Hiking

Aín, a beautiful village of Muslim origin whose toponym means “place of fountains”, will be the start of a spectacular route. From here, after crossing the town, you will follow the Barranc de la Caritat, full of riverside vegetation, and leave it to ascend the Barranc del Juncaret, a botanical jewel of the Natural Park that will remind you of what it is: a true rainforest that houses one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world. From the Peñas Blancas pass, you will begin the descent through a wild cork oak forest towards the Masía de la Mosquera, a landscape that cannot be described with words. After lunch and discovering the secrets of the ancient cork industry, you will continue along the track that runs through this landscape until crossing the Aín-Almedíjar road, which will lead you to the Almanzor ravine. You will walk through it, ascending gradually and being impressed by the lushness created by the enormous ferns and cork oaks until reaching the Íbola pass, from where you will begin the descent back towards Aín.

"Fuentes de Ayódar is a small town on the north-western border of the Sierra de Espadán Natural Park that has an amazing natural and cultural heritage centred on the numerous springs and fountains it is home to. The water will always be the star on the route we propose, firstly by walking through natural areas along the banks of the river and then following the course of the water towards ancient buildings that were designed to harness its power and its life. The Chico river and its paradisical Pozo Negro, the recently restored Molino de Arriba and its huge pond, the Chorricos fountain, the centenary mastic tree and the fountain of Santa Rita, irrigated and dry lands...
A series of short itineraries to and from the outskirts of the town will take us into an unrepeatable landscape where nature and culture go hand in hand"

The Sierra de Espadán is what biologists call “the Mediterranean rainforest”, one of the last cork oak forests of the Spanish Mare Nostrum. On this occasion we will go up from the Benitandús reservoir, a real lake of very clean and fresh water nestled between mountains, through a wild forest of cork oaks towards the spectacular landscape of the Órganos, a rocky formation of siliceous cliffs that will leave you speechless. Once there, you will enjoy lunch with our classic meal of local produce and then continue along an almost flat path through mixed forests of cork oaks and pines, visiting trenches of the Spanish Civil War, dry stone constructions and other points of cultural interest, before descending towards the Alcornocal ravine on the way to Benitandús. Impressive!

Enter the Sierra de Espadán to discover one of the most diverse cultural and natural ecosystems in the world, the Mediterranean Rainforest. You will have the opportunity to enjoy one of the best forests in the Mediterranean Sea, the Alcornoques (cork oak) forest. From the town of Aín, you can start this route that will embark you on a unique and incomparable walk through nature thanks to its magical forests, during which you can visit unique places such as the Juncaret ravine, a botanical jewel of the Natural Park, or the Masía de la Mosquera, the former core of the Valencian cork industry. 

Enjoy a weekend in Sueras and delve into the history of this fantastic town, thanks to the various guided tours that are held there throughout the year. You will have the opportunity to discover all its historical and cultural heritage, as these visits take you through its symbolic historic centre, also visiting traditional flour and oil mills, observing different ancient clothing and pre-industrial settings; for example, old grocery stores or carpenter’s workshops. This town is not only history, close to the centre you can find hiking trails, such as the route 1 Sueras - Font de Castro, a perfect way to immerse yourself in the lush Mediterranean forests. You will stay at Hotel-Restaurant Verdia.

Experience a different getaway to the town of Alcudia de Veo, you will have the perfect opportunity to spend two days relaxing thanks to the landscapes of the Sierra de Espadán. You will stay in a unique and different place, an old oil mill completely adapted for accommodation, but maintaining its magic to make this experience something unique. Among our recommendations, we suggest that you go into the Sierra de Espadán to enjoy some striking rock formations that have been formed by water erosion, the Órganos de Benitandús, and not only this, you will also see different defensive fortifications from the Spanish Civil War era, known as the trenches of the XYZ lines.                               

From the magnificent and impressive Castillo de la Muela del Buey to the village of Argelita, you will head out on a hiking route for the whole family, discovering the many secrets hidden in the natural landscape of the Sierra de Espadán. Corners with spectacular views of the entire mountain range between trees such as cork oaks or pines, also discovering the ruins of the fortress of the Citadel. At the end of the route, we recommend that you go to the Argelita bakery where you can enjoy delicious pastries, both sweet and savoury. The route starts at the Castillo de la Muela del Buey and ends in Argelita.