THE ARACENA MOUNTAINS AND THE PICOS DE AROCHE
Geo- and Ecotourism
A landscape ceases to be merely a pretty backdrop when you know what you’re looking at. I organise experiences and walks that enable people to move beyond simply strolling through an area to actually interpreting it, allowing them not only to understand how terrestrial processes work but also to feel a sense of wonder as they look around them.
WHERE
A classroom that teaches us about deep time
The The Aracena Mountains and the Picos de Aroche It is a Natural Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and a candidate for Geopark status. The region is widely renowned for its cuisine, natural beauty and biodiversity. We look beyond the obvious. We value and highlight the region’s fascinating geology, which is of global scientific interest.
OUTINGS AND ACTIVITIES
Ways to explore the region
Georoutes — Tours focusing on history and geological processes: what these rocks are, how they were formed, what they tell us about deep time, and why the landscape looks the way it does.
Bio-trails — Guided tours exploring the local flora and fauna, with a particular focus on aromatic plants, lichens and mosses.
Waterways — Water as a common thread: springs, riverbanks and the relationship between geology, aquifers and human settlements.
Environmental education — Programmes for schools and groups of all ages, tailored to their level and curriculum.
Interpretative workshops — Practical sessions on minerals, rocks, geodiversity and natural heritage.
Tailor-made trips — For groups, associations, companies and organisations. Tailored to your interests, level and the time you have available.
SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT
Geology isn’t about collecting things or just looking at rocks
I hold a PhD in Geology from the University of Huelva. My thesis, which I defended in 2006 and was unanimously awarded a ‘cum laude’ distinction with honours and a European mention, focused on the behaviour of the fluid phase in intermediate to basic magmas, based on the appinitic magmatism of Sanabria and other cases in the Iberian Massif.
I have published in scientific journals —Journal of Petrology y Geogaceta— and has presented papers at various international conferences. I have worked in laboratories at the University of St Andrews (Scotland), Nice-Sophia Antipolis and Montpellier II (France), Lausanne (Switzerland) and the CNRS in Nancy, using electron microprobe, ion microprobe and laser ablation coupled with ICP-MS.
I was awarded the prize for the best academic record at the Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, and received a Special Mention in the National Graduation Awards. During my years of research, I taught practical courses in Petrology, Geochemistry and Earth Materials at the university itself.
I am still involved with the scientific community. In 2026, I was part of the organising team for the Huelva Geology Day, the geological outreach day organised by the Geological Society of Spain every year across all provinces to make geology accessible to everyone, free of charge and with no prior knowledge required. It is precisely this spirit that guides my field trips.
My connection with the geology of the Sierra: I wasn’t born in the Sierra de Aracena, but I got to know the area through university field trips and was captivated by it. My first two research projects were on rocks from this region. In 2001, I studied the crystallographic orientation of minerals in the high-temperature marbles of the Aracena metamorphic belt. A year later, my research dissertation analysed the geochemical behaviour of trace elements and rare earths in weathering profiles on pillow lavas in the mountains. Twenty-five years on, I live on those very same rocks and teach others how to understand them
WHO IS IT FOR?
Who am I accompanying?
Individuals and families who visit the mountains and want more than just a signposted route
Educational establishments who are looking for field trips with a curriculum-based focus
Groups and associations hiking, nature or popular science
Companies and organisations who are looking for a team-building activity with a cause
Tourism professionals who need interpretative content for their clients
Specialist audience who wish to visit world-renowned outcrops in person, such as university lecturers, geological societies and associations, university students, specialist enthusiasts, etc.
Geólatra:
All these activities take place under Geolatra, the project I founded alongside my partner and business partner, Javier Muriel, to highlight the biological and geological heritage of the Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche. Outreach, environmental education and first-hand experience of the area, combining the rigour of Earth Sciences and environmentalism without sacrificing a sense of wonder and connection to the natural world.
Would you like to find out more about the geology of the Sierra?.
Let me know when you’re coming, who you’re coming with and what you’re interested in, and I’ll organise a tailor-made outing for you.
Send me a message on WhatsApp at (34) 636 78 11 67 or via my email: info@helenachacon.com