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Discover a great trip through the Riotinto Mines in a motorhome: a landscape that has even fascinated Netflix!
If you don't have a motorhome or camper and you have to rent, a little gift before continuing:
Roadsurfer, camper rental professionals, has given us a gift for you! We do not charge any commission if you reserve a Roadsurfer camper, but in this case the discount they give you I think is very worth it for you, so we leave it here in case it helps you:
Road surfers you are going to deduct 80 euros in your camper rental if you reserve it through this link and enter the CODE: KUCAVANA80
About @camperpian
We are a family from Huelva made up of two Antonios and 2 Pilares ;). We have been traveling in an L3H3 van camperized by the guys at GlobalVans since September 2019.
They delivered the van to us just at the end of that summer and we tried to squeeze it as much as we could until the mandatory break for everyone arrived. So we still have infinite destinations to discover... You can follow our adventures on our Instagram profile @camperpian.
Meanwhile we escape every time we can around the province to try to get to know it as well as possible. At the same time we work on the Blog of camperpian.com where we share each route, each corner, each activity, each place that we discover on our land, so that it can serve as an inspiration to other travelers. Huelva is a great unknown and has much to show us.
Minas de Riotinto by motorhome: today we are going to share with you an activity that has just been inaugurated (last December 2021) in one of the most touristic points of our province: Minas de Riotinto. And it's almost a space trip...
Will you come with us to Mars?
Riotinto mines by motorhome: discover the mining basin!
The Mining Basin is a region located between the Costa de la Luz and the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche; to the East of the province of Huelva and then to the Andévalo region. The good communication between it and the bordering regions (a scant hour from both Huelva and Seville) favors its geotourism appeal, (we are in the middle of the Pyrite Belt, whose mineralization has made it the most important copper and pyrite exploitation throughout Europe and one of the largest in the world).
Pioneers in industrial tourism
These lands are characterized by open pit mines and operations: Peña del Hierro, the majestic Corta Atalaya and Cerro Colorado, the only one that is still in use and working. Its exploitation, for more than 5.000 years, favored the settlements and the continuous presence of numerous peoples with the aim of searching for this highly appreciated mineral. And did you know that in this region we have the first industrial tourism destination in all of Spain? The Rio Tinto Mining Park.
The Riotinto Mines by motorhome, well worth a trip!
Riotinto mines, the English legacy
The British legacy in the province of Huelva comes from the 80th century. For more than XNUMX years, a strong commercial relationship with the English was maintained. At the time of the First Spanish Republic, the national government sold the exploitation of the millenary Rio Tinto mines to the English company Riotinto Company Limited, also known as "The Company". It was an important English company and one of the economic powers of the time. Many English people created a small colony in the Huelva mining basin in the XNUMXth and early XNUMXth centuries, bringing their culture and many advances in medicine, as well as tennis and football.
Did you know that on December 18, 1889, at the headquarters of the Riotinto Company Limited in Huelva (the current Casa Colón), a meeting took place that would mark a milestone in the history of Spanish sport? That day the Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, the first football and tennis club in Spain, was formalized.
Same if you are a movie lover, All the enclaves you visit during your route remind you of scenes from Antonio Cuadri's famous film “El Corazón de la Tierra” (2007), nominated for the Goya Awards and chosen Best Film at the Miami Film Festival. This film was based on the homonymous novel by the writer from Río Tinto, Juan Cobos Wilkins. It is inspired by Spain at the end of the XNUMXth century, where one of the key episodes of the Huelva contemporary stage took place: the “Year of the Shooting” strike and the relationships created in the Mining Basin between the workers of the mines and the Riotinto Company Limited.
Now that we are located, let's return with our trip to the Riotinto Mines in a motorhome...
Accessibility and overnight in motorhome
The town of Minas de Riotinto is located 87,5 km from Seville capital and 70,8 km from Huelva. As we have already mentioned, its good communication with nearby towns favors tourist visits.
In the town we do not find any motorhome area with complete services. But if we have in the environment:
– A Lukoil gas station with a water loading and unloading service. In El Campillo, a neighboring town 3,5 km. (37.69222631064543, – 6.633023686928868).
– In Valverde del Camino (if you come from Huelva on the N-435 and 26 kilometers away): free public area with water loading and unloading services. (37.58144119298008, -6.751578444602818)
– And towards the Sierra de Aracena, we would have the El Madroñal campsite in Fuenteheridos (37.904254856472626, -6.672640302264225).
Options to rest
For the overnight stay in a motorhome in Minas de Riotinto we have the possibility of staying parked at the entrance of the town in a parking lot next to the local dog park and next to the Civil Guard. The street is Avenida Gregorio García Cardoso (37.69631702204723, -6.59732628635297). This is the site that we have chosen to spend the night. To date there have been no prohibitions in this regard, in fact it is very common to find motorhomes and vans parked.
You can also do it in the two car parks offered by the Peña del Hierro Mine (37.72389619122867, -6.556223999916364) and the railway station (37.68903831547791, -6.560972604589001).
What can you visit in the Rio Tinto Mining Park?
The first thing we recommend on your trip to the Riotinto Mines in a motorhome is that you visit their website from where you can buy tickets to the different tourist attractions available. To get the most out of the trip and go without stress, we recommend that the visit be at least two full days.
Mining Museum
Highly recommended to get an idea of the entire history of more than 5.000 years of the region. It is located in the old building of the Hospital de La Compañía. You can see different railway elements, mining tools, archaeological remains, but what my children liked the most was the recreation of a Roman mine. You can visit it on foot in an easy (and very dark) route and with explanations throughout the journey.
I was very impressed by the mythical wagon of "El Maharajá". You can access the Museum's car park with your vehicle, but you may find that the few spaces are occupied or that it is difficult to maneuver if it is full. We do park in the museum itself. You always have the option of leaving your vehicle in the overnight parking that we have mentioned and going up to the Museum on foot (about 15 minutes).
House 21 of the English Quarter
Walking through the Barrio de Bella Vista is like teleporting to any English neighborhood. You can visit Casa 21 which is another section of the Museum. It is a house in which even the smallest detail is taken care of, so that you can perfectly imagine the lifestyle and customs of the upper class of the staff of the Riotinto Company Limited.
Personally, it makes me quite impressed to see those houses and walk through their streets until I reach the "Council House", a mansion that is currently abandoned. It was the first house built in Bella Vista and was inhabited by the governor. (We tell you more details of it in this Instagram post)
The Bella Vista neighborhood is just across the road by the pedestrian crossing next to the Civil Guard barracks (next to the parking lot for the night).
The Riotinto Mines in a motorhome are an incredible experience!
Peña del Hierro Mine
Visit an authentic mine, crossing galleries and wearing the necessary helmets for safety until you reach the Peña del Hierro open-pit mine. They have a small interpretation center where you can learn part of the history (very interesting) and the environment is worthy of being photographed for its beauty. Several hiking trails leave from the area, so if you go with time, you can do some of them.
To get to the mine you have to leave Minas de Riotinto on the way to Nerva, 9,5 km away. The exact point where it is located is this (37.724154476672815, -6.555982973434046). There are no parking problems in the area. There are even vehicles that spend the night in this car park.
Atalaya Short Mine
Visitable again for a few months. We have the opportunity to get to know one of the world's leading mines. It is probably a picture that is familiar to you (especially from some history books). It stands out for its solemn magnitude and spectacular nature. It has an ellipsoidal shape, with an axis that measures 1.200 meters and another less than 900 meters. Did you know that “those steps” that you see from above are 12 meters high and 10 to 15 meters wide? I invite you to try to find among them an old locomotive, which at first glance is the size of any pram.
Awesome!
To visit it, you leave the Museum's own parking lot. There is a guide car that indicates the way. All visitors in their own vehicles and in a small caravan, access the site behind the guide car. It is very close to the parking lot at the entrance where you can spend the night. If you cannot access the Mining Museum car park with your vehicle, I advise you to discuss it with the guides at reception so that they agree with you how to do it.
mining railway
Undoubtedly, riding in a train of original wagons and machines is a gift for the senses, especially considering the route through the landscapes that the old mine left in the surroundings and on the banks of the river. During the journey one of the guides of the Mining Park will tell you all the details. Pay attention because it's worth it! The train arrives at Los Frailes station (El Campillo stop) where it stops for a few minutes to stretch your legs and be able to get closer to the very shore of the Tinto River and of course, photograph the surroundings.
As a curiosity I can tell you that the railway line that connects the Riotinto mines with the port of Huelva was built and owned by La Compañía. They also carried out the construction works of a mineral dock to facilitate the unloading and transport of the material extracted by sea. This pier is located on the Odiel River (although its name is the Muelle del Tinto) and it is a very typical and well-known image of our capital. You can find more information on this topic in this Instagram post.
Mars on Earth
And we have left for the end the last activity launched by the Rio Tinto Mining Park and that has undoubtedly surprised us very positively. We can also affirm that for the smallest of the house, it has been the most special and the one that they liked the most. It is "Mars on Earth".
The Riotinto Mines by motorhome are, without a doubt, a spectacular destination.
For both activities you have to reach the same point. There is no accessibility problem, they have numerous parking spaces in two areas and it is common to see large vehicles in the parking lot. The station is located halfway between Minas de Riotinto and Nerva (37.68851557304334, – 6.5601867892004915).
The official presentation has been at FITUR of this year, but it has really been running since mid-December 2021. It is a circuit of about 80 minutes, in which we travel on a train of tires through a new route that has been prepared. Until today it is only available on Fridays and Saturdays (you can check it on the web).
With this new tourist product, the aim is to make accessible to the public the landscape enclaves most similar to the planet Mars, in addition to the main points where work has been carried out by national and international organizations related to research and preparation of space missions (the NASA, INTA, ESA, CSIC and the Autonomous University of Madrid).
Knowing the Riotinto Mines in a motorhome will leave you with your mouth open!
The Train Ride: Fascinating!
The first thing that draws a lot of attention during the tour is a large yellow plain. It is the area used for all the tests of the missions to Mars, both tests of suits and robots. Riotinto is one of the most analogous terrestrial environments in geochemical and mineralogical composition to the red planet. That is why it is used for different scientific and technological tests related to missions to our neighboring planet.
two stops
There are two stops on the train ride:
1. On the Red Earth: we walk through a Martian station, next to an astronaut and near a spaceship about 5 meters high. You will also be able to photograph the real-size replica of the Discovery rover. Take a look at the photos to realize that traveling to the Riotinto Mines in a motorhome is an unforgettable experience!
2. And by the Great Black Wall, another zone of sediments that form that enormous dark mass next to which the train passes. It is a strategic point for moviegoers, since scenes from series and movies have been recorded in this environment, such as the recently released "Fair" by Netflix.
During the tour, the guide explains how the area that is crossed has been formed: the remains of mineral residues (from the old waste deposit of the copper container), have been accumulating for decades in the different layers that are observed and differentiated with the naked eye by their color:
- A grayer (sulfuric acid)
- Another reddish (Gossan, to extract gold and silver)
- And another yellow (from the treatment of coppery minerals).
The reuse of the upper layer (the yellow one) and the effects of erosion over the years, made possible the Martian landscape that you can see during the tour. The range of colors that appear before your eyes will undoubtedly impact your retinas: contrasts of the blue sky, the green of the surrounding nature, the reddish and yellow of the surface...
A magical and unique place in the world to visit with the family and let your imagination fly, enjoying attractive historical, nature and tourist-industrial activities. Do not miss the Riotinto Mines in a motorhome!
What we liked the most and the least
If you go as a family and with children, the activities that we recommend you do not miss are:
– The visit to the museum (you have the option of buying an audio guide on the web that you must ask for at the entrance of the museum).
– The route of the railway.
– The “Mars on Earth” activity.
The visits to both mines are also very interesting, but it is true that if they are small children they will hardly appreciate what is being explained to them (but it is a sight to see!). What we like least is that the tickets are sold by closed packages and it may be that you want to do some activities and not others or combinations of them that are not currently contemplated.
For example: The Museum and the visit to the 21st House are included in all the packages (except one) and you may find that you have double tickets (as happened to us when we visited the Short Atalaya and Marte on Earth, activities that were not available on our June 2021 visit and had to be purchased separately). This is our recommendation to visit the province of Huelva at this time. Write down this incredible destination in your agenda: the Rio Tinto Mines in a motorhome.
We hope you liked it and encourage you to visit us. And if you do, don't forget to tag us on RRSS!
