May 3 Guided walking tour of the fossil footprints of Hoya de la Sima, Jumilla

See the footsteps of sabre-tooth tigers in the mountains of Sierra de la Pedrera in the north-west of Jumilla

May 3 Guided walking tour of the fossil footprints of Hoya de la Sima, Jumilla One of the guided tours being held in Jumilla during June 2025 is a visit to the fossilized footprints of prehistoric animals which can be seen in the countryside of Hoya de la Sima.

The footprints date from the Late Miocene, between 5 and 11 million years ago (the time when sabre-tooth tigers and other large vertebrates were common in this part of the world, and are close to the mountains known as the Sierra de la Pedrera in the north-west of the large municipality of Jumilla. A World Heritage Site, Hoya de la Sima is reached along a path which starts at kilometre 9.8 on the MU-403 and in 1997 it was discovered that it contains the tracks made by vertebrates which lived between 5.6 and 7 million years ago: to date is the only site showing Ventian mammals during the Miocene.

Formerly occupied by a lake, the area features prints made by three-toed horses, medium-sized antelopes, sabre-toothed tigers and bears, and these are now protected by a roof.

For most of the year, to arrange a visit it is necessary to contact the Ethnographic Museum of Jumilla on 968 780740, but this guided tour has been arranged for Sunday May 3 with participants travelling in their own vehicles in a convoy which leaves the indoor swimming pool at 9.30.

Prior registration should be made online here or through the Tourist Office by telephone on 968 780237, by WhatsApp on 663 300779 or by email at oficinaturismo@jumilla.org.

For more local events, news and visiting information go to the home page of Jumilla Today.

Address

Plaza del Rollo, 1 30520 JUMILLA

Tel: 968 780237 / 663 300779

Oficina de Turismo Jumilla

The tourist office in the centre of Jumilla is easily found by driving straight into the centre of the town along the Avenida de Murcia and following the signposts. The tourist office is alongside the Parque de Don Albano Martínez Molina, where there are a number of parking spaces.

Jumilla, in the north of the Region of Murcia, has become internationally famous over recent decades due to the quality of the wines produced in the municipality, and wine tourism has begun to attract visitors from other parts of Spain and the rest of Europe.

The tourist office is happy to provide a range of maps and leaflets showing the different bodegas which can be visited within the municipality. Some of these form part of the Rutas del Vino de Jumilla, the Jumilla wine route, and can either be visited as a guided tour or sell their produce directly to the public.(see feed below for more details)

However, the town and the surrounding countryside have plenty of other attractions for visitors, and the popularity of Jumilla wines is leading more and more people to discover other facets of the tenth largest municipality in Spain.

Jumilla Tourist Office

These include the spectacular countryside and birdlife in the Sierra del Carche, the historic remains which range from cave paintings and a Roman mausoleum to the castle, the Iglesia de Santiago, the Town Hall and the Teatro Vico, and the gastronomy: rich stews are accompanied not only by the wines of the area but also by Jumilla pears, which also enjoy Denomination of Origin status.

Tourism in Jumilla is not as seasonal as it is in the coastal areas of the Region of Murcia, but the town is at its liveliest during the fiestas in Holy Week and the August Fair, which incorporates the grape harvest celebrations and the Moors and Christians parades.

The Altiplano of the Region of Murcia, which consists of the municipalities of Jumilla and Yecla, is only just over an hour by car from the Mar Menor, Cartagena, Mazarrón, Torrevieja and Alicante, and anyone wishing to visit real inland Spain and world-class wineries is advised to include Jumilla in their schedule.