North Visitor Centre

If you enter the park from the north, via Plasencia or Malpartida de Plasencia, the North Visitor Centre is the first information point you come to. It is on the EX-208 road, at kilometre 9, about 6 km from Malpartida's town centre and next to Camping Monfragüe, in a modern, low building blended into the dehesa. It was opened by the Ministry in May 2018 and its management later passed to the Junta de Extremadura. Turismo Monfragüe presents it as the newest visitor centre in the Biosphere Reserve and the place to begin your visit.

What is inside

The building has more than 2,000 square metres, about 1,100 of them exhibition space. The common thread is the park's birds, and the tour is divided into five areas: an introduction, "De cuarzo y agua" (Of quartz and water), "Solana y umbría" (Sunny and shady slopes), "La dehesa" and "Gestión y conservación" (Management and conservation), with audiovisuals, interactive elements, models and murals. It explains Monfragüe's ecosystems, the trees and shrubs of the Mediterranean woodland and the animals that live in it, and also devotes space to the other national parks, the protected areas of Extremadura and the Spanish network of biosphere reserves. According to Turismo Monfragüe, the rooms are designed for families with children. Neither the Ministry nor the Diputación publishes an entrance price.

Planning your visit

More than a museum, it is the place to organise the day. The staff help you choose a route according to the time of year, what you want to do and how much time you have, and give you the maps of the routes. From here, the usual thing is to continue along the EX-208 to Villarreal de San Carlos, the only village inside the park, where the best-known walking routes start: the red trail to the castle, the green trail to Cerro Gimio and the yellow trail to La Tajadilla. If you plan to do one of the long trails that cross the reserve zone, ask here about the online permit.

From Malpartida de Plasencia the blue trail also starts, 19 km one way and of moderate difficulty, to the Puerto de la Serrana; the Ministry warns that the path is stony and very uneven.

Opening hours and contact

Turismo Monfragüe publishes opening every day, from 9:30 to 17:30 in winter and from 9:30 to 18:30 in summer. A 2021 Ministry leaflet gave different hours, Wednesday to Sunday, so confirm before you go: the centre's telephone is 927 274 973 and the email, [email protected].

Getting there and what to combine it with

You get there along the EX-208, the Plasencia to Trujillo road that crosses the park; from the EX-A1 motorway, follow the signs for Monfragüe National Park. If you are sleeping at Camping Monfragüe, it is next door, and its restaurant is an option for eating before or after. Once inside the park, do not miss Salto del Gitano, with griffon vultures a few metres from the road.