The Montsant Mountain Range

The imposing relief of the Serra del Montsant, sometimes known as the "Mountain of Peace", which nestles the 12th century Carthusian monastery of Escaladei and at its highest point is the Corbatera Rock (1163 metres), is visible from any of the peaks on the coastal ranges in spite of its interior situation within the Priorat county. The Serra de la Llena, between the Conca de Barberà and Les Garrigues, forms a natural corridor that links the Montsant with the mountains of Prades to the east.

The Montsant Mountain, and its 20 km long, owns mountain tracks, caves, hermitages and gulleys to observe the flora and fauna of these distant and wild mountains. The southern face of the mountain, which is dry and affected by secular forest fires, receives many types of aromatic plants and it can surprise you with a lively display of colour in the autumn, either from the vineyards around its base, or from the deciduous trees that grow in the crevices of the cliffs. The north face hides oak, holm oak and Scotch pine groves. The wind-lashed peaks and crests have a multitude of interesting plants as diverse as orchids, crag willows, and magnificent peonies. Altogether we can find more than a thousand different plant species.

The isolation of the mountains has favoured the survival of many species of animal sensitive to human presence. Particularly interesting are the rupicolous birds that need the cliffs and rocks to nest in. They include the threatened golden eagle and Bonelli's eagle, or other more humble species such as the rock thrush and the blue rock thrush, the black wheateater, and the swift. Finally, we have to mention the importance of the River Montsant and some of its tributary gulleys as a refuge for species of Mediterranean river-dwelling fish and mammals. These are the most emblematic mountains in the province of Tarragona and thanks to its difficult and inaccessible orography most of its species have been able to keep its own life cycle. These mountains are a symbol of reflection and austerity, where you find only hermitages and silence.