Serra de Montsant Natural Park

The Parliament of Catalonia approved its declaration as a natural park in 2002 with the aim of protecting its geological, biological, landscape and cultural values, respecting the sustainable development of its uses. The peak of Roca Corbatera at 1,163 metres is the highest point in the park.

A diverse and rich landscape, born from a complex orography, the confluence of several climatic regions and traditional agricultural uses. On the southern slope, the imposing rocky walls of the Cingle Major stand out powerfully. Above these, the mountain continues to ascend gently until reaching the Serra Major.

The Serra Major is a rocky area with little or no vegetation. It is accessed via the graus (most accesses to the Serra Major are made through what are known as graus, since there are several places where you have to overcome the difference in altitude by going over a step or a difficult step).

On the northern slope there is an area of ​​wild forests and deep ravines, which extends from the Serra Major towards the north. The western Montsant is a sector of deep ravines and scrub with pine forests that descend from the cliffs towards the Montsant river. The valleys of the Montsant and Siurana rivers are an area of ​​high ecological and aesthetic value. A unique and beautiful landscape

The Serra de Montsant Natural Park hosts a remarkable diversity of flora and fauna, shaped by its Mediterranean climate with sub-Mediterranean and eurosiberian influences. Its vegetation is dominated by holm oak and kermes oak forests, while small patches of oak groves and extensive pinewoods (Aleppo, Scots, and black pine) mark different elevations. Dense scrublands of rosemary, rockrose, and thyme, as well as juniper and boxwood communities, thrive on drier slopes and windy ridges. Humid valleys and ravines sustain riparian woodlands of poplars, willows, and ashes, together with lush undergrowth of ivy, bramble, and horsetail. Rocky cliffs and screes harbor specialized casmophytic vegetation, including numerous rare and endemic plants adapted to fissures and limestone outcrops.

The park’s fauna is equally rich, with one of the most diverse assemblages in Catalonia. Cliffs serve as nesting grounds for golden eagles, Bonelli’s eagles, peregrine falcons, and eagle owls, alongside swifts, swallows, and rock thrushes. Mammals such as wild boar, badger, genet, wildcat, and red fox occupy the forests and scrublands, while occasional Iberian ibexes roam the rocky areas. Amphibians like the salamander and common toad, reptiles including Montpellier snake and ocellated lizard, and endemic invertebrates in caves highlight the ecological variety. Rivers and wetlands shelter water voles, kingfishers, aquatic snakes, native fish, and the increasingly rare white-clawed crayfish. Agricultural landscapes further enrich this mosaic, attracting species adapted to human-altered habitats.

• 🌍 Park main Office and information point (Seu administrativa), Plaça de la Bassa, 1, Morera de Montsant (pnmontsant@gencat.cat), ☏ +34 977 827 310. F-Sa 9:00-14:00, 16:00-18:00, Su 9:00-14:00. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Cornudella Tourist office (Punt d'Informació del Parc a Cornudella), Comte de Rius, s/n , Cornudella de Montsant, ☏ +34 977 821 000, tur.cornudella@gmail.com. F-Sa 9:00-14:00, 16:00-18:00, Su 9:00-14:00. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Pratdip Tourist office (Oficina de Turisme de Pratdip i Punt d’Informació de la Serra de Llaberia), Plaça de l’Església, 1, 43320 Pratdip, ☏ +34 977 566 388, turisme@pratdip.cat. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Priorat Tourist office (Oficina d’Informació Turística del Priorat), Plaça de la Quartera, 1, 43730 Falset, ☏ +34 977 831 023, oit@priorat.cat. Daily 10:00-14:00. (updated Sep 2025)

• Get to Reus or Falset by train.
• Take a bus to desired destination village around the park

• Plana bus company, Carrer Colom, 29, 43001 Tarragona, ☏ +34 977553680. M-Su 8:00-22:00. (updated Sep 2025)

• AP-7 motorway (Barcelona-Valencia), exit Reus. Continue along the N-240 road towards Falset. In Les Borges del Camp take the C-242 road towards Ulldemolins.
• T-710. From Falset, towards Gratallops - la Vilella Baixa.
• N-230. From Lleida to the detour towards Granadella, towards Reus on the C-242
• T-701. From Prades, towards Albarca.

• Serra Major
• 🌍 Roca Corbatera. is a 1,163-meter mountain located in the municipality of La Morera de Montsant, Priorat. At its summit there is a geodesic vertex (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 El Pont Natural. It is a rock formation, which, as the name suggests, is a bridge carved into the rock by erosion. You can pass under it following the Camí de la Llibreria, but the best place to observe it is from los Ventadors. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 los Ventadors. cliff in Serra de Montsant Natural Park (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Congost de Fra Guerau. Gorge opened by the Montsant River between Ulldemolins and Margalef. It is 13 km of river course with a very well-preserved riverside ecosystem. Spectacular landforms. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Cadolles Fondes. Elongated and very deep pools at the confluence of the Gleva stream (which falls there in the form of a waterfall) with the Montsant river. A secluded space, but of great beauty. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 El balcó del Priorat viewpoint, Camí del Guixar, la Figuera. a small projection of the cliff with magnificent views of the Priorat region. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 lo Guixar. Lo Guixar is a 636-meter mountain. This site affords excellent views of the River Montsant valley. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Santa Llúcia cave (Cova de Santa Llúcia). It is a wide and shallow bay, used by man since ancient times, which took on a very important role during the Spanish Civil War when it became a hospital for the International Brigades who fought, in the summer of 1938, in the Battle of the Ebro. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Margalef reservoir (Pantà de Margalef). this is one of the Park’s most photographed and visited sites because of the large number of ravines that converge here. (updated Sep 2025)

• 🌍 Escaladei monastery (Cartoixa d'Escaladei). The Carthusian Monastery of Santa Maria d'Escaladei was founded in the 12th century by Alfonso el Casto and was the first Carthusian monastery in the Iberian Peninsula. Around 1203, thanks to the generous donations of King Peter the Catholic, they were located in their final location, in the desert of the Vall de l'Oliver, towards the interior of the mountain range. In 1215, they received the order from the Archbishop of Tarragona to leave the monastery to preach against the Cathar heresy that was spreading throughout Catalonia and Occitania. The 14th and 15th centuries are considered the golden age of the Carthusian order and are also the period of maximum construction of new monasteries in many countries: The Carthusian Monastery of Escaladei was one of the most important monasteries in Catalonia. The extensive heritage included many territorial possessions, with direct dominion over their villas and rustic properties, livestock, censuses of all kinds and other goods. At the end of the 16th century or at the beginning of the 17th century, a time of consolidation of its temporal domains, with great influence and prestige, the Carthusian Monastery of Escaladei began a major architectural reform. By the Mendizábal Decree of Confiscation of 1835, the monks were forced to abandon the monastery, expropriated from their lands. They took everything they could, but their famous library was dispersed throughout the Spanish territory. In 1992 it opened its doors to the public. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Santa Maria de Montsant hermitage, Grau de la Mare de Déu, la Morera de Montsant. It has its origins in the 12th century hermitage buildings. In medieval times it had an important devotion from the surrounding towns. In the past, pilgrimages and gatherings took place there at various times of the year. Numerous prayer processions are also known to have taken place asking for rain or other heavenly favors. The hermitage was built in 1161. Around 1450, a new building, the current one, was built near the cliff that marks the boundary of the municipality of Escaladei. In 1810, the French set fire to it. In 1835, it was abandoned and in ruins. At the end of the 19th century, the chapel was restored by Ramona Ballester. The gathering of the Virgin Mary takes place on August 17, a day when people from neighboring towns also come to the sanctuary. Mass is held there, which ends with the singing of traditional hymns to the Virgin Mary, and then there is a fellowship meal. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Sant Joan del Codolar, Camí de la Canal de Sant Joan de Codolar, Cornudella de Montsant (At the foot of the Montsant cliff). It seems that the original construction dates back to the 13th century. However, the first information corresponds to the 16th century, when the bell was blessed in 1509 and the temple was enlarged in 1571. In 1661 the hermit's house was blessed. In the meantime, the church had been endowed with altarpieces. At the end of the 18th century, coinciding with the construction of new temples in the Priorat, the hermitage was considerably expanded, probably demolishing part of the previous construction. In 1820 it was repaired again, after the French had damaged it in the French War. In 1877 the chapel was venerated, and in 1864 the steps of the presbytery were built and the altars were repaired. In 1936 the image of Saint John was protected in the Reus Museum and returned to the temple after the war. In 1977 Montserrat Domingo settled in the hermitage of Sant Joan del Codolar, and has lived there as a hermit since then. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Monestir de Santa Maria de Bonrepòs (Mas de Sant Blai). In 1170 Albert de Castellvell donated the area to Arnau de Salflores, who built a monastery in the eastern part of the town that was called "de Bonrepòs" and where several hermits from the surrounding area gathered. The Archbishop of Tarragona Ramon de Rocabertí authorized the establishment of a female community in the town in 1210, which moved to Bonrepòs in 1215 after the monks had moved to the new charterhouse of Poboleda. In 1462, the monastery was definitively abandoned due to the lack of nuns. After the dispute between Escaladei and Santes Creus in the mid-15th century, the building was granted to the Carthusian Monastery of Escaladei, which used it as a farm; The scattered goods, objects of worship and the archive were given to Santes Creus. In 1817 the Carthusians built a farmhouse on the remains of the monastery. Once it became private property, agricultural work continued until it was abandoned, apparently in the mid-20th century. Its use and ownership have since been ceded to ICONA, where it carries out reforestation work. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 La Pietat. resting place and oratory of the Carthusian monks. The construction was promoted by the Bishop of Urgell, monk and prior of the monastery. Initially, the chapel served the purpose of serving as a rest house and oratory for Catalan prelates. In the oratory there was an image of the Pietà which was the origin of the name given to the complex. It seems that it was converted into a farm and hermitage and that with the confiscation it became private property. It is currently abandoned (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Sant Pau de la Figuera (At the highest point of the Sant Pau mountain range. La Figuera). At the highest point of the Serra de Sant Pau. La Figuera. No data has been found regarding the creation of the hermitage, but it seems that it should be placed around the 16th century at least. It was probably in the 18th century that it was renovated, including the decoration and interior arrangement. There was a simple wooden altar, burned in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War. The images of the Mare de Déu de la Mola and Sant Pau are venerated in the hermitage. Pilgrimages are held there on January 15, May 15 and the second Sunday of August. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Mare de Déu de la Foia (At the foot of Montsant, in the so-called corner of La Foia. Cabacés.). The hermitage was built in the 16th century and initially dedicated to Saint Mark. It included the part that is today the presbytery and had an atrium, which was demolished to expand the church. It was under the care of a foreman and later a hermit. In 1873, when Maria de les Neus, wife of Alfonso de Borbón, brother of Charles VII, visited it, they wanted to honor the illustrious guests and the dedication of the image was changed, from Mare de Déu de la Foia to Mare de Déu de les Neus. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Sant Roc de Cabassers (Corner of Sant Roc (Cabassers)). The construction seems to date from 1594, the date shown on the portal. There had been the hermit's house and a small vegetable garden. The hermitage also had a porch, which disappeared during the course of works carried out at the end of the 20th century. The hermit lived there until 1872, when he moved to the village. It had had a wooden altar with a small altarpiece and the images of Saint Roch and Saint Sebastian, all of which disappeared during the Civil War. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Sant Salvador de Margalef hermitage. There is no information about the construction but, judging by the old troglodyte buildings that accompany it, its origin is indeed ancient. According to tradition, the nearby fountain was built by the monks of Escala Dei. It would not be strange if the hermitage had a similar origin, although there is no document to prove it. According to other sources, the construction of the hermitage can be dated to the 16th century. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Sant Antoni i Santa Bàrbara d'Ulldemolins ermitage. It seems that this hermitage has its origin in a very old hermitage, from before the colonization of those lands. Until the 15th century it was under the advocation of Santa Bàrbara but it changed ownership when Fra Llorenç Julià, a hermit, had an altar dedicated to Sant Antoni built in 1559 and to do so the building was expanded. In the 16th century it was the home of the hermit Jeroni de l'Albi. It was the subject of lawsuits between the municipality and the Carthusian Monastery of Escala Dei. In 1580, the hermit's house was expanded, which was rebuilt at the end of the 19th century and around 1960 it was transformed into a summer house. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Santa Magdalena d'Ulldemolins hermitage (Near the old road from Albarca to Margalef). Santa Magdalena, called the Cathedral of Montsant, is a hermitage in the municipality of Ulldemolins (Priorat) protected as a cultural asset of local interest. Santa Magdalena was founded by Fra Llorenç Julià. The plans are the work of Jaume Amigó, the same architect who had built the parish church of Sant Jaume, who took it as a model. The building was built around 1579 and at the same time a house was built in the hermitage. An attempt was made to install a convent in 1579 but the town did not authorize it. Between 1587 and 1599, the chapel was abandoned by order of the archbishop, the result of disputes between the municipality and the Carthusian monastery of Escaladei for the hermitage and the surrounding lands. During this time it was very damaged. Reopened to worship, the hermitage was enriched with altarpieces during the 18th century that were destroyed in the civil war of 1936. (updated Sep 2025)

• 🌍 Cavaloca bridge (Pont de Cavaloca). The time of construction is uncertain. The bridge is part of the road from Cabassers to Vilella Baix, separated from the route of the royal road, on which the Cabassers bridge is located, so that the connection between both constructions seems remote. The road is practically abandoned, like the bridge, located in a place of great beauty. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Old Bridge of Cabacés (Pont Vell). The origin of the bridge is uncertain. Some authors maintain that it is Roman, linked to possible roads that led from the Ebro to Tarraco. Others prefer to think of a medieval origin in connection with the wheat road from Aragon to Barcelona via the Ebro. The existence of stonemason marks and the good state of conservation suggest a medieval origin. Today it is still used by tractors. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Margalef oil Mill (Molí dels pobres), C. Molins. Margalef. The Poor's Mill is a building in the village of Margalef (Priorat) protected as a cultural asset of local interest. The Poor's Mill was the communal mill of the residents of Margalef. This mill was dismantled after the Civil War. In 1969, the residents of Margalef repaired the Poor's Mill to use it as a cinema. The stone sinks were found at the entrance to Carrer dels Molins in the place where the cinema had been and before the Poor's Mill. They are two sinks excavated in the rock with two cavities 1.30 m in diameter and 80 cm deep. This receptacle received the oil from the cofins - flat esparto baskets where the olives were placed. (updated Sep 2025)

• Parc Astronòmic Muntanyes de Prades ?

• long range
  • The GR-171 from Pinos Sanctuary to Caro mountain refuge crosses the park.
• local hikes

Climbing it's only allowed in designated areas. Check park website: Climbing areas

• Margalef Area:
  • Serrall dels domenges
  • Serrall de malango
• Cabaces area:
  • Les serranies
  • Serra dels solans
• Cartoixa d'Escaladei area
  • From punta del Codinals until La cingla Closa
• Cornudella de Montsant area
  • From Avenc del Pelroig until Collet de Miragüelos

There is a via ferrata located around the town of La Morera de Montsant, where you can enjoy a safe adventure in the middle of nature.

Technical characteristics

• Difficulty: medium (k3)
• Access time from the parking lot: 45 min
• Equipped section time: 1 h
• Return time to the parking lot: 1 h
• Total elevation gain: 250 m
• Bridges: 2 bridges of 4 and 15 m
• Escape routes: there are no escape routes during the equipped itinerary.
• Others: route can be secured with a rope system.
• Minimum mandatory approved equipment: helmet, harness and anchor kit with dissipator for via ferratas.

• cova de Santa Llúcia (la Bisbal)
• les ermites de Sant Bartomeu
• Sant Antoni i Santa Magdalena (a Ulldemolins)
• Sant Joan del Codolar (Cornudella)
• Mare de Déu de la Foia (Cabacés)
• Sant Salvador (Margalef)
• Sant Pau (la Figuera).

• 🌍 Santa Magdalena camping area (Àrea d'acampada de Santa Magdalena), ☏ +34 626 292 979. (updated Sep 2025)