museo minero rio tinto y tren minero

We decided to visit the museum because the weather was too bad to do anything else.The museum describes the geology and history behind the Rio Tinto company's mining operations in the area. Most of the information is in Spanish, but it is not too difficult to understand, particularly if you have some prior knowledge of geology and mining. What the visit really brought home to us was the utter devastation wrought on the landscape by these open-cast mining operations (a Martian-like vision) and for this reason alone we felt that the the visit was well worth it!

It was a real experience - a bit like visiting the moon, the desert, an Indian Jones train ride, and a bit of learning all thrown in. Great day out.

Wonderful place for anyone interested in technology - all the other reviews say everything. An overnight stay is essential as there is so much to see. Hostels in the town are perfect - one is right opposite the museum.

We arrived at the Museum at 10.30 on a very quiet November day and were welcomed by a very helpful man on Reception who recommended our plan of action for the day and gave us information sheets in English. Ideally, get to the Museum between 10.00 and 10.30 which will give you lots of time to discover the history of this fascinating museum. There's lots to see, including an audio-visual presentation which was in Spanish. There is a small shop and drinks machines.At 12 noon, we drove to the Open Cast mine, following the Guide in her vehicle. The journey was approximately 15-20 minutes away. The scenery en route is unbelievable. On this day we were the only visitors and whilst the Guide only spoke Spanish we did have the English information sheets. We then followed the Guide to the train station for the journey along the river Tinto. The train left at 13.30 and we were joined by a few other tourists. There is a very small shop inside the station selling drinks and biscuits only. The journey takes 35 minutes each way and was simply indescribable. Like a scene from Mars. Fantastic - took loads of photos. The train journey was the highlight of the day. At 15.00 hours we arrived back at the Museum. Everything then closes until 16.00 hours. We planned to visit the English house Casa 21 at Bella Vista which is where the English management lived. The house doesn't open until 16.00 hours but worth a visit where you can also see the whole village, including tennis courts and pavilion. A great day out - hugely interesting.

When we planned activities for our trip to the area we noticed it was marked suitable for children. I do not agree, certainly not if the children are under 10 years old. The museum itself was very interesting. It opened at 10am and that gave us ample time to browse the exhibits and grab a quick cup of coffee down the road before we got into convoy in our own car and drove to the mining tunnel. Sadly the information was only in Spanish, so we missed much of the history. Again in convoy we then drove to the train station and took the train. There was a small kiosk open as we entered the station but we did not really have time to stop and buy anything to eat or drink The journey each way took about 40 minutes and we stopped at the end of the line and had time to walk down to the river and have a look around. Sadly, no refreshments and it was a very hot day! If we had not carried water with us we could have dehydrated! Being an old train, the ride was quite bumpy and the hard wooden slatted seats were not comfortable - so do take a cushion or you could end up a little bruised as well! This time the commentary was also in English. The scenery was quite spectacular, but rather sad as well seeing what man has done to the environment. Go well prepared and you will enjoy the experience, despite all the above, we did!

My boyfriend, who is from Huelva, had been talking about this place for years. The alien landscapes. The red river. The history that dates back to the Romans (and from what I remember further than that). Plus, it's near beautiful towns like Aracena. I always thought he was over selling this place until I went and saw it with my own eyes. It was exactly what he told me. It is incredible! It is a place that you will never forget...especially when on the train and you see the red river snaking its way through different landscapes...it's surreal. I recommend this place 100%.

An excellent showpiece of the history of mining. The real shame is you are not allowed to take photos and there is some fantastic stuff I wish I had photos of such as relics from the bronze age found on the original Rio Tinto site.

We spent a few hours here, just going round the museum, and thought it was great. Our 2 year old daughter was engaged the whole time too. It provides a fascinating insight into a unique bit of history. If you go, check the train times in advance. We arrived 4 minutes before the train left and were disappointed to miss out on it as it looked great and was included in the price of the museum entrance. Do take a walk through the reconstruction of the Roman mine - it's brilliant. Really helpful staff and many displays in English too.

I have always wanted to visit the Rio Tinto Mines not only because I was curious to see the much talked about red water river but also because of there being an “English Town” in the vicinity. The whole story fascinated me and now that we were in Islantilla, Huelva, about one hour away from this tourist attraction we could not stay away. A coach visit was arranged and it was well worth the long drive.Although the Rio Tinto Mines have been in operation since the Romans were in Spain it is only from 1883 that the British Companies, the Peninsular Copper and Pena Copper Mines operated extracting copper from iron sulphides as well as sulphur from iron pyrites for the increasing worldwide sulphuric demand that these mines became famous for. These two British Companies at Pena del Hierro and the Rio Tinto Company Ltd. Introduced a lot of technical advances to improve the production capacity and the efficiency of the mines. They installed new systems to cut accidents and most importantly the construction of the railway lines to connect with the ports within hours and therefore bring prosperity to the area..It was very exciting to be able to travel in a restored 19th century train down the River and enjoy the magnificent colours along the river bank. Deep, glorious reds with golden edges often changing to such deep red that the water became black with the banks in glorious orange and gold colours. What a sight! I wondered whether the sediments of all the chemicals etc had turned the ground that colour but I was delighted to find that the waters were red themselves. The 22 kms train ride was very well organized with both English and Spanish speaking excellent guides giving us all the information.Pena de Hierro Mine was the biggest and here we were able to visit an open cast mine and see all the installations. The English constructed a whole town where they could live in great style. Huge two and three level houses with all the comforts away from the poisonous gases the area was called Bella Vista a then English Town! The miners did not enjoy such luxuries and had homes closer to their work site. Life expectancy was only up to 35 years of age. Young boys started working at age 8. We were able to visit one of these homes belonging to one of the middle engineers. 500 sq m. large with all the comforts – even a bathroom, Victorian style houses as built in 1883. Restored and furnished with period furniture and furnishings one could easily imagine how well they lived. The houses, with the exception of this one number 21 opened to the public; now belong to Spanish citizens and other private families. The Hospital constructed by the Rio Tinto Co, Ltd. For the welfare of its employees and families has now been turned into the Museum where you can enjoy amongst other things a reproduction of an old Roman Mine.“El Barrio Ingles de Bella Vista” was ruled by the British entirely and it has been said that General Franco considered it to be another Gibraltar, “The Economic Gibraltar” With the decrease in copper prices the company closed in 1953 and with it a lot of unemployment. It was turned into a touristic attraction but they are now looking at the prospect of the reopening of the mines by some Chinese company which will give employment to the locals.

A fascinating insight into British involvement in the exploitation of Andalucia's minerals. A well organised museum with a lot of archaeological and geographical displays of this region that has been mined since ancient times.The road north from the museum goes right through the middle of the old open cast mining and the sheer scale is just mind blowing.Well worth a visit that shows that there is a lot more to Andalucia than sun and sand if you take the effort to get away from the concrete coastal strip.

Tengo que recalcar que nosotros hicimos sólo la ruta en tren.., no entramos en el museo ni en la peña.La ruta en tren es increíble.., con unos vagones restaurados del siglo 19. Hay unos paisajes espectaculares y el trayecto es de lo mas didáctico. Te dejan bajar durante un rato cuando la locomotora tiene que dar la vuelta. Merece mucho la pena hacerlo..., Río único en el mundo.

Fui el sabado dia 7 de marzo por la tarde. Por motivo de tiempo solo pudimos visitar el museo y la casa 21, el museo esta muy bien y el personal que trabaja alli es muy amable, vale la pena ir a verlo de echo yo volveré esta año para poder ver la peña del hierro pero lo que no vale la pena la casa 21 no.

desde luego hay que visitarlo para quien no haya estado rodeado de ese mundo y ambiente para hacerse una idea del duro trabajo.

Nosotros íbamos con tres niños de diferentes edades. No lo pasamos muy bien...la excursión a la mina divertida e interesante.....el recorrido del tren minero a lo largo del río Riotinto interesante y divertida. El personal que nos acompañó muy atentos.....por ponerle un inconvenientes quizás ....los precios de las excursiones.....pero mereció la pena.

Nos encantó, el museo es interesentasimo, la reproduccion de la minal a romana es excepcional, te transporta en el tiempo, la maquina del tren una maravilla....el personal muy agradablenos enteramos de cosas de las cuales no teniamos ni idearecomendable 100%