|
|
|
|
Cova Santa |
|
|
|
|
Map for the route (ED50) |
How to get there: Drive on
CV-715 towards Orba. By Orba turn on CV-718 signposted to La Vall de
Laguar. This road joins the CV-721 that goes to Fleix. Drive through
Fleix to its western side, where you find a parking place in front of a
school. (Roadmap of Marina Alta)
Distance: 3h15min/12.5km |
| Walk some sixty meters from the school (445 m)
towards Benimaurell, and turn right to a narrow asphalt road.
Immediately after the washing house of
Grossa fountain (Font Grossa) (3
min.), take the path right downhill. The path goes through a hole in a
rock wall (13 min), passes a water fall (20
min) and descends into the Gorge of Inferno (Barranc
de l'Infern) (30min) (180 m). If you start off early in the morning you
might see wild boars.
If you want to vistit the Isbert dam (Presa Isbert), go right, and follow the bed of the gorge for ten minutes. On your way you encounter impressive rock formations and fossiles. The dam lies in the narrowest point of the gorge between rock walls that are almost 100 meters high. If you want to get straight away to Cova Santa, go left. At first, the river bed is easy to walk, but later on, the stones become large, smooth bouldlers. High rock walls with stunning colors dominate the route. The cave (1h) (220 m) has impressive dimension, but is difficult to penetrate. Advancing from the entrance hall to the next room you have to cross a pool of cold water. You can keep going only some fifty meters without climbing equipment. When you face a rock wall with a ladder, you can climb up to a rock fold, but on the other side you find a steep drop. Leave the cave by walking back the same way until you see signs on the right hand side of the river bed (1h15min) (195 m). The wooden signs are difficult to detect because they are partly covered by the bushes. Go uphill for Benimaurell. The path ascends steeply to the slopes of Tossal de la Corraora. Below you can see the Barranc de Racons and Infern. In the east, the view stretches all the way to the sea. When you reach a signposted crossroads (2h05min) (420 m), take the stone steps left uphill for Benimaurell. The steps zig-zag to the plain of Benimaurell (2h35min) (605 m). Continue on a path that meets an asphalt road (2h40 min). Turn left to Benimaurell and Fleix. Soon you pass the Olbis fountain (Font de Olbis). In the town center, you find a concrete road going left downhill. This narrow road passes the Benimaurell fountain and comes to the Grossa fountain (3h10min). Continue back to the school (3h15min). |
|
