Max Abroad : The Best of Spain

Forming a labyrinthian stone maze are the natural karst formations of the Los Callejones de Las Majadas or “Alleys of Stone.”

Besides the maze like set of “alleys” the stones also resemble bridges, arches, walkways, stone people, doors, plazas, and monoliths all named accordingly: the Dog, the Whale, and many more. The unusual rock formations were sculpted by slow differential erosion by wind and water over millions of years.

The twisting passageways are easy to get lost in, and so two main walkways are marked through the “alleys”. Cattle herders in the area have used the stone walls as natural cattle enclosures for hundreds of years, and in some places you can still see remaining pens.

Los Callejones de Las Majadas is in the Natural Park Sierra de Cuenca in Spain which is also home to a similar geological wonder the “Enchanted City” or Ciudad Encantada. The landscape is alien enough that it has served as the backdrop for fantasy films such as the 1969 Valley of Gwangi, and Conan the Barbarian in 1982. The whole park is an official "Natural Site of National Interest” in Spain and well worth a visit.