Jerte Valley, cherry blossom and granite pools.

The Jerte Valley is a narrow valley in northern Cáceres, between the Sierra de Gredos and the Sierra de Tormantos, which the River Jerte runs through from north-east to south-west as far as Plasencia. Its slopes are stepped in terraces of cherry trees: the tourist office counts more than a million and a half trees, and the Regulatory Council of the Cereza del Jerte PDO speaks of two million. Eleven villages share the valley, from Navaconcejo and Valdastillas, below, to Tornavacas, at the foot of the pass, and in the sierra there are Piornal, Barrado, Cabrero, Casas del Castañar, El Torno and Rebollar.

You come for three things. The cherry blossom, in late March or April. Los Pilones, the granite pools of the Garganta de los Infiernos, for swimming in summer. And the cherries and picotas from May to July. Outside those dates the valley is quiet, with good routes and the Otoñada of November.

How do I get there from Cáceres, Salamanca or Ávila?

By car, always towards Plasencia or towards El Barco de Ávila, because the valley is the N-110 road that links the two. From Cáceres it is about 116 km, a little over an hour and a half: you go up to Plasencia and take the N-110 towards Ávila. From Salamanca, along the A-66 to Béjar and then via Plasencia or via El Barco de Ávila, about two hours. From Ávila, the N-110 via El Barco takes you down over the Tornavacas pass, with the whole valley at your feet: a little over an hour and a half to Jerte. From Madrid there are two ways: the AP-6 and the N-110 via Ávila, about 220 km, or the A-5 to Navalmoral de la Mata and the motorway to Plasencia. Allow almost three hours. From Mérida, about two and a half hours.

Without a car, the Plasencia bus line goes up the N-110 with stops at Navaconcejo, Cabezuela, Jerte and Tornavacas, and CEVESA reaches the valley from Madrid's Estación Sur via El Barco de Ávila. There are few services: ask for the timetables at Plasencia station.

Where do I park for Los Pilones?

In the car park beside the N-110 roundabout that leads to the Garganta de los Infiernos Nature Reserve, next to the Interpretation Centre, between Jerte and Cabezuela. It is paid from mid-March to the end of October and free the rest of the year. Parking is forbidden between Jerte football ground and the campsite and on the track that climbs above, with fines. Cars do not enter the reserve: either you walk 3 km, or you go up in a 4x4 run by an authorised company.

How much time do I need?

A day covers Los Pilones in the morning, lunch and a stroll round Cabezuela or the Caozo waterfall in the afternoon. Two days allow you to add the drive through the villages of the sierra, a canyon or the long 16 km circuit of the Garganta de los Infiernos. With three, cross to La Vera along the Charles V route, the way the emperor took to Yuste in 1556.

When is the cherry blossom?

It depends on the year. In 2026 it lasted from 20 March to 3 April, more or less. The cherry trees below flower first and then those on the high slopes, so the white climbs up the valley over about two weeks. The Cherry Blossom Festival, of National Tourist Interest, opens in one village and closes in another: in 2026, Tornavacas and Casas del Castañar. The dates for 2027 have not been published. The tourist office reports on WhatsApp how the blossom is doing.

And the rest of the year?

In May the cherry harvest begins and in June that of the picota, the stalkless Jerte variety; several companies take you to pick them on an estate. July and August are months for swimming at Los Pilones, with cold water from the sierra and the car park full from mid-morning. From early November to mid-December, the Otoñada: ochre and red cherry and chestnut trees, and a programme of weekend festivals, such as the Fiesta de la Caída de la Hoja or the Imperial Market of Charles V. In January and February it is cold and the valley sleeps.

Where do I sleep?

Jerte is the best base for the reserve: it has the Junta's hospedería, in a former tannery, the adults-only hotel El Cerezal de los Sotos and, at the entrance to the gorge, the campsite, which opens from 19 March. In the lower part, next to Valdastillas, the Hotel Balneario Valle del Jerte combines rooms with a terrace and mineral-medicinal water circuits. Cabezuela del Valle, with the tourist office, is in the middle of everything.