Wonders · Sierra Morena

Cascada de la Cimbarra

Cascada de la Cimbarra is the waterfall where the Río Guarrizas drops through a quartzite gorge near Aldeaquemada, over rock laid down near the South Pole some 470 million years ago.

About Cascada de la Cimbarra

At La Cimbarra the Río Guarrizas cuts across an anticline of hard Armorican quartzite, falling about 25 m, by the Junta's measure, into a pool between gorge walls over 100 m high. The rock began as sand on seabeds near the South Pole about 470 million years ago and still shows ripple marks and trilobite tracks.

The circular geological trail (1.2 km, about 30 minutes) starts at the Collado de La Cimbarra, facing the Tabla de Pochico with its UNESCO-listed prehistoric paintings. It drops past a ruined mill to a viewpoint at the foot of the falls, then climbs to the sheer Mirador de la Cimbarra. A second path (1.1 km) follows the Arroyo de Martín Pérez to the smaller El Cimbarrillo fall.

From Aldeaquemada a signed track runs about 2.5 km to parking at the trailhead; the Martín Pérez path starts at the picnic area of that name. Both routes are easy and need no permit, but sheer drops and wet rock call for care with children, and neither suits wheelchairs. The pool is deep and cold, with hidden rocks, so swimming is not advised.

The falls are fullest after heavy rain, usually from late autumn to spring, and shrink in a dry summer. Morning light suits the main viewpoint, and Aldeaquemada lies in the Sierra Morena Starlight Reserve, so stay for the night sky.

Cascada de la Cimbarra in pictures

General view of the Cascada de la Cimbarra falling through its quartzite gorge, Aldeaquemada

Plunge pool and quartzite cliffs at the Cascada de la Cimbarra on the Río Guarrizas, Aldeaquemada

What you’ll find

Car parkParkingFree
Hiking trailHikingFree
Picnic areaPicnicFree
ViewpointSightseeingFree
WaterfallWaterfall viewingFree

Nearby places to visit

La Cimbarra is the eastern neighbour of the Despeñaperros and Los Órganos gorge (12 km), where the A-4 crosses Sierra Morena between columns of the same quartzite. In Santa Elena, the Museum of the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (16 km) tells the story of the 1212 battle fought on these hills. Aldeaquemada itself, 2.5 km away, was founded in 1768 as one of Carlos III's New Settlements of Sierra Morena and keeps its colonial grid of streets and church; the village is known for calderillo, a stew of potatoes and rabbit. Further south, Linares has the Raphael Museum of Linares (40 km) and the Andrés Segovia Museum (40 km).