Las Médulas, located in Bierzo, northwest of the Montes Aquilanos and along the valley of the Sil River, is a fantastic landscape resulting from Roman gold mining. This place has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Although no one would say that the steep cliffs hide, beneath their bowels, the gold of the Romans, the mining exploitation silenced for centuries has become a beautiful landscape of great tourist attraction.

Translated by

•

Frank Meister

June 20, 2024

Hiking

This landscape was created over 250 years by an estimated 60,000 slaves to supply the Roman Empire with around 1,650 tons of gold. A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Translated by

•

JakobusPilger

July 6, 2024

Hiking

When looking at the rock formations of LAS MEDULAS, one must remember that this landscape is not natural, but rather the (sad) remains of a mountain massif that was ruthlessly exploited for its gold ore as early as the Roman Empire. Nevertheless, this landscape of ruins is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A 15-minute film documentary about this (in German) is available in the ARD media library as part of the highly recommended series “Treasures of the World - Heritage of Humanity”:
zdf.de/swr/schaetze-der-welt/page-video-ard-las-mdulas-und-seine-goldminen-spanien-100.html

Translated by

•

In the know? Log-in to add a tip for other adventurers!

Routes here

Best routes to Las Médulas Roman Gold Mines

4.8

(71)

427

hikers

1. La Cuevona (Las Médulas) – Orellán Galleries loop from Las Médulas

7.26km

02:22

250m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Moderate

4.8

(52)

200

hikers

2. Las Médulas – Reirigo Cave loop from Carucedo

8.23km

02:55

300m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Moderate

4.8

(28)

169

hikers

3. Reirigo Cave – Orellán Galleries loop from Las Médulas

14.3km

04:19

410m

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Moderate

Details

Informations

Elevation 790 m

Weather

Monday 16 February

14°C

7°C

-- %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: -- km/h

Most visited during

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

See routes here

Take Me There

Add komoot as a preferred source in your Google results

Add now

Location: Carucedo, Bierzo, León, Castile and León, Spain

Other Popular Places to Check Out

Cueva La Encantada y La Cuevona

Bar Tapería O Camiño Real

Galerías de Orellán

Las Médulas

Cabaña Viña Los Almendros

Pico de Placias

Campo de Braña Picnic Area

Pumares Village on the Camino de Invierno

Las Médulas Rock Formations

View of the Mountains

Embalse de Campañana

Salto del Pelgo

Las Médulas Roman Gold Mines

1. La Cuevona (Las Médulas) – Orellán Galleries loop from Las Médulas

2. Las Médulas – Reirigo Cave loop from Carucedo

3. Reirigo Cave – Orellán Galleries loop from Las Médulas

Other Popular Places to Check Out

Sign up or log in to keep exploring this route

We value your privacy ⛰️

We value your privacy ⛰️