Welcome
Welcome to the Virtual Tour of the Viñas de Peñallana visitor centre, located in the Sierra de Andújar Natural Park, in the province of Jaén. Here you will be able to discover the assets of this Natural Park within the framework of the Network of Protected Natural Areas of Andalusia (RENPA).
In this centre, the visitor can find a central space where the reception and the Natural Space shop converge, where they will be attended to and where they will have the chance to buy a product or two related to the environment, and also an area with information about the Network of Protected Natural Areas of Andalusia (RENPA). The building also has a meeting, exhibition and events room, where an audiovisual on the merits of the Natural Space is also screened.
There is a permanent exhibit in the main area of the Centre, whose theme revolves around the Mediterranean mountain and the biodiversity in this mountain range. At the end of the tour, a visit to the gardens allows the visitor to learn about the indigenous flora.
Those visitors who would like to expand their knowledge of this natural enclave or learn more about the Network of Protected Natural Areas of Andalusia, can visit the RENPA area or enjoy the audiovisual on the Sierra de Andújar Natural Park in the screening room.
In these links you can find more information about this Protected Natural Area with downloadable material such as trails, opening hours, how to get there, map with all the facilities for public use, etc.
Viñas de Peñallana Visitor Center: lajunta.es/3p0gt
Sierra de Andújar Natural Park: lajunta.es/3sq8p
Complete your visit with ecotourism experiences with local companies. You can check the offer at the following link: ecoturismoandaluz.com
For activities aimed at the educational community, associations of people with functional diversity and local population, you can access through the link: reservatuvisita.ecoturismoandaluz.com
Sierra de Andújar Natural Park
The Sierra de Andújar Natural Park lies in the heart of the Sierra Morena mountains. It protects a vast extension of territory covered by a Mediterranean forest, inhabited by a rich and varied fauna with species as outstanding as the Iberian lynx, the black vulture and the Iberian imperial eagle.
A beautiful series of scenery shows us the richness of life in the Mediterranean mountain, where we can experience the aroma of the rockrose or step inside a wolf lair.
A world to discover
The Sierra de Andújar, which forms part of the Sierra Morena mountain range, offers panoramic landscapes covered by lush Mediterranean vegetation or spectacular riversides, such as those of the Jándula and Yeguas rivers.
Mediterranean mountain, a haven of life
Its mountains and dehesas ('man-made' ecosystems characterised by a savannah-like physiognomy) are home to a rich and varied wildlife, which includes big-game species, such as deer and wild boar, as well as a diverse variety of birds of prey and carnivores, like the wild cat and the mongoose.
Biodiversity and uniqueness
The wealth of Iberian species that inhabit the Sierra de Andújar Natural Park and their singularity makes this a hot spot for Mediterranean and Iberian biodiversity.
The Region and the Park
Through a tactile model and with the support of three panels, you will be able to feel the relief, recognise the different environmental units and visit the Park’s villages.
Interpreting its landscapes
A magnificent mosaic of life where the Mediterranean forest and the riverside forest, little altered landscapes, alternate with meadows and pine forests, landscapes that are more humanised. This is where you will find bush formations, growing in the poorer quality soil, or has suffered from fires in the past.
Exploring the villages
Andújar, Villanueva de la Reina, Baños de la Encina and Marmolejo enrich this territory with their cultural and historical heritage, their artisan products and their crops on the plains and countryside.
Lynx territory
Some spectacular scenery shows us the valuable riverside ecosystems and the habitat of the Iberian lynx. You will also be able to discover much more about the fauna and flora that is so characteristic of this habitat.
The lynx and the Sierra de Andújar Natural Park, one of its last remaining refuges
The Iberian lynx is a medium-sized feline, endemic to the Iberian Peninsula and a specialist in hunting rabbit. The loss and fragmentation of its habitat, traps, snares, shots and being killed by passing traffic, together with the reduction of the rabbit populations, its main source of food, have made this beautiful species almost extinct. In the Sierra de Andújar one of the best viable populations of the Iberian lynx is maintained, which has served as support to the conservation programme of the species in the Iberian Peninsula in recent decades.
The vegetation of the Natural Park
Rivers and riverside forests
The park's river habitats are home to a great diversity of unique species of fauna such as the Iberocypris palaciosi (known locally as bogardilla), the otter and the black stork. In addition, its banks are home to the riverside forests, where willows, ash trees, alder, buckthorn and oleanders grow.
Flowers and fruit, beauty in the Park’s mountains
A panel invites us to learn about and identify some of the flower species in the Sierra de Andújar, and they can also be seen growing in a small garden inside the Centre: strawberry tree, wild jasmine, butcher's-broom and myrtle.
The park and humankind: a shared history
Through the panels and sensory elements in this area you will discover a sample of the cultural heritage and the main traditional activities that are developed in this natural space.
Since ancient times, the Park has provided valuable natural resources to the peoples who have settled on its territory and have left a notable legacy from cave paintings to burial sites, sanctuaries, etc. An interactive screen invites us to discover more about the history, culture and exploitation of the Sierra’s resources.
The traditional uses of the forest, such as hunting, cattle raising, cork extraction or bee-keeping, are integrated into the culture of this mountain range and form part of the sustainable development of the Mediterranean mountain.
The sustainable development and conservation of natural resources are the objectives of the managers that work in this natural area.