Hiking in Extremadura
- Mark Eveleigh
- Mar 12
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 25
[This article is a re-written version of a feature that I was commissioned to write for the travel section of Guardian newspaper. The original version was nominated for the 'Consumer National Newspaper Sustainable Tourism Feature of the Year Award' at the 2025 Spain Talks Media Awards.]
The blistering sun glinted through the windows as the bartender slid a chilled glass of Cruzcampo across the metal bar. “Ocho meses de invierno, cuatro de infierno,” he muttered with a nod toward the heatwaves rising from the road outside.
“Eight months of winter, four months of hell.” It was how the people of Extremadura always summed up their harsh climate.
If you’re thinking of hiking through the remote steppes and forested hills that cut through this rugged land, timing is everything. Spring here is brief - a fleeting burst of wildflowers between the tail ends of winter and summer. But Autumn - that’s when the dehesa woodlands light up in fiery reds and oranges, making it the ideal season to explore on foot.
This remote region earned its 'extreme' reputation long before the Romans did their utmost to tame it with a chain of fortress cities along what has more recently become famous as la Via de la Plata - the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela. Not everyone can commit to the six or seven weeks it takes to walk the 1,000km from Seville to Santiago, but a weeklong trek through the wild landscapes and historic towns of Extremadura is more achievable and offers a compelling introduction to one of Spain's least explored areas.
I’d visited this region multiple times, but it wasn’t until 2022, during a coast-to-coast walk from Gibraltar to Estaca de Bares (the northernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula) that I truly came to appreciate the diversity of Extremadura. During that 1,225 km solo trek, I slept rough in hammocks or on the rocky ground, gathering material for my book, Vagabond: A Hiker’s Homage to Rural Spain.
I was captivated by the untamed hillsides, ancient cork forests teeming with deer, wild boar and the occasional lynx and the endless plains where the wind rippled the grass like an African savannah. Though I averaged 35km a day on that midsummer trek, I’d recommend an autumn hike instead - taking it much more slowly, enjoying the backcountry, and soaking up the best of rural Spain.
Mérida, easily reachable from Madrid by public transport, is the perfect starting point for a walk through Extremadura’s historic heart. With its small population of about 60,000, it’s hard to imagine that this quiet provincial city - once known as Emerita Augusta - was once home to a Roman garrison of 90,000 soldiers. The typical stage for pilgrims moving northward from Mérida is a relaxed 17km walk, so the first day is a gentle acclimatisation to the nomadic lifestyle with plenty of time to stop by and pick up a credencial (pilgrim’s passport) before leaving the city. This little document lets you stay in municipal albergues (dorm hostels) along the route.
The credencial (pilgrim’s passport) explained
The official Pilgrim Office states that a bona fide pilgrim is anyone who is travelling towards Santiago along a recognized pilgrim route and who wishes to make the pilgrimage 'with a Christian sentiment, even if it is only with an attitude of search'. This 'passport' typically costs 2-3 euros and you can pick one up at albergues or tourist offices along the route.
The Credencial has the purpose of identifying the pilgrim and has two main practical purposes:
1) access to hostels offered by the Christian hospitality of the Camino
2) to serve as certification in applying for the 'compostela' at the Cathedral of Santiago, which certifies you have made the pilgrimage.
Extremadura isn’t known for its beaches, but that made it all the more special when I stumbled across one less than two hours walk north of Mérida. Two weeks after leaving the coast at Gibraltar, I found myself enjoying a lazy afternoon of swimming, sunbathing and siesta-ing in my hammock at Proserpina Reservoir. Built by Roman engineers over two millennia ago, this tranquil spot with its dusty pines and whitewashed villas now feels more like a Greek island than an inland Spanish oasis.
Take your time here - resist the urge to rush back onto the trail and indulge in a long, leisurely lunch of chorizo and patatas at one of the two chiringuitos (beach bars) by the water. After all, just a few hours of hiking remain to the small village of Aljucén, where you’ll rest for the night.
The Extremadura section of the Via de la Plata must be one of Europe’s most affordable hiking routes. In Aljucén, for example, pilgrims can get a dorm bed in the Albergue San Andrés for just 12 euros, and a hearty menú del día in the local bar for only 10 euros. If you’re after a more comfortable upgrade, the Casa Romana Aqua Libera offers a 4-star experience, complete with functioning Roman Baths, which pilgrims can access at a discounted rate.
Over the next five days, the distances get a little longer as your stamina and fitness improve. From Aljucén, you’ll hike 19 km through the Sierra de San Pedro foothills to the town of Alcuéscar, where you can experience one of the most poignant aspects of the pilgrim tradition: the local monastery operates dorms on the donativo system, where pilgrims are simply asked to pay whatever they can afford.
The following day takes you on a gentle 26km descent to Valdesalor. There, you collect albergue keys from the village grocery store and settle in for the night. (If you prefer something a little more private, there’s also a posada with rooms). There's not a lot to see in Valdesalor, but getting an early start the next day will allow you to enter the walled city of Cáceres in time for breakfast. As you walk through the Portal del Río gateway - built in the 1st century - it’s easy to imagine the awe that medieval pilgrims must have felt when they first encountered these mighty citadels.
Having covered 73km from Mérida, Cáceres could be the natural stopping point for those content with a short three-day hike. But it would be a shame to bring things to an end here, just as the landscape ahead begins to grow even more breathtaking. For the next few days, the hike becomes more challenging, and the wilderness more raw.
The bandits have long since disappeared but, even today, walking the pilgrim route is far from carefree. There are long stretches of uninhabited hills, so it's crucial to plan ahead. For this reason, most pilgrims push on for an extra 11km beyond Cáceres to Casar de Cáceres. This little town, with its two albergues and a quirky Museum of Cheese serves as the launching pad for one of the most demanding days of the trek.
From Casar de Cáceres, it’s 33km to Cañaveral. The scenery is stunning, but these hills -scattered with remote and sometimes abandoned homesteads - are no walk in the park. Make sure you carry plenty of water (and perhaps a filter, since there are no refill points for several hours) and start early to avoid the midday heat. As the sun rises, you’ll feel the cool morning breeze and hear the soft scent of wild rosemary and thyme on the air. The trail you’re walking is an ancient Cañada Real, one of the historic migration routes used by Merino sheep herders in the Middle Ages.
Around five hours into your hike, the Alcántara Reservoir will offer a welcome opportunity for a swim. Then, three hours later, you’ll finally arrive in Cañaveral, a small village tucked away in a maze of narrow, shaded lanes. You’ll probably want to take it easy here and maybe rest for a day since the peaceful plazas, where storks clatter their beaks like tiles falling from a church steeple, have a romantic charm.
The final stage of your journey stretches 27 km through dense cork, chestnut, and oak forests, connected by wildlife corridors to Monfragüe National Park. As you descend towards the Río Alagón, you’ll pass fields of grazing bulls and black Iberian pigs searching for acorns.
Eventually, the fortress village of Galisteo rises on the horizon like a stone battleship. A few whitewashed buildings cluster at the foot of the fortress, reminiscent of a bow-wave.
On a sunny terrace, sipping Cruzcampo and savouring locally cured ham, you might celebrate the end of your 145km trek from Mérida. More likely, however, you’ll be daydreaming about the adventures that lie ahead - and the border country near Castilla y León, and continuing adventures even deeper into Spain’s wild heart.
Make it happen:
Fly into Madrid and catch a 4-hour train from Puerta de Atocha station to Mérida. From there you can walk to Cañaveral (118km) or Galisteo (145km). Then you can hop on a bus back to Cáceres and take another train to Madrid (about 3 hours and 15 minutes).
The Via de la Plata is easy to follow with yellow arrows or the scallop shell symbol marking the way. Most albergues have laundry facilities, so seasoned pilgrims usually travel light with just two sets of clothes.
www.caminodesantiago.me is an excellent advice forum for anyone planning a Camino and the Wise Pilgrim app is one of the most informative and accurate for on-the-spot information and seamless navigation.