Camarena de la Sierra, Spain: travel guide to the Javalambre mountain village and ski resort

Camarena de la Sierra is a small mountain village in the province of Teruel, in Aragón, set at around 1,294 metres in the Gúdar-Javalambre district of inland eastern Spain. Home to only about 150 people, it lies in the heart of the Sierra de Javalambre, whose peaks rise to just over 2,000 metres, and is the gateway to one of Aragón's main ski areas.

For travellers searching for Camarena de la Sierra, the Javalambre ski resort, the Sierra de Javalambre or mountain villages near Teruel, it offers winter sports, abundant springs and unspoilt highland scenery.

Mountains and skiing

Most of the Aramón Javalambre ski resort, opened in 1996, lies within the village's municipal area, its slopes rising to around 2,000 metres a short drive above the houses. In the warmer months the same mountains are a paradise for hiking, mountain biking and canyoning, set among pine woods and high pastures. Camarena is known as the "village of a hundred springs" for its many fountains, and two rivers rise within its territory.

History and sights

Above the village stand the ruins of a medieval castle of probable Moorish origin, restored in the 1980s, while the Baroque parish Church of San Mateo, dated 1677, preserves unusual sgraffito decoration, and the Mudéjar Hermitage of San Roque lies just outside the centre. The Salto de los Amanaderos waterfall and a small mineral-water spa add to the village's quiet appeal.

Practical information

Camarena de la Sierra lies about 30 kilometres by road from the city of Teruel, the provincial capital, reached via the Mudéjar motorway, and borders the province of Valencia to the south. The wider Sierra de Javalambre is also celebrated for its exceptionally dark, star-filled skies.