10 best things to do in Autumn in Valle del Jerte (Extremadura)

You know well what is the main reason why it is very worth it visit the Jerte Valley in spring en Estremadura.

In this northern corner of the Cáceres province You can see one of the most beautiful landscapes that you find in Spain at that time, with the entire valley covered by the white color of the cherry blossoms.

But I have to admit that when looking at landscapes in the countryside, the ones I like the most are the autumn ones.

At this time there are many places where you can see beautiful autumn landscapes, but I will tell you that in this regard the Jerte Valley It also has a special appeal.

Those cherry trees that were covered in white flowers during the spring and from which the cherries hung in the Cherry era at the beginning of summer, in autumn they acquire a peculiar color that combines ocher and reddish.

This is undoubtedly a very good reason to also choose the Jerte Valley as a destination autumn getaway.

It is also a time during which a special program of nature and gastronomy activities known as the Autumn, another good attraction to visit.

What to see and do in autumn in the Jerte Valley

Facing your autumn getaway to the Jerte Valley, here I am going to give you the best reasons to visit it.

What are the autumn landscapes like in Valle del Jerte?

When you get to Jerte Valley south from Plasencia, during the autumn season you will see the two slopes that make it up covered with the characteristic ocher color until you climb to the port of Tornavacas, en el límite con la province de Ávila.

In the lower part you will be able to see some poplar forest, on the banks of the Jerte River, and throughout the valley you will see oak and chestnut forests, although those with the greatest presence are the plantations of Cherry trees that extend throughout the valley.

It is precisely that russet that acquire the leaves of the Cherry trees what causes those peculiar autumn landscapes.

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Hiking in autumn in Valle del Jerte

A good way to see corners with autumn landscapes is to do Hiking for the numerous signposted routes what's for him Jerte Valley.

Or sign up for one of the routes organized in autumn, like the one we did on our recent visit to this Extremaduran area.

Specifically, we have gone along the route that runs through the Camino Real from Piornal to Navaconcejo, where you can enjoy varied autumn landscapes.

After seeing some beautiful panoramic views of the valley from the Piornal viewpoint, you begin to descend along a stone path, an old horse riding route.

This route, which can take you about five hours, in its upper part passes through oak and chestnut forests, which in autumn acquire their greatest color and splendor.

A notable corner is the old Los Molinos stone bridge located in front of the Calderó waterfalln.

The route then passes through several farms with cherry plantations as you approach Navaconcejo already on the N-110.

A simpler alternative is the circular route that from the aforementioned town of Navaconcejo takes you to the Nogaledas Gorge, a place where you can see some of the most impressive waterfalls you can find in the valley.

This hiking excursion It will take you about two hours, and most of it passes through landscapes of oaks, chestnuts, cherry trees, and also ash trees.

4×4 excursion through the Garganta del Infierno in Valle del Jerte

If instead of walking you prefer to see mountain landscapes with great panoramic views of the valley, a good option is to sign up for the 4×4 excursion through the Garganta de los Infiernos.

This excursion, which will take you about four and a half hours, above all allows you to see oak forestsAs well as oak forest located at a higher altitude in Estremadura.

During it you can also do sighting of birds of prey, with the possibility of seeing the couple of royal eagles who lives in the area, in addition to azores, griffon vultures o red kites.

If it is already cold, it is likely that you will also see specimens of the Mountain goat, which in summer take refuge in the highest areas of the valley's mountains.

This excursion, which almost all of it takes place through the aforementioned Hell's Throat Nature Reserve, also has the attraction of passing through one of the most beautiful natural corners of the valley, the pylons.

With a 4×4 we entered the forest until the end of the trail, and from there, with all the material, we walked for about 15 minutes to the entrance to the ravine.

This excursion is of a medium-easy level, even for anyone who has never done these activities.

Of course, it must be noted that it is advisable to always go with a guide since there are several points where, if you do not know the terrain, you may have problems.

You must bear in mind that the Jerte Valley It is one of the areas with the most rainfall in Spain, so river flooding is common and it is very important to go with someone who knows how to read these difficulties and variations in the terrain.

Jarramplas tradition in Piornal

In addition to seeing autumn landscapes and doing nature activities, the getaway to the Jerte Valley You can take advantage of it to go deeper into your culture and traditions.

In this regard, one of the most central is the Jarramplas tradition, a festival is celebrated in the town of Broom on January 19 and 20, coinciding with the festivities of San Sebastián.

To learn about this tradition, on your autumn getaway you can go up to Piornal where you can visit the Jarramplas museum.

With an exposition of the typical Jarramplas masks and other objects typical of the festival, as well as through videos, you will have an insight into this tradition that dates back centuries and whose origin is unknown.

Gastronomy at Pastoral Days in autumn

La typical gastronomy of the Jerte Valley also takes on great prominence in autumn, a time when various gastronomic events take place.

To highlight the Pastoral Gastronomic Days which are held in various restaurants in the valley during the weekends from the end of October to the beginning of December.

On our getaway, at the restaurant Hospedería Valle del Jerte We taste, among other specialties, trout stuffed with Extremaduran crumbs y pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes.

Another noted event is the Toña Piornalega which takes place from November 18 to 19 in Broom, during which various women from the town will make the typical sweets of the valley in the street, ringlets, roses y bones.

Wave  Traditional “Cuqueña” slaughter en Valdadillas, the November 26.

Museum of painted facades of Piornal

A curiosity that you can also discover in your getaway to the Jerte Valley is museum of painted facades of Piornal.

In this town where it is very cold in winter, to better protect their houses the inhabitants took the habit of covering their facades with unsightly metal sheets.

Following an initiative by the town council, a good part of these facades have been decorated with paintings made by urban artists, so that now on your walk through the town you can take a route seeing these artistic works.

Learn about the tradition of the chozos in Valle del Jerte

Another curiosity that you can discover in the Jerte Valley is the hut tradition.

For that you will have to go up to the town of El Torno and ask who he is known as Manolo the one from the huts, a friendly local who, on a piece of land located next to his house at the top of the town, has built a couple of typical valley huts.

This is a tradition that dates back to the time of the Celts, so that in the middle of the last century there were still more than a hundred stone huts that were used by farmers to live in summer and piornos huts used by ranchers to shelter in winter.

It was in 1999 when, with the help of friends, he finished building the stone hut, and years later the goatherd's hut.

Now if you go up to see them and Manolo It is located in his house, if you show interest he will show you his interiors, which are decorated with some of the objects that the farmers and ranchers of the neighborhood used, and he will tell you about their customs.