Penyal d'Ifac must be considered a special energy field. Science says that it is a gigantic rock elevated 332 meters above the Mediterranean thanks to a remote geological event that caused it to slide into the sea from the neighboring Sierra de Oltà. But when contemplating it, science loses reason in favor of the power of the sensory. Anyone who walks along Calpe's promenade or bathes in La Fossa beach, in the north of the municipality, even those who ascend to the Morro de Toix viewpoint to distinguish the distant silhouette of Ibiza on the horizon, what they will feel is all the force of the Penyal d'Ifac and you will not be able to take your eyes off the giant that emerges from the waters.
It may just be a calcareous mass but somewhere it must hide a colossal magnet to attract everyone's attention. There can be no other explanation why this wild-looking rock has become an emblem of the entire Costa Blanca of Alicante.
There is no visitor who comes to Calpe and the surrounding towns, such as Altea or Moraira, who does not remain enthralled observing the rock. No matter how long the stay lasts, it is a feeling that lasts day after day. A spell that triggers even the least walkers to plan their ascension. Not to mention others who dare to climb it or explore its depths by diving.
Although the vast majority are content to explore it on foot. You don't have to be an expert mountaineer to climb its summit and enjoy the views over Calpe, as well as a large part of the Alicante coast, including the most suggestive view of the Benidorm skyline.
Going up and down takes about three hours and although the slopes are steep in the last stretch, it does not require great physical background. But yes, it is necessary to wear the appropriate clothing, especially with regard to footwear, since the surface is very slippery when going up, and even more so when going down. Hence there are sections equipped with safety elements to prevent accidents. What no one will find out there is water or something to snack on, so it is more than advisable to carry it in your backpack, especially in the months when the heat is high.
Another thing that cannot be missing before embarking on the excursion is the email with the prior reservation to enter the trail. Regardless of the date of the year, access must be reserved free of charge and in advance on the website of the protected spaces of the Valencian Community. And the Penyal d'Ifac natural park, with a surface area of about 50 hectares, is the smallest, but also the most visited in the region.
The walk is simple at the beginning and somewhat more intrepid after crossing a dark tunnel that connects both sides of the rock. A tunnel opened with dynamite by a former owner of the rock. Because the emblematic rock has not always been publicly owned, as is the case today. In fact, another of its owners in the fifties of the last century built a hotel right on the hillside. An establishment of which there is no longer a trace because it was demolished when the natural park was immediately declared in 1987.
On the other hand, in the lower part you can see the medieval vestiges of Pobla d'Ifach. A walled complex from the 13th century that was barely inhabited for a few decades, until the settlers moved to the center of Calpe, whose historic center is quite far from the rock. Reason why it usually goes unnoticed by visitors eager for the beach and climbing to the top of the rock. However, it is attractive to walk through the old city which is entered by crossing the tower of La Peça to reach the squares of Villa and Mariners, the Forat de la Mar open to the old walls or the old church of the 19th century. XV.
The archeology represented by the stones of the Queen's Baths is even further removed in time. A complex two millennia old located on the seashore and next to the Calpine port. The place where a Roman villa was built and also some fish farms excavated in the same rock. A perfect place to bathe now and in the past, since Baños de la Reina has to do with a Moorish lady who supposedly came down here in secret to take a refreshing dip, of course abducted by the powerful presence of the rock before her. eyes.
Because its magnetism comes from afar. For example, the Valencian abbot and botanist Antonio José Cavanilles, who came to direct the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid in the 18th century, toured this place with passion cataloging a large part of its flora, which includes a few endemic species. Recognizing the plant richness of this rock is a draw for many hikers. While others do not forget to bring small binoculars to spot the swifts' nests in the inaccessible rocky area or see how the shags dry their plumage in the sun. And if the time is right, you will also be amazed by the dizzying dives of the Eleanor's falcon, which breeds in these latitudes, but migrates to the southern hemisphere with the cold.
They are not the only migratory birds that enjoy Calpe. A stone's throw from the rock is Las Salinas, a wetland from which salt has been extracted for centuries. Although it is now a protected area and although it is completely surrounded by hotel buildings, it is a small paradise for flamingos, herons and stilts. Which fly thousands of kilometers every year to return to this enclave of the Costa Blanca. For them, too, the Penyal d'Ifac acts as a lighthouse and a powerful energy field.
