# Sunday at the Source of the Río Mundo: Walking Down from the Arenal, Los Chorros and Riópar Viejo

Park free at the Puerto del Arenal and walk down to Los Chorros, the 86 m waterfall that pours out of a cave; lunch in Riópar and an afternoon in Riópar Viejo, with its Gothic church and castle.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castilla-la-mancha/riopar/itineraries/rio-mundo-source-los-chorros-and-riopar-viejo · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 08:00 · Salida: 1 h 45 by car (From Albacete, about 120 km; the last stretch through mountains)
- 10:00 · On foot to the Source from the Puerto del Arenal (Free parking · 4 km downhill)
  - 1 h on foot
- 11:15 · Source of the River Mundo, Los Chorros (Calderetas, foot of the waterfall and second viewpoint)
  - 12 min by car, 9 km
- 14:30 · Mesón La Cuesta (It does not publish its hours: phone and book) · Mesón La Cuesta, €€
  - 8 min by car, 5,7 km
- 16:30 · Riópar Viejo, its Gothic church and the castle (15th-century church and castle ruins)
- 18:00 · Vuelta (In Albacete around 19:45)

Los Chorros del río Mundo is the great excursion of the province of Albacete: the water emerges from a cave in the middle of a rock wall and falls 86 metres. On busy Sundays there is a toll to enter by car and the car park fills up, so this plan does what the town council itself recommends: park free at the Puerto del Arenal and walk down through the pine woods. In the afternoon, Riópar Viejo. It is a little under two hours from Albacete and about two and a quarter hours from Murcia.

## The Day, Hour by Hour

8:00 · Departure. From Albacete, about 120 km; the last ones on a mountain road.

10:00 · Walk down from the Puerto del Arenal. Park at the Puerto del Arenal, free and spacious, cross the road and follow the signposted route: a short path and a tarmac track that descends 4 km to the valley floor, with springs and streams.

11:15 · Los Chorros. Climb the path beside the Calderetas to the foot of the waterfall. If you feel up to it, the second viewpoint, higher and close to the water, along a path with rock steps. Then back to the Arenal: 4 km uphill, allow an hour and a quarter.

14:30 · Lunch in Riópar. At Mesón La Cuesta, in the centre of the village. It does not publish opening hours: call 967 435 415 beforehand and book.

16:30 · Riópar Viejo. 3 km away: stone houses, the Gothic church of the Espíritu Santo, the oldest in the sierra, and the ruins of the castle, from where you see the Nacimiento valley.

18:00 · Return.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
From Albacete, about 120 km; from Murcia, about 160 km. Park at the Puerto del Arenal, less than a kilometre from the turn-off to the Nacimiento. There is no useful bus for a day trip.

## Consejos

### Check the webcam before you set off
The town council has a Los Chorros webcam: check how much water the waterfall is carrying.

### Mountain footwear
The rocks at the Calderetas are slippery, and the way back to the Arenal is uphill.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Do you have to pay to enter the Nacimiento del Río Mundo?
On foot, no. By car, on busy days there is a toll for the Nacimiento car park.

### How long does it take on foot from the Puerto del Arenal?
About 4 km downhill; the way back, uphill, takes somewhat longer.

### Where do you eat in Riópar on a Sunday?
There are several restaurants on Calle Maestro Galindo Arjona; none publishes opening hours, so book by phone.

### Can you do it with children?
Yes, if they walk well; with little ones, park at the Nacimiento on a weekday and do only the path.