The Camp dels Ninots is a palaeontological site dating back three million years, specifically to the period known as the Upper Pliocene. It represents an example of unique diversity, which is why it has been declared a cultural asset of national interest by the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia). This recognition seeks to ensure the protection of its environment and encourage scientific research through participation in various projects.

The area of the site extends to approximately 250,000 m2, and the name Camp dels Ninots (Field of Ninots) comes from the particular stones that can be found here. The local boys and girls from Caldes de Malavella would collect the little kidney-shaped menilites—opal stones—and use them in their games, referring to them as “ninots” (jacks or jackstones).

The site is located on an extinct volcano (its cone and crater can be clearly distinguished), where a lake formed that led to the development of a subtropical ecosystem with very exuberant flora and fauna. The fauna comprised animal species that would be unlikely in today’s Mediterranean, such as rhinoceroses and tapirs, as well as some fish, amphibians and reptiles. To date, an extraordinary wealth of fossils has been preserved here and is still being studied. To get to know the site, visitors can follow a route which includes several panels presenting information of interest, covering how the volcano turned into a lake, what kind of fauna inhabited the space, the flora that could be found here, and what exceptional geological conditions allowed the remains of animals and plants from three million years ago to be preserved to the present day.