La Vall d’Ebo between hiking trails and rock art

La Vall d’Ebo combines marked trails, impressive karst landscapes, thousands-of-years-old rock art and a vibrant local tradition. The municipality has seven marked hiking trails covering a total of 48 kilometres. There is also a local route through La Vall d’Ebo and the PR-CV 43 Les Valls, which connects La Vall d’Alcalà, La Vall d’Ebo, La Vall de Gallinera and La Vall de Laguar as four valley sections.

Hiking trails and nature experiences

Several circular routes of varying lengths are available for planning your excursions: the Travessa del Maset al Tossal Gran is seven kilometres long, while the Avencs - Refugi de la Figuereta route is eight kilometres long and begins in La Vall d’Ebo. The SL-CV-Senda dels Tolls is also a circular route starting from La Vall d’Ebo. On the Avencs - Refugi de la Figuereta route, you reach Tossal Gran, with panoramic views of Vall d’Ebo. Els Avencs are natural shafts on the road from Ebo to Pego, along the way to the Refugi de la Figuereta. The Passejada etnobotànica La Vall d'Ebo runs through the surrounding area and provides knowledge about various plants and the species planted in the Jardí rebrotador El Condoig garden.

An easily accessible section of the Barranc de l’Infern begins at Font d’en Gili. The approximately two-hour walk leads through an area with vertical rock walls and shady corners. Font d’en Gili itself can be reached via a rural track at the edge of the village; there you will find a freshwater spring prepared by the Ayuntamiento and a place for a picnic. Els Tolls are natural pools reached via a marked path about 100 metres before Cova del Rull.

Caves, rocks and geological formations

The Vall d’Ebo lapiaz developed on Cretaceous limestone. Rainwater penetrated fissures in the rock and shaped a diverse underground karst landscape. Avenc Estret is located on the Travessa del Maset al Tossal Gran route and is 140 metres deep. Cova del Rull is an accessible cave with multicoloured stalactites and stalagmites; the guided tour runs for more than 200 metres through stairways and passages and is suitable for all visitor groups. The main entrance to Cova Fosca lies below a rock escarpment. The cave is located in a fault approximately three metres above the foot of the escarpment.

Rock art and local history

Cova Fosca is considered a sanctuary of Upper Palaeolithic rock art in the province of Alicante; 31 panels with engravings have been documented. It also contains a multiple burial with Bell Beaker pottery dating from around 2,000 BC. The rock art ensemble of Vall d’Ebo was added to the World Heritage List in 1998 as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula. Cueva de las Torrudanes contains examples of Levantine rock art dating from around 1,800 BC. Cueva del Reinós is associated with the first settlements in the Upper Palaeolithic around 15,000 BC and with rock paintings found there.

The Centre d’Interpretació de l’Art Rupestre de la Vall d’Ebo is located on the third floor of the Casa Museu. It displays reproductions and facsimiles of all the engravings and rock paintings from the municipality in display cases and on panels with 3D photographs. The Casa Museu Museu Etnològic is housed in an old building and displays a collection of tools and curiosities assembled by residents of the municipality. The Església de Sant Miquel de la Vall d’Ebo, a Baroque church dating from 1623, contains a sculpture of the Mare de Déu dels Desemparats from the Vergara school. At La Font de la Serra there is a typical 18th-century washhouse and the ruins of the former El Remolí water mill. Near Font de la Serra, the Despoblat de Serra preserves the remains of a former Moorish alqueria that was finally abandoned in the 18th century.

Festivals and cuisine of Vall d’Ebo

The festivities in honour of San Miguel Arcángel, the patron saint of the municipality of Vall de Ebo, take place every year on the last weekend of September. They include a concert in Cova del Rull, a communal dinner and a large paella. The Festes d’Agost are dedicated to the Virgen de los Desamparados and Cristo del Amparo and include cultural activities, exhibitions, processions, religious celebrations, theatre performances, pelota games, children’s games and parades.

The Festa Fira del Perelló takes place on the third weekend of November and is dedicated to the local Perelló pear variety. The festival features a market for artisan products, tastings centred on Perelló, demonstrations of traditional crafts, workshops, musical events, routes and exhibitions. Traditional dishes from Vall d’Ebo include wheat olleta, grilled meat, puchero, rice with beans and chard, and rice with lentils. The varying route lengths and the combination of the local route, caves, rock art, festivals and regional cuisine help you plan your days according to your interest in hiking, culture and culinary discoveries.

Other places in the region

Jijona, Pilar De La Horadada, Orba, Polop, Forna, Torrevieja, El Campello and Relleu

For the overview of the wider destination: Alicante.