Andalusia has an Iberian salt mine: it is in Jaén

In the heart of the Sierra Mágina, in the municipality of Mancha Real, Jaén, stands one of the most unique and best-preserved ethnographic and archaeological sites in the entire peninsula: the Salinas de Don Diego . These are the only Iberian spring salt mines that have survived to this day, thanks to an ancient salt-making tradition that has been passed down uninterruptedly from generation to generation for over two thousand years.

The salt extracted at Salinas Don Diego comes from an underground spring whose geological origin dates back more than 200 million years, to the Late Triassic period, when the Keuper Sea or Tethys Sea covered the western half of the Iberian Peninsula. Successive cycles of evaporation and sedimentation formed a thick saline layer that, due to tectonic movements, was fragmented underground. From this fossil salt emanates the natural brine that emerges today in these areas of eastern Andalusia, providing a virgin spring salt unique in the world.

The Don Diego Salt Flats use a solar and wind evaporation system, using traditional heating elements and tanks, without chemical intervention or heavy machinery. This completely artisanal process makes the site a benchmark for organic production and living heritage.

The geological uniqueness of these salt flats has not only allowed the recovery of an ancient method of production, but has also generated a unique saline microecosystem . The saturated waters create habitats similar to coastal marshes, where halophilic species thrive, adapted to this extreme environment, many kilometers from the nearest sea.

Inspired by this particularity, Salinas de Don Diego is developing a pioneering ecotourism project that includes activities ranging from guided tours and sensory salt tastings to weightless baths in its brine heaters - an experience reminiscent of floating on the Dead Sea , but in the heart of the Jaén countryside.

The Salinas de Don Diego are experiencing a new era, driven by the fifth generation of a family that has been dedicated to this traditional mining activity for over half a century. This 100% family-owned project is committed to opening up to tourism through an ambitious ecotourism plan that will combine artisanal salt production with quality tourism experiences focused on health, education, and respect for the environment.

This project aims to make it the first salt mine in the province to offer services such as mineral-medicinal baths . It also includes adapting the space to make it accessible and educational. This includes restoring the stone heaters—where therapeutic salt baths are planned—improving the saltwater reservoir for its supply, as well as creating pedestrian paths and interpretation areas that will provide an understanding of the traditional salt extraction process. All of these activities will complement the work of the salt mine itself, without altering its operation or its essence.

Thus, health tourism becomes an opportunity to diversify Jaén's tourism offering and highlight a model of ecological and cultural development that has survived for centuries.

The Don Diego Salt Flats are thus preparing to offer a complete experience that will combine knowledge of the heritage with enjoyment of the environment: interpretive visits, school workshops, sensory experiences linked to local gastronomy, and unique flotation baths reminiscent of the Dead Sea .