoints affording fantastic views.

Jerte​

Jerte is the river after which both the valley and this village are named. Home to one of eight hospederías in Extremadura, it’s a good base to explore the beautiful surroundings, do some wild swimming and complete one of the many walks available nearby, such as the Ruta Puente de los Papúos or the popular Ruta de los Pilones, within the Garganta de los Infiernos Nature Reserve.

Tornavacas​

Tornavacas is the northernmost village in the valley, located south of a namesake mountain pass at 1,274 metres above sea level which marks the border between Extremadura and Castile-Leon. The stunning views from the nearby Mirador Puerto de Tornavacas, one of my favourite viewpoints in Valle del Jerte, are worth the short, scenic drive up the N-110 road.

El Torno​

Situated along a scenic route along the CC-232 road, El Torno has several interesting streets with traditional houses worth a short walk and a sixteenth-century church. Apart from a natural pool on Garganta del Lugar, there’s also lots of nature walks in the surroundings. About two kilometres south of El Torno is Mirador de la Memoria, a viewpoint-memorial featured in the award-winning documentary The Silence of Others, which affords fantastic views of pretty much the whole valley.

​Casas del Castañar

Casas del Castañar lies in the southern part of the valley, just twenty minutes by car from Plasencia. Nestled in a beautiful natural setting, surrounded by terraced cherry orchards and lush oak and chestnut tree forest, this village offers countless opportunities for nature walk amongst centuries-old trees. It’s also one of the most picturesque villages in Valle del Jerte, with narrow streets and old houses.

Visit Casas del Castañar for traditional architecture, nature walks, great views.

Small villages in Valle del Jerte

Barrado

A walking route signalled by a line of painted cherries on the floor will take you around this little village through several narrow passageways and past houses decorated with traditional tools and objects. Barrado features two viewpoints worth checking out, the main one located on the road running through the village and featuring a peculiar, tiled sign of Barrado doubling as a bench with fabulous views to the south.

Cabrero​

Originally a goat herder (cabrero) settlement, this village offers some incredible views over Casas del Castañar from the viewpoint located in its northern end. It’s a good place to see traditional architecture, with narrow streets converging into a little main square and some excellent street art works in different corners of the village.

Valdastillas​

This small village is on one of the most scenic drives in Valle del Jerte – the CC-233 road winding its way down from Piornal to the N-110 road past Valdastillas amongst terraced cherry orchards. It has good examples of traditional houses with wooden balconies, several interesting murals, a waterfall nearby and a viewpoint over a river with incredible views over the other side of the valley.

Rebollar​

Located across the valley opposite Valdastillas, Rebollar is all about views, with its main street (Paseo el Mirador) doubling as a viewpoint. Tiny in size, it is big in rural charm, with narrow, winding streets, small squares and numerous examples of traditional architecture. It also features some remarkable murals in different parts of the village.

Map of villages in Valle del Jerte

Find all the places mentioned in this article on the map below.