The Nacimiento del río Pitarque (Source of the Pitarque River) is more of a “renaissance“. The river rises in Fortanete and, at a certain point, it hides and reappears in a large spring known as “El Ojo de la Fuente“and can have a flow of up to 1,500 l/s. The water emerges, turning a course that has been practically dry until now into a river with an appreciable flow.
The site is well worth a visit, especially during the spring thawwhen water comes out of a rock called “the Chimney“, a wall spring around which the limestone rock has been growing, forming a tuffaceous building which is crossed by water when it flows after heavy rains, and when the waterfalls and the river environment are spectacular. It is worth walking the road to Nacimiento and admiring the flight of the large colony of vultures that inhabit the steep walls above the hermitage of the Virgen de la Peña.
How to get there
The Nacimiento del río Pitarque trail begins in the town of Pitarque and, following the signs, ascends until it reaches the hermitage of the Virgen de la Peña, where it enters the canyon of the river and continues along its left bank. At its headwaters, a bridge allows crossing to the right bank and access to the different springs that give rise to the river. It is 10 km round trip.
