El Salto del Gitano
It is almost a place of worship. It is the most famous viewpoint in Extremadura dedicated to bird watching.
Open map Torrejón el Rubio (Cáceres), España
This imposing rock formation on both sides of the Tagus River is the chosen nesting habitat of the griffon vulture.
If we talk about bird watching and Extremadura, the first place that comes to mind is the Salto del Gitano. This magnificent rock formation has it all for the visitor. A prepared viewpoint right next to the road where you will always find photographers and bird lovers observing the sky full of birds (especially the griffon vulture) with their binoculars. And a natural mountain range that breaks through the Tagus River (and the access road) and offers us a beautiful wild and wild natural scenery, jewel of the national park of Monfragüe, which invites us to relax and let ourselves be carried away by contemplation.
Legend has it
The unique name of this place is not causal, or so the legend says. It tells us about what happened more than 200 years ago. It seems that the authorities, a couple of civil guards with capes and tricorns, were chasing a gypsy, who lived hidden in this area and who had been involved in the robbery and murder of a merchant in a nearby town. The escape reached this rocky outcrop where the fugitive was cornered, high up on the rock face. With no escape possible, he opted to jump in order to cross to the other side. It is said that he did indeed succeed and that his feat was of such magnitude that one of the civil guards who was pursuing them was petrified with disbelief. Some locals are still able to distinguish his silhouette confused with the rock.
The bird lookout
The Tagus River takes advantage of the rupture to cross the mountain range that runs through the park. This same fault has been used to make the road pass through this same place. And in its path, the authorities have prepared a parking area and some great viewpoints from which to contemplate the birds that permanently fly over these rocky areas of more than 300 meters high. It will be rare not to find photographers from different countries equipped with tripods and huge lenses waiting for the moment to capture the photograph of some of these magnificent birds. Among them, we can see vultures, Egyptian vultures, imperial eagles or black storks. Quite a spectacle.