Casas de Don Pedro lies on the Guadiana near the Orellana Reservoir. Waterbird habitats, long-distance hiking trails and local traditions offer different perspectives on the town. You can plan your visit around whether nature and views, longer trails, or architecture and festival culture are your priority.

Landscape along the Guadiana and the Orellana Reservoir

An area of the Orellana Reservoir associated with Casas de Don Pedro is designated as the ZEPA de Orellana y Sierra de Pela because of its waterbird habitat. Birdlife varies by season. On clear days, El Punto de Mira offers views of the region’s castles and inland reservoir landscapes. At the Mirador del Azud de Casas de Don Pedro, the focus is instead on the weir and the waterbirds found there.

The Mirador del Azud can be reached by taking the road from Casas de Don Pedro towards Talarrubias, then following the Canal de las Dehesas track, and finally taking a path. As access involves local tracks and paths, and conditions may change seasonally, check conditions before setting out. Another point of interest in the landscape is Risco de Valdehornos, which is connected to the Fuente de Valdehornos spring in the surrounding valleys.

Hiking trails on different scales

The Camino Natural del Guadiana corresponds to the GR 114: the route is 343 kilometres long in total and divided into 24 stages. It passes explicitly through Casas de Don Pedro. These figures describe the long-distance trail as a whole; check local access before setting out on a walk.

Another pilgrimage route is the Camino de los Mineros de Peregrinación a Guadalupe. It covers 124 kilometres and has five stages. One 14-kilometre stage runs from Talarrubias to Casas de Don Pedro. The area is therefore connected both to a long-distance trail that passes through the town and to a specific stage of a pilgrimage route.

Churches, chapels and townscape

The Iglesia de San Pedro Apóstol dates from the late 14th century. This Gothic building is made of masonry and brick, and its tower is designed in the Mudéjar style. Another religious landmark is the Ermita de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, a 16th-century Mudéjar chapel containing a sculpture of the Virgin to whom it is dedicated. The parish altar in Casas de Don Pedro is a distinctive artistic feature in its own right: it dates from the second half of the 16th century and is gilded, polychromed and classified as Plateresque.

The townscape also offers architectural points of interest. The vernacular architecture includes manor houses with wrought-iron grilles and coats of arms. In the town centre, you can also find the sculpture “Ayuda al caído” by Juan de Ávalos. The Ermita del Calvario is part of a historic pilgrimage tradition: pilgrims travelling to Guadalupe used to visit it.

Festivals, crafts and regional cuisine

Several festivals bring their own character to the calendar. Las Candelas is celebrated on 2 February with a procession following a large Candelilla, a traditional local sweet. The festival of Corpus Christi includes the tradition of Los Diablucos. At the procession for the patronal festival of the Virgen de los Remedios, an Abanderado, two Alabarderos and a Capitán take part; they perform a ritual at several stops along the way. Carnival features Murgas and Estudiantinas.

The Romería de San Isidro Labrador takes place on 15 May. It includes a procession with floats to the banks of the Guadiana, followed by celebrations throughout the day. The Nueva Ermita de la Virgen de las Vegas, also known as San Isidro, is located by the Guadiana on the road to Talarrubias. Weaving is another part of local tradition, including patchwork blankets, bedspreads known as “ruedas y codos”, and dyed linen textiles.

The cuisine also reflects local traditions. It includes home-butchered products, Migas, Ajoblanco and Calderetas, as well as sweets and pastries such as Flores, Candelillas and “Bollos de los Santos”. The artisan bakery Tahona de Juan makes bread and other baked goods entirely by hand in a wood-fired oven. Together, the landscape, trails, architecture, festivals and cuisine offer a variety of reasons to consider Casas de Don Pedro as a travel destination.

Discover more destinations: La Zarza, Villanueva De La Serena, Villanueva del Fresno, Malcocinado, Don Benito, Puebla De Sancho Pérez, Táliga, Malpartida de la Serena.

For the wider travel overview: Badajoz.