What to do · Alquézar and the River Vero
Rock Art of the Vero River, from the Colungo Centre
Information
- Duration
- 3 h
- Season
- All year, with hours to be confirmed
- Who it's for
- Families and the curious
The Vero canyon holds shelters with prehistoric paintings declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Colungo Rock Art Centre, about 10 km from Alquézar, explains the whole group and is the contact point for the guided visits to the shelters, run by the guides of the Río Vero Cultural Park.
The Colungo centre
It offers a journey through 22,000 years of Vero prehistory in three spaces: the Casa Museo, with general information on rock art, the cultures that lived along the river and its surroundings; the Archaeological Park, with reproductions of Neolithic huts, a dolmen and a tumulus; and the Fuente del Trucho Cave Space, on the only cave in Aragon with Palaeolithic paintings. There are recreations, models, audiovisuals and audioguides in several languages, and prehistory workshops for all audiences.
In autumn 2026 it opens at weekends and long weekends until 8 December, from 10:00 to 14:30, with no booking. It is at Calle Las Braules, 2, in Colungo.
The shelters with a guided visit
The Park has prepared five visitable sites, with a starting panel and signs. The three that appear most in the calendar:
- Arpán: the most complete display, with Levantine and schematic art in red; a naturalistic deer and an archer with his bow drawn. You leave the A-2205, 9 km from Colungo towards Arcusa, and walk about 35 minutes.
- Mallata: shelters hanging above the canyon, from the Vero viewpoint, 11 km from Colungo, with about 20 minutes' walk and metal stairs. Schematic art with human figures leading tethered deer.
- Barfaluy: from the square in Lecina, nearly an hour through the holm-oak scrub to the cliffs of the Barranco de la Choca. Schematic art in red and black, with a group of eleven goats.
Regacens, Quizans and Chimiachas have signposted routes for going on your own.
How to organise it
The guided visits need booking at parqueculturalriovero.com and leave from meeting points, each date to a different shelter. The autumn 2026 poster shows departures on the Constitution Day long weekend and between Christmas and Epiphany. Information at [email protected], on 974 318 185 (weekends, 10:00 to 14:00) or on 974 306 006 (weekdays, 9:00 to 14:00), where visits outside the calendar can also be arranged. Wear hiking footwear, and bring water and sun protection.
To combine with
In the afternoon, the guided visit to the medieval town of Alquézar or the collegiate church.
Frequently asked questions
Can the paintings be seen on your own?
Some shelters have a signposted route; Arpán, Mallata and Barfaluy, with a guided visit.
Where is the centre?
In Colungo, about 10 km from Alquézar.
Do I need to book?
The centre, no; the guided visits to the shelters, yes.
As a familyWith teenagers
