The Areny, the red country

Where time shapes the landscape

Let yourself be captivated by the Areny, a place where the earth tells stories from 250 million years ago. Its red rocks, shaped by time, have borne witness to prehistory and the passage of the first inhabitants. A unique landscape that transports you to another time, with views that embrace the Baix Camp and paths full of mystery.

Immerse yourself in this experience through the Mare de Déu de la Roca hiking route, crossing the Clot de l’Areny and the Cova Foradada. A journey between nature and history that invites you to move, explore, feel, beat…

The mountain of Areny is a gift of nature. When you visit it, you have the feeling of being in a special, unique place. The red and fanciful shapes of the rock transport you to a distant world.

It is a small Mediterranean treasure inhabited during prehistoric times and a source of inspiration for geniuses such as Joan Miró. Few places in Catalonia have landscapes of such beauty and uniqueness. This is given by the geology of the place and also by the vegetation that develops there, associated with the rock formations. The mountain of La Roca, where the hermitage of the Mare de Déu de la Roca sits, is integrated into the mountain of Areny. The Areny, 390 meters above sea level, is also a splendid viewpoint of the Costa Daurada.

On the Triassic materials of the Buntsandstein, almost 250 million years ago, with conglomerates and siliceous sandstones, red soils of considerable geological and landscape interest have been formed. They are cliffs and blocks of rock that, with the erosion of wind and water, take on unique reliefs. In the 40s of the last century, large quantities of red sand, the result of millenary erosion, were removed to be used to make glass.

The natural vegetation is far from what we can find in neighboring mountains. Siliceous soils only allow the development of species that support the acidity of the rock. This is the case of the coastal holm oak, quite common in the Areny, the cork oak, which appears in some places, the pine forests, which like to live in the Clot de l’Areny, as well as shrubs such as mastic, very common, and the albaides, a rupicolous plant that announces spring forming large yellowish mantles. Note how the siliceous soils are covered by vegetation associated with the acidity of the rock, while the calcareous soils are occupied by Aleppo pine forests. In addition, the Areny stands out for presenting a wide variety of lichens, among which very rare species have been identified, unique in Catalonia. Lichens indicate good environmental quality.

The chromaticism of the place formed by the red of the rock and its shadows, the green of the holm oaks and pine forests and the yellow of the albaides in spring gives the whole complex a unique landscape singularity on the Costa Daurada. It was listed as an Area of Natural Interest (PEIN) by the Generalitat de Catalunya.

Attention: Some accesses are restricted due to the risk of landslides. For more information, visit the Mont-roig Town Council website.