Torre del Vinagre Visitor Centre and Botanical Garden

Torre del Vinagre is the main visitor centre of the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park, the largest protected area in Spain, with 214,336 hectares. It is at kilometre 48.5 of the A-319 road, in the Guadalquivir valley, between Coto Ríos and the Tranco reservoir, and a short distance from the turning for the Borosa river trail. It is the stop for understanding the park before you head into the hills, or for taking shelter for an hour if it rains.

Five Landscapes in the Rooms

The rooms explain the five landscapes into which the park is divided: rocks, water, pine forest, the high peaks and the human landscapes, with models, maps and audiovisuals. There is also a space devoted to hunting and a section on animal tracks and signs for children.

What It Is For Before a Walk

It is the place to ask about the state of the trails before setting out, above all the stretch of the Cerrada de Elías, on the Borosa, after rain, to buy maps and mapping of the park and to ask for advice according to the season. In the same valley are the Cerrada del Utrero and, higher up, the source of the Guadalquivir, which have their own pages.

Opening Hours

According to the Diputación de Jaén and Cazorla Town Council, it opens every day from 10:00 to 14:00 and in the afternoon from 16:00 to 19:00, which in July and August becomes 17:00 to 20:00. As the afternoon and low-season hours may change, call before making the detour; the telephone number the guides give is 953 71 30 17.

Getting There

From Cazorla, take the A-319 towards the Tranco reservoir: you pass the Puerto de las Palomas, the Empalme del Valle, Arroyo Frío and Coto Ríos. It is almost an hour of mountain road. There is parking beside the building. To sleep near the centre, the Coto del Valle is on the same stretch of the A-319.