June 1 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

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 in 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 June 1 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.