Arribes del Duero Natural Park, located in Los Arribes, is a protected natural area between Salamanca and Zamora, alongside the Portuguese frontier.
Its name comes from the words “arribes,” “arribas” and “arribanzos” used in León to designate the geomorphology of the rivers Águeda, Duero, Esla, Huebra, Tormes and Uces that is characteristic for presenting two differentiated zones, a depression and elevational zone. So, arribes are the slopes located in both sides of the river.
The biggest and most profound cannons in Castilla y León were made due to the watercourse of Duero river, which meets with the frontier between Spain and Portugal. Los Arribes’ relief belongs to Zócalo Paleozoico and it is mainly made of granites and granodiorites.
Factors such as the great slope of the land, the high discharge water of the Duero river and the great amount of rivers that disgorges into it make this place to have one of the strongest hydroelectric power in Spain. Due to this, a network of dams and reservoirs, known as Saltos del Duero, were created. Furthermore, this peculiar relief is the main cause for the unusual Mediterranean microclimate which benefits a great variety of vegetation and makes it the perfect shelter for wildfire species, especially birds.
Due to its frontier location, with very few facilities and away from urban areas, a process of depopulation took place which favored the conservation of a large historical, cultural and natural heritage. What is more, some pioneers projects have been submitted during the last years due to foundation of the natural park. This has proved that is necessary to preserve and boost its natural habitat, heritage and sociocultural traditions, which is the main driving force for its economy.
Two must visit places in this area are the cannon of Uce river, where one of the most beautiful and breathtaking waterfalls in Spain can be seen: Pozo de los Humos. Also, Fermoselle villa, whose remains of its walls and Asunción church’s Romanesque façade are worth a visit.
Image of the Pozo de los Humos
In 2002, Junta de Castilla y León incorporated Arribes del Duero to its network of natural parks. Something the Portuguese govern had already done in 1998, under the name of Duero Internacional Natural Park. In 2015, both parks were included in the Man and Biosphere (MaB) program by UNESCO under the name of Meseta Ibérica, along with other protected areas from both countries, being the natural parks of Sanabria lake and Montesnho (Portugal) the most important.
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