Covering 17,000 hectares, Spain's Monfrague National Park is a natural jewel offering breathtaking views of the countryside. (Terry Koshan/QMI Agency)

MONFRAGUE NATIONAL PARK, Spain -- This place is for the birds.

To be more precise, it's for the vultures, storks, hawks and falcons.

And if you need a break from the magnificent churches and other slices of history a trip to the Extramura region in the west of Spain, you're not going to find a better place to get your hiking fix.

Designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2003, Monfrague National Park spans 17,000 hectares, the jewel of the park is the Castillo de Monfrague, a castle that dates to the pre-Roman times. A winding, upward road in the park leads to the castle, but not all the way; The final few hundred metres have to be done on foot, straight up a stone staircase.

The reward at the peak of the mountain is breathtaking. Visitors can go to the top of the castle and take in the stunning views from a 360-degree angle. On the Saturday afternoon in early May that we spent in Monfrague, families and hikers alike took advantage of the small staircase that hugged an interior castle wall, leading to the top. If you haven't done so already, be prepared to fish your camera out of your backpack. And those trees in the faraway valleys that appear to be little bunches of broccoli? They are cork trees, which are found in many areas of the region.

Sightseers won't get a better look at much of the rest of the park than from the perch atop the castle. Near the base, a small one-man store sells snacks, water and soft drinks for one Euro each. If you're going to make the hike down the mountain to the bridge that spans the Tajo River, one that we did, expect it take about an hour.

A few kilometres before you reach the castle area, you're bound to come across the Salto del Gitano, a rocky cliff that is home to hundreds of vultures. The cliff is large enough that birds seem to disappear when they land in their nests. A telescope, set up across the river at the viewing area, lets birdwatchers see the vultures (no less than 90 couples are estimated to live on the cliff) and storks as they go about their duties in and around their nests.

Most visitors to Monfrague will stop in the village of Villareal de San Carlos, where a handful of people live year-round. Local legend says the village originally was built to protect the area from robbers and murderers, but if the criminals ever came through, they're long gone now. The village is a picturesque place to stop for lunch, and is home to a visitors museum that provides travellers with an in-depth knowledge of the park.

Monfrague gets approximately 300,000 visitors a year. If you're one of them, you will have some fascinating stories to tell and photos to share once you return home.

-- MORE INFORMATION: When planning a trip to Spain, the Tourist Office of Spain at 2 Bloor St. W. in Toronto is a good place to start. The office can be reached at 416-961-3131 or at toronto@tourspain.es. Helpful websites include tourspain.es and spain.info.

terry.koshan@sunmedia.ca