Blanca

Nature tourism

Blanca, the heart of the Ricote Valley

Blanca, the heart of the Ricote valley, shines among the lemon and orange groves. Its cobbled streets hold ancestral stories, where past and present intertwine. With its castle rising majestically, Blanca is a silent witness to times gone by. The Segura River meanders beside it, nourishing the fertile land that surrounds it with life.

In spring, its landscapes are dressed in lush green, while in summer they are tinged with gold under the scorching sun. Blanca, in its serenity, contains the very essence of Murcian beauty.

Places of interest

The viewpoints of Blanca offer views that seem to have been sculpted by the gods, with the Ricote valley stretching out at their feet like a green tapestry dotted with orchards and groves.

From the Mirador de la Peña viewpoint, you can contemplate the spectacle of the Segura river meandering through the mountains, while the Mirador del Castillo viewpoint provides an imposing perspective of the medieval fortress and the town at its feet. Stillness and majesty embrace at these vantage points, where time seems to stand still for visitors to immerse themselves in the natural beauty of the region. The viewpoints of Blanca are like windows into the soul of a valley that captivates with its ancestral charm.

Places of interest

Viewpoint of La Navela

Places of interest

Viewpoint of La Virgen

Places of interest

Alto Bayna viewpoint

Places of interest

Embalse viewpoint

Places of interest

Las Cuevas Botanical Park

Natural areas

Blanca, nestled between the Sierra de la Pila and the Ricote valley, offers a surprising biodiversity in its natural spaces.

The Sierra de la Pila, with its extensive woodland of Aleppo pine and holm oak, is home to a variety of fauna, from birds of prey such as the Bonelli's eagle to mammals such as wild boar and foxes. The riverside woods along the Segura river are home to kingfishers and otters, while the El Arenal river beach provides a haven of peace amidst the natural hustle and bustle. With its crystal clear water and wooded surroundings, El Arenal invites relaxation and direct contact with nature, making it an oasis of serenity in the heart of Blanca.

Natural areas

Sierra de la Pila

Natural areas

Flora and fauna

Natural areas

El Arenal river beach

Parks and leisure

In Blanca, parks and recreation are an essential part of local life, offering a variety of activities for all ages.

The Segura River is the perfect setting for rafting, where adventurers enjoy thrilling descents through natural landscapes. The Calisthenics Park is an ideal place to keep fit in the open air, with its bars and fitness equipment. In addition, Blanca has numerous hiking trails that wind through the Sierra de la Pila, offering breathtaking panoramic views and the opportunity to discover the natural richness of the surroundings. From gentle walks to challenging ascents, there are options for all levels of ability and taste. The parks and leisure activities in Blanca are the perfect combination for enjoying nature and staying active in a unique environment.

Adventure tourism

Rafting

Parks and leisure

Calisthenics park

Nature tourism

Routes

Viewpoint of La Navela

The Mirador de La Navela offers incredible views of Blanca, its reservoir and the surrounding natural environment.

It is a long but comfortable climb, which can also be done by bicycle, and once at the top we can enjoy the best views of the valley.

In the Office of Tourism and Local Promotion of Blanca we have a specific route to enjoy this area, it is the "Route of the Hermitage of San Roque and the Sierra de La Navela", as well as being also available with its navigation track in our mobile application "Blanca Corazón del Valle".

Care must be taken during the rainy season because of landslides.

Viewpoint of La Virgen

Situated at the top of the Sierra del Solán, the monument to the Virgen Blanca, enjoys a privileged position for the observation of the village of Blanca and its orchard as well as the Ricote valley from the Sierra del Oro to the Sierra del Solvente with the Blanca reservoir at its feet.

The sculpture, the work of Anastasio Martínez Valcárcel, is a 3.6 metre high carving in artificial stone dedicated to Our Lady the Virgin Blanca. It was erected in 1985 on the initiative of a group of Blanca residents who made the project and its financing possible.

Visible from all over the town, even at night thanks to its characteristic nocturnal illumination, it is a symbol of reference for the people of Blancos.

The "Route along the Cañada de Isidro and the Castle of Blanca", included in the routes section of the "Blanca Corazón del Valle" application, shows us how we can get to the foot of the monument and enjoy the panoramic views offered by one of the highest points in the municipality.

Alto de Bayna viewpoint

Recognised in El Viajero, a supplement of the newspaper El País, as one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the region and the peninsula, it is a platform built in 2004 that rises from a cliff and at its end is suspended in the air, several tens of metres above the Segura River, which passes just below.

Surrounded by mountains full of pine trees, it creates a captivating landscape of the town of Blanca and a myriad of small houses with their vegetable gardens and farm implements.

From the viewpoint it is easy to contemplate spectacular sunrises and sunsets, or many of the aquatic birds such as herons, ducks and others that inhabit this ecosystem, as well as wild boars that come down to the river from nearby fields.

It is a bucolic place to have a spectacular panoramic view of the heart of the Ricote valley.

With Blanca on one side and the Azud de Ojós reservoir on the other, the viewpoint is one of the best places to contemplate both places.

The Mirador del Alto Bayna has a large esplanade for vehicles.

Embalse viewpoint

A beautiful area for a quiet stroll away from the hustle and bustle of the city where you can go fishing, with good access by car and space to leave your car while you enjoy the peace and quiet among the trees on the banks of the Ojós dam.
The variety of animals that can be seen in this enclave makes it magical, especially when the moon is full.
With spectacular views, it is worth stopping to admire the scenery and take a walk with your pets.

Las Cuevas Botanical Park

The botanical park of "Las Cuevas" is a natural space with more than a hundred different plant species, intended for the interpretation and protection of the landscape, located in the heart of the Ricote Valley, in Blanca.

The Botanical Park of "Las Cuevas", in Blanca, offers citizens a surface area of 90,000 square metres, on the banks of the Segura River at its outlet to the Azud de Ojós, from where you can enjoy the natural environment along its entire length.

In the botanical park of "Las Cuevas", there are more than 2,000 metres available for walks and routes that allow any visitor to follow different scenic itineraries aimed at getting to know the biodiversity of the environment in depth.

With numerous walks and being so close to the city centre, the Botanical Park of "Las Cuevas" offers an ideal space for sporting activities such as running, cycling or fishing, among many others, as well as having a bio-healthy circuit inside, with different apparatus for more intense physical activity.

Open from 06:00 to 01:00 hours.

Sierra de la Pila

The Sierra de la Pila Regional Park is located in the northeast of the Region of Murcia in the municipalities of Abarán, Blanca, Fortuna and Molina de Segura, closing the Altiplano region to the south. Its enormous environmental, biological, geomorphological and cultural wealth, as well as its good state of conservation, more than justifies its protection.

In addition to being a Regional Park, it is also protected at European level: a Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) due to the presence of an important colony of choughs and a Site of Community Importance (SCI) due to the presence of thirteen habitats of Community interest, four of which are of priority interest.

This steep and rugged mountain range, whose highest point is La Pila peak at 1,265 metres, is little altered by humans, with few population centres in the immediate vicinity, with the small hamlets of La Garapacha and Fuente Blanca standing out.

Contact: sierradelapila@listas.carm.es

More information:
www.murcianatural.carm.es

Flora and fauna

Flora

The Sierra de la Pila stands out for its floristic richness, with some six hundred species represented here, of which there are numerous Iberian, Murcian-Almerian and Ibero-African endemisms.

The predominant tree is the Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), which in the shady areas forms dense forests accompanied by species such as juniper (Juniperus oxycedrus), kermes oak (Quercus coccifera), mastic (Pistacia lentiscus) and blackthorn (Rhamnus lycioides). In high shady areas there are strawberry trees (Arbutus unedo), cornicabra (Pistacia terebinthus) and black juniper (Juniperus phoenicea). Of great interest are the holm oak (Quercus ilex) formations on the summits, where the nun's cushion (Erinacea anthyllis) and the bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) also grow.

Poplar (Populus alba) and elm (Ulmus minor) grow in the more humid ravines.

On the sunny side, the forest is more open and we find plants adapted to the greater dryness and high temperatures, such as esparto grass (Macrochloa tenacissima), thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis).

Fauna

The good state of conservation of the Sierra de la Pila means that it is home to a wide variety of fauna. 

Of the more than one hundred species of birds, the red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), for which the sierra is an SPA, and birds of prey such as the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), buzzard (Buteo buteo), goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) and eagle owl (Bubo bubo) stand out. Other examples of birds are the rock thrush (Ptyonoprogne rupestris), black wheatear (Oenanthe leucura), great tit (Parus major) and crossbill (Loxia curvirostra).

Mammals include wild boar (Sus scrofa), genet (Genetta genetta), wild cat (Felis sylvestris), dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) and numerous species of bat. 

There is a wide variety of reptiles, such as the bastard snake (Malpolon monspessulanus), the Betic lizard (Timon nevadensis) and the long-tailed lizard (Psammodromus algirus). 

Finally, amphibians are poorly represented, although there are interesting species such as the spadefoot toad (Pelobates cultripes) and the common midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans). 

El Arenal Beach

The fluvial beach of "El Arenal" is one of the best known fluvial beaches of the Segura River. Used as a bathing area for more than 50 years, after its remodelling it welcomes every summer season hundreds of visitors who come to enjoy a refreshing swim in the Segura River.

The Arenal Fluvial Beach has an area with tables and a beach bar, so that bathers do not miss any aspect that any other beach could give them when it comes to personal or family relaxation.

The more experienced can take to the waters from El Arenal to El Embarcadero del club de Piragüismo, another place to soak in the river as it flows through Blanca, discovering the richness of the natural surroundings that can only be seen from within the Segura River itself.