Arroyo Martín Pérez recreation area

The recreation area

Martín Pérez Stream recreation area is located in the municipality of Aldeaquemada, in Sierra Morena bordering the province of Ciudad Real. It is part of the Cimbarra waterfall natural region.

To access this recreation area, visitors should take a 2.5 kilometers paved path from Aldeaquemada to the top of Collado de la Cimbarra. Cars should be left there and you should continue on foot.

In the recreation area, visitors can contemplate the stream of Martín Pérez. There are tables and barbeques so it is a perfect place to stop and eat. In the surrounding area, you can enjoy beautiful views and rich green valleys.

In Cascada de la Cimbarra natural region, visitors can enjoy multiple waterfalls that form River Guarrizas and Martín Pérez stream. Among the waterfalls, the most famous are el Cimbarrillo, el Negrillo and, of course, la Cimbarra, a 40 m. waterfall which will astonish visitors with its wild beauty.

This natural region is made up of slates and quartzite outcrops which form an eroded relief. The River Guarrizas has faults on its way towards the River Guadalén, and runs between steep slopes from which the waterfalls originate.

From the recreation area, there is a well-marked path parallel to the stream from which visitors can access the Cimbarrillo waterfall, a little stepped waterfall. Continue and you will reach the place where the Martin Pérez stream and the River Guarrizas join together. Further down the same path visitors will find the Charco del Negrillo, a beautiful waterfall with a bigger pond than Cimbarra.

To get to the Cascada de la Cimbarra, visitors should return to the place where they left their vehicles. From there is a well-marked path to the waterfall. The waterfall can be seen from the pond or from the top of the Plaza de Armas, a neolithic settlement located in front of the waterfall. From the settlement visitors will enjoy an excellent view of the waterfall and a panoramic view of the landscape.

Depending on the season, the flow of the waterfall will vary. To see it in all its splendor, visitors should come after the rainy season.

The surrounding vegetation is characterised by its enormous heterogeneity. There are mixed copses of holm oaks, cork oaks and Mediterranean bushes such as arbutus, pears, phillyrea angustifolia, rockrose and rosemary.

We can find magnificent examples of riverside woodlands, in an excellent state of preservation. In the sunniest and more open areas alder trees, ashes, rosebay and rocknose can be found. In deep cliffs with high humidity there are pimpernel, arum italicum and hackberry copses.

Note the rich stone flora found in walls and ledges here. It is mainly formed by ferns such as golden fern, maidenhair and moss.

There is a rich and varied fauna. Among the medium-sized predators we can find foxes, genets and otters which are rare these days and very difficult to find. Among the raptors are the Bonelli’s eagle and the eagle owl. The great variety of ecosystems, such as Mediterranean and riverside woods, pasture areas, faces, ledges favor an abundant bird life; including barn swallows, nightingales and Eurasian blackcaps.

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