Calares del rio mundo

sierra del segura

This area contains a karst of extraordinary development and richness in form, as well as a great botanical and landscape diversity and an excellent degree of conservation of its ecosystems. It is of exceptional importance from the point of view of the conservation of the geological heritage, biodiversity and landscape of Castilla-La Mancha.

It has a very rich endokarst in the complex called “Cueva de los Chorros”, with more than 85 explored cavities. The cave that gives its name to the complex stands out, which in terms of its extension is considered the first cave in the southern half of the peninsula and the eighth in the Iberian Peninsula.

route of don quixote

2º Mundo river basin, located to the north of Calar del Mundo and Sierra del Cujón, and with a general orientation of shade.  This is the area with the greatest presence of hardwoods, which gives it a greater diversity and color. Apart from this, it has the geological formation of the “Hueco de los Chorros” and the source of the Mundo river, spectacular in itself.

4º Guadalimar river basin: It is located to the northwest of the Park, its landscape is dominated by pine forests and mixed forests in the lower parts of pines and oaks, and the town of Cotillas with its castle on the top gives the contrast and the note of color.

5º Segura river basin with the mass of the Calar de la Sima in the background that reaches 1,897 m of altitude in the Mentiras peak, almost always snowed in winter time. The limestone escarpments stand out in the higher parts, pine forests of black pine in the middle, and the mountain villages with their cultivated areas interwoven into the landscape.

It is also important in the Park and its area of influence, the ethnological, historical and cultural value, by the harmonious integration of the villages and towns in the environment, and the presence of elements such as wash houses, mills, pontoons, churches, old watchtowers from the time of the Encomienda de Santiago, etc..

tourism sierra del segura

The surface of this Park is distributed between the municipalities of Cotillas, Villaverde de Guadalimar, Vianos, Riópar, Molinicos and Yeste, and also between two great hydrographic basins, that of the Segura (here is the source of the Mundo, its main tributary) and that of the Guadalquivir (in Villaverde is the source of the Guadalimar river, one of its main tributaries).

This territory, located at an average altitude of about 1200 m, has an abrupt orography, with some of the highest peaks of the province, such as the Mentiras, in the Calar de la Sima and with 1896 m, and the Pico Argel with 1699 m or the Cerro Viboreros with 1657 m, both in the Calar del Mundo.

But this is only the surface. Beneath it and on a much larger scale, a colossal subway network of conduits, caverns and galleries collects and transports rainfall to numerous aquifers, conduits and siphons, coming to the surface in the form of springs, fountains or waterfalls of almost 100 meters high as Los Chorros del río Mundo, the best known place in the Park and the first protected area declared in this area, in 1998, with the name Refugio de Pesca de los Chorros del río Mundo (Fishing Refuge of Los Chorros del río Mundo). It was protected not only for its great scenic or tourist value, but also for its excellent biological resources.

parque natural de los calares del mundo y de la sima

Es único por el patrimonio paisajístico, geológico y de biodiversidad del Parque Natural. Además de la cabra montés y de las numerosas especies de aves rapaces que habitan en él, destaca su riqueza florística con especies propias de zonas más septentrionales que buscaron aquí refugio durante la época glacial.

El paisaje se estructura en torno a cinco grandes unidades: El Calar del Mundo es una meseta de plataforma de 22 km. de longitud por una media de 5-6 km. de anchura, que presenta altas vertientes meridionales que vierten sus aguas al río Tus y al noreste, donde nace el río Mundo.  El valle del río Tus discurre entre el Calar del Mundo y de la Sima, describiendo un profundo cañón de 4 km. de longitud.  El Calar de la Sima se sitúa en la zona sur y culmina en el pico más alto del Parque Natural -Mentiras-, con 1.897 m. En el Noreste, se encuentra laSierra del Cujón, separada del Calar del Mundo por el arroyo de la Celada. El río Vega describe un valle mucho más amplio que el resto de los cursos fluviales de la zona norte del Parque Natural.