A short distance from the hustle and bustle of Benidorm and Alicante, lie the Sierra de la Serrella range of mountains. Unexplored, unspoilt and incredibly quiet, the hiking here is phenomenal. With limsestone ridges, towering gorges, traditional villages, authentic culture and bucket fulls of history, there is more than enough to see and do here. I’ve included information about a week long hiking holiday to the Costa Blanca mountains including how to get around and links to accommodation and hiking routes. With all the hiking routes, I have also included downloadable links so you can have the route on your phone.
Where are the Costa Blanca mountains?
On the eastern coast of Spain, not far from Alicante and Benidorm is where you’ll find this fantastic mountain range.
Hiking in the Costa Blanca mountains
The great thing about hiking here is that villages aren’t too far away from each other even though they are separated by mountains and valleys. You could easily complete the trek carrying all your gear from one place to the next, hire a car and do some of the hikes seperately or book a walking holiday like the one with Inntravel who make all the arrangements for you.
What to do in Tàrbena
A great place to start is Tàrbena, a small village that looks straight down to the coast which takes roughly an hour to get to by car. The roads are quiet with mainly cyclists using them as you get higher into the mountains.
E-bike tour in Tàrbena
To kick start your adventure in Tàrbena, head out on an e-bike tour with Tàrbena Bikes. This is run by Juan, a passionate local who also runs Hotel Tarbena He offers multiple e-bike tours around Tàrbena for all levels of ability as well as e-bike hire to do it yourself. I highly recommend one of his tours; it was one of the funnest activities I’ve done and have 0 mountain bike skills but still managed it all!
Read more about an e-mountain bike tour here.
The ruins of Tarbena Castle
Although a small village, Tàrbena has a rich history and this short, 6km walk leads you to a fabulous vantage point. With views from the castle ruins down to the village and the glistening sea beyond, this is a great walk to stretch your legs on arrival into Tàrbena.
Find out more about this walk and download the route here.
Hike to the north of Tàrbena
If you’ve explored Tàrbena and the castle ruins nearby, then you’ll already have a good feel for the traditional village. This 14.5km circular route will provide a lasting impression as you meander through varied mountain landscapes, across limestone ridges, fertile valleys, natural springs and to spectacular viewpoints.
Find out more about this walk and download the route here.
Linear route from Tàrbena to Castell de Castells
There are some excellent linear hikes in the Costa Blanca mountains and they link up villages that aren’t too far away by road. When you reach your end point, you can get a taxi back to the start or, if you’re looking for a bigger adventure, pack light and carry your rucksack with you to the next stop. This 20km linear route goes from Tàrbena to Castell de Castells and will take you through magnificent gorges, over open pasture land and alongside some fascinating natural features. It’s then worth spending a few days in this village to explore more of the nearby hikes.
Find out more about this walk and download the route here.
Els Arcs hike
The mountains of Costa Blanca are home to some incredible hikes and scenery but one of the best, in my opinion, is the hike to Els Arcs. The two imposing limestone arches will make you question whether you’re actually in Spain at all. The walk to Els Arcs is straightforward and there’s ample parking off the quiet roads. This is a popular walk so I recommend going for first light or at sunset to really enjoy the beauty and tranquility of this area. You can get here either on the linear route from Tarbena to Castell de Castells or as a separate hike starting from the roadside and walking to the arches.
Find out more about this walk and download the route here.
The Gorge of Bad Faith
The Barranco de Malafi, also known as the Gorge of Bad Faith, is a fascinating place full of history. This16km is a linear route winds through the dry gorge riverbed before visiting a site of caves and prehistoric cave paintings then heading through the hills back to Castell de Castells.
The gorge was used in 1609 during the expulsions of the Moorish people. It was used as a holding pen before they were marched to the coastal port of Deinia for expulsion. The gorge is eerily quiet and overhead you’re likely to see eagels, making this a wonderfully peaceful walk.
Find out more about this walk and download the route here.
The watchtower of Castell de Castells
Castell de Castells is a muncipality of Spain, rich in Moorish history and perched high on the nearby hilltop, is a ruined Moorish watchtower with panoramic views of the surrounding area. This 12.7km route winds through the hills to reach the watchtower and continues along a stunning, panoramic ridge before returning to Castell de Castells.
Find out more about this walk and download the route here.
Linear hike from Castell de Castells to Benimaurell
This 16km linear route goes from Castell de Castells to Benimaurell. The route climbs steadily a couple of times around valley heads, past a dry mountain lake, through forestry and crosses the Peñón ridgeline before descending into Benimaurell.
Benimaurell is a small but beautiful village in the province of Alicante with a population of less than 300. Located in the Vall de Laguar, in the Marina Alta region, it sits beneath the Peñón ridgeline and looks straight down to the Mediterranean Sea. This village was the last stronghold of the Moors until thir expulsion and the town was repopulated in 1611 by people from Mallorca. Despite its small size, Benimaurell has a lot to offer visitors; excellent hiking, authentic food and historical landmarks. It’s worth spending a couple of days here to explore.
Find out more about this walk and download the route here.
Barranc de l’Infern
This 13km starting in Benimaurell, is an incredible hike known as the “Cathedral of Hiking”. This circular route explores the Barranc de l’Infern, also known as “Hell’s Ravine”, a stunning, deep gorge that has been sculpted over thousands of years. This route is more popular and therefore well signposted as the PR-CV 147 trail. With over 6000 stone steps to climb up, this hike isn’t fo the faint hearted. But if you do attempt it, you’ll be rewarded with spectacular views, caves and incredible waterfalls after episodes of torrential rain.
Find out more about this walk and download the route here.
How to hike in the Costa Blanca mountains
This area of Spain is quite a vast area and I explored it on a walking holiday with Inntravel before heading back for a second time with my mum to explore the area a bit more.
If you don’t feel confident to book and arrange the trip and the hikes yourself, then I definitely recommend taking a look at the trip I did with Inntravel. They arrange all your transfers, accommodation and luggage transfers and provide detailed walking notes for each hike so you can’t go wrong.
If you feel more confident, then these hikes are easily accessed either by hiring a car, using local taxi transfers or doing it as a thru hike would be possible too. If you like the idea of doing a thru hike, I have put the route onto the Ordnance Survey app which you can download here.
Accommodation in the Costa Blanca mountains
Tàrbena
In Tàrbena, I recommend staying with Juan at Hotel Tàrbena. The hotel has comfortable rooms in a central location and the room on the top floor has a gorgeous balcony overlooking the church tower. Juan home cooks breakfast and dinner using many of the ingredients he grows in his own garden. If you stay here you can also book onto his e-bike tour.
Take a look at Hotel Tàrbena here.
Castell de Castells
In Castell de Castells, stay at Casa Pilar – a family run guesthouse in a central location. Meals are eaten in the converted stable and are cooked by the owner Pilar. One evening she cooked a fabulous 8 course tapas menu! The guesthouse is beautifully decorated, cosy, with wonderful shared areas and an excellent balcony area.
Benimaurell
Hotel Alahuar in Benimaurell is an excellent hotel with views over the whole valley. With an outdoor swimming pool, excellent restuarant, a bar and easy access to local activities and hikes, this is a great place to spend a night or two at the end of your holiday.
Tips for hiking in the Costa Blanca mountains
*Water on these hikes is a rarity and natural springs often run dry and no facilities on many of the hikes. Be sure to take enough water with you each day
*Not all the hikes are signposted especially the linear hikes and the hikes around Tàrbena. Be sure to download the routes to your phone using the links above or buy a local map. The Costa Blanca Mountains 1:40,000 has the routes on but not in great detail so this is good for inital planning
*The best time of year to visit is September through to May and the summer sun during peak summer months can be extreme and difficult to hike in
*Taxis are available locally but will need to be booked in advance – ask at your hotel for assistance with this
If you have any questions, leave a comment and I’ll try my best to help but otherwise, have a fabulous time in the mountains of Costa Blanca!