Villabellosa, a rural house in Villar de Plasencia, is an ideal base camp for practicing sports activities in nature.

Starting with the simplest and most accessible hiking and cycle tourism options, the Rural House is located at the foot of the Traslasierra Mountains, above the Cáparra pastures, which turns this area into a mosaic of perfect landscapes to be explored. From the terrace of the house we can identify the objectives that we will later visit, enjoying a snack or a pleasant after-dinner meal.

On one side the Alagón Valley and the Granadilla Lands, with the Vía de la Plata and the Cañada Real de la Vizana, or Merinas, ideal for enjoying the pasture and its landscapes. On the other side, the steep slopes of the Sierra that fall between cattle meadows, cherry groves and olive groves, and among which stand out gems such as Piedras Labradas, an ancient place of worship from which we cannot miss a sunset, Cabezabellosa and the passage from Puerto de Sagamelo towards the Jerte Valley and Plasencia, with the illustrious Acarreadero oak, declared a Singular Tree of Extremadura.

In Summer our routes can end in the refreshing natural pools and gorges of towns such as Casas del Monte, Segura de Toro, Gargantilla, Abadía or la Granja, having a drink on their terraces or tasting the tasty gastronomic proposals of the land to regain strength and prepare for the next day.

Although autumn is a prodigal time in the Ambroz Valley, with its infinite colors, any time is good to travel its roads and trails. Avoiding the summer, Monte de Valcorchero, in Plasencia, declared a Protected Landscape, will delight us with numerous places to walk among cork oaks that escape from rocks of all sizes and shapes. The Boquique Cave is one of the most important places in the prehistory of Extremadura, even giving its name to a type of ceramic found here for the first time.

In winter, in the heat of the pasture and the sunny afternoons on the mountains, they will comfort us before arriving home and lighting the fireplace. If we like adventure, the Sierra de Béjar and Candelario offer us possibilities for winter ascents through snow and ice, with snowshoes or crampons and ice axe. Its peaks reach 2,400 m in altitude and are worth a visit at any time of the year to enjoy the landscape drawn by the glaciers a few thousand years ago.

The Vía Verde de la Plata, between Plasencia and Béjar, has become one of the most important resources in the area, to be explored with its gentle slopes along its studied route, either on foot or by bicycle. Any of its sections are worth traveling: the exit from Plasencia through the Jerte River gorge, the pastures from Valcorchero to the Cáparra area, and the incursion into the mountains and the change of forests from Hervás to Béjar.

If the heat has arrived and we want to enjoy the water, we can do canoe routes in the Gabriel y Galán reservoir, in the area of Granadilla, or from August 1 in the nearby Valdeobispo reservoir, in both cases on the Alagón river. Navigation in the Valdeobispo reservoir is restricted the first 7 months of the year due to the protected birds that take advantage of its beautiful banks covered with vegetation. If we want more action, we can begin the moving waters by canoe in the following sections of the Alagón River, even completing the famous descent of the Alagón arriving at the noble city of Coria.

From Villar de Plasencia we have the Jerte Valley just a stone’s throw away, and with it, in addition to its numerous trails and routes and the well-known Garganta de los Infiernos Natural Reserve, we can start Canyoning, or if we are fit, do the most famous of its descents, the Garganta de los Papuos, a complete route with rappels of up to 30 m, jumps, slides and idyllic pools.

Rock climbing also finds its place near Villabellosa, from a small initiation school in Cabezabellosa, as well as in the Hervás Greenway, to the most complete climbing schools in Valdeobispo, under the dam, or the mature school in Valcorchero, where the oldest competition in Spain is held on a beautiful meeting day in a more beautiful place.

For those who have the privilege of paragliding, Cabezabellosa has in the Pitolero peak one of the best places in the region to take off and begin routes.

If you want more information about any of the activities and proposals, or want to hire a guide for any of these activities, you can count on Origin, sport and nature, mountain and nature guides.

Don’t hesitate, gather your family and friends, and get ready to enjoy some unforgettable days recharging your batteries in Villabellosa, in Villar de Plasencia.