Walking Alicante’s Rugged Mountains

As Inntravel customers we strongly reccomend this walk, which allows serious exploration of a very beautiful area of mountains.  Two of the hosts manage really friendly and welcoming places in which to stay.  Nothing was too much trouble. The walk options for the "rest" days and for shortening longer days offered welcome variety and flexibility. We were delighted taking this holiday in November to find that we had wonderful weather: blue skies and perfect temperatures. 

Would agree with all the favourable comments about the walks, the hotels and the holiday. One thing we would highlight was that the gorge walk prior to the cave paintings was excellent - through a very secluded valley in which we saw eagles and some large mammals (deer?). The walk from the rock art back to the hotel was OK but nothing special on its own,  so would recommend doing the whole thing if you have the energy. The first part is all downhill anyway, although rough underfoot in places.

We really liked everything at both Hotel Tarbena and Casa Pilar. The owners were helpful, knowledgable and good cooks. In Hotel Alahuar the radiafor in our room was stuck on high 24 hours a day, making the room very hot and the hotel did nothing to rectify this, although we told them on the first evening. The catering was mixed: one good meal, one not very good. It is in a marvellous location though, with such a great walk on the doorstep and amazing views, so we are glad we stayed there. Overall, a very good holiday in a lovely part of Spain. 

An excellent holiday in a part of the world it was entirely new to us. The views, the walking and the contrast in the deep gorges, high hills and stone terracing  made for a most enjoyable holiday. 

This is an amazing trip with great walking and shows a hidden part of Spain literally next door to a coast more associated with the negative aspects of tourism. Even if you feel you are familiar with Spain, this area will teach you that you have much to learn from this incredible country. The accommodation is superb but the first two hotels are simply the best way to see Spain, really charming, personal attention, interesting and spacious rooms with views and absolutely delicious home cooked food. I would go back again to both in a heartbeat. The third hotel is part of a chain and is also good (with lovely staff) but there is no comparison to the first two. This is what makes Inntravel trips so great. The walks were interesting, varied and the right amount of challenging, with options on some days. The Barranc de l'Infern route is a fantastic walk but it is hard if the weather is warm and you should be aware that once you've started there is no short-cut. You must take plenty of water (don't rely on the fountains) and definitely order the packed lunch for this one. It's easy to follow but I would say that some small sections are quite technical over rocky bits, be prepared. It's not a walk to miss though, simply amazing. We stayed an extra day to do another walk in the area and the route to Fleix is a good come down after the big one, giving you plenty of views of where you've walked down the barranc as well as pretty views to the sea. The seasonal bar on this route is a delight, what a lovely spot! Shame it was shut, take a snack and a drink to enjoy it anyway if you do this option. Fleix is very pretty, we found the bar here (open, yay!) and it's worth the stop. Benimaurell is also lovely to wander around and Campell, a bit further down too. Castell de Castells is fantastic, really pretty and we had the pleasure of being there for the local 'fireta' which was great, lots of food stalls and live music. Tarbena has a nice bar just behind the church with really nice snacks and cakes, definitely a lunch spot after a walk. The food on this trip was fantastic, arriving in Hotel Tarbena, somewhat travel weary we had an amazing and welcome 4 course meal waiting and having home grown avocados was such a treat. Juan also took us out on his e-bikes in the early evening which was unexpected and really really amazing (this would be such a good add-on to the trip...heavy hint!). We basically did another of the routes on the bikes and it's highly addictive, a great way to climb those hills. Food at Casa Pilar is home cooked with love, everything is homemade by Pilar (I mean everything, even the breakfast yoghurt). I can totally recommend her loquat jam and orange and chocolate cake as well as her rabbit paella. It's pretty easy to be vegetarian in this region too, which is a nice change, lots of vegetable options, all delicious. It's always so hard to return to normal life, work and bills after these trips, loved it (now looking to book my next one!).

An unknown (to me) and ruggedly beautiful region of Spain that is a world away from popular pre-conceptions of the Costa del Sol. Breathtaking panoramas for minimum effort with sufficient ascents and distances (eg Castell de Castells to Benimaurell) to tax the legs and lungs! The inventive and delicious cuisine and friendly welcome of Juan in Tàrbena deserves a special mention. A week of intense sun, some exertion and good eating - a memorable experience!

The journey from Tarbena to Castell de Castells was the highlight for me. A simply wonderful day, most memorable. 

The holiday was excellent. The hotels, our hosts, the food and the walks were all top notch and as described and reviewed previously. This part of Alicante is indeed beautiful, tranquil and unspoiled. The weather in late April 2024 was perfect for walking, mostly sunny with temperatures in the very high teens. We had just a little rain but it didn't cause any problems or dampen our spirits.

Tips for other travellers would be:

The local (aemet) weather forecasts are good, but they err on the side of caution - it wasn't as rainy or thundery as predicted. So be prepared but optimistic.

Beware Hotel Aluhar adding an additional charge for some meals at dinner. Nothing major but an annoyance when the trip is sold as dinners included. 

Brace yourself for Alicante airport and your (UK) flights. The 'Brits in Benidorm' experience is the polar opposite of your Alicante holiday.

Beware the church bells at Hotel Tarbena - Juans hotel is lovely, but the bells do go off every hour of the night! He does kindly supply earplugs.

All the walks we did were great. A favourite was Tollos to Castell de Castells, we loved the walking along the limestone gorge with golden eagles to the ancient rock art. I would say the Barranco del Infierno Cathedral of Hiking form Benimaurell was not a must for me. We chose it based on other reviews. Whilst it was a stunning ravine, I wouldn't say it was necessary to descend it three times to get the experience. It is indeed quite a challenging walk, especially the second decent, which isn't stepped. If you are tired on your last days or prefer a walk with more varied scenery, the other options from Benimaurell would be better, some of which still do one of the gorge descents or view the gorge from above.

The only negative for the holiday was the apparent deterioration in Inntravels customer service from previous years. They confirmed by email that our holiday was all booked as requested and told us to book flights. Then after booking our (non-refundable) flights informed us the requested room upgrades had not been booked. Also, once the holiday was booked and paid for, Inntravel stopped replying to emails and had to be chased up several times by phone during working hours (not convenient) in order to get a response. The additional charge for some meals at dinner at hotel Aluhar also wasn't stipulated by Inntravel as far as I'm aware. 

We agree with other reviewers that this is an excellent holiday with great hotels (especially the first two with their friendly, personal service). We added an extra night in Tarbena which allowed us to do both walk options - they are both worth doing but are quite different in nature. An extra day in Benimaurell allowed us to do the pleasant easy option (Vall de Laguar) and have a bit of a rest before doing the excellent 'Cathedral of Hiking' walk.

Perfect, despite one rather rainy day and quite a bit of cloud. We went as a couple but by the end of the trip, thanks in good measure to communal dining at Casa Pilar, we found ourselves walking as a very convivial group of six. Glad we had an extra day in Benimaurell so we could do both the brillant three gorges walk and have a chill day.

I and my companion (two women in their seventies) really enjoyed this holiday. The hotels were all very comfortable and the landscape was often stunning. As we got to Tarbena early on the first day we had seven days of great walking, including the Barranc de I'Infern on the last day, which we didn't find as challenging as we feared we might and was well worth doing despite all the climbing. We particularly enjoyed the walk from Tollos to Castell de Castells: in April there were lots of wildflowers in the gorge and nightingales singing. I would definitely recommend this holiday.

The scenery and area overall were fantastic.

This is a quiet walking area with breathtaking views and we couldn’t believe that it was only an hour from Benidorm! The Inntravel guidance notes were very helpful and the walks are also well marked with local footpath signs. The Alltrails app was a useful back-up on the day we forgot our Inntravel notes! We were surrounded by wildflowers on all the walks. Every day we saw and heard a variety of birds including vultures, eagles and our first nightingales (heard not seen). The walks from Tarbena to Castell, up to El Castellett and the Baranc de l’infern on our final day were our top three hikes.

Hotel Tarbena. This is a wonderful hotel, very close to the centre of Tarbena. Juan was very welcoming and his attention to detail was impressive. Each evening he cooked delicious meals, giving us a choice of three main courses with vegetables and a large salad. The homemade soups were a highlight. Our large room was clean, airy and comfortable. We found that the sound of church bells at night was successfully reduced by using silicon earplugs rather than foam. 

Casa Pilar. We had a warm welcome from Pilar and Juan. Their friendly guest house is in the centre of Castell. Our room was very spacious and clean. Pilar’s home made cakes, marmalade and yoghurt were delicious at breakfast time and in the evening she prepared a variety of tasty local dishes. We enjoyed sharing a table with other walkers and comparing notes each evening.

Hotel Alauhar. This was quite a large hotel and we missed the interaction with the owners which we had enjoyed at the previous two hotels. However, the food was good and the swimming pool was very welcome at the end of each day. We also appreciated the early breakfast prepared for us before our transfer to the airport.

Glorious spring sunshine in blissfully peaceful mountains! The first 2 hotels give you a wonderful feel for rural Spanish life and the last one has excellent very high quality food! Just remember to ask for the English menu if like us, you've been lazy and not learnt enough Spanish to get by! 

Even at the beginning of April it was very hot so make sure you take enough containers for water, wide brimmed hat, sunglasses and sunscreen! Oh and the swimming pool at Benimaurell is unheated - so get in slowly! 

We booked an extra night at the final hotel and so had an 8-night holiday. The bus to Benidorm proved efficient and easy and we’d recommend it if time permits.

It’s hard to choose specific highlights and to an extent these would be weather-dependent.  We very much enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Tarbena.  We had a large, well-furnished room with a comfortable bed. We arrived the Thursday before Easter and there were church bells later in the evening and a choir that sang on the street corners – lovely harmony. Juan made us very welcome.  He understood walker’s needs and cooked tasty meals with a main course choice of chicken, pork or hake – and on some days a very flavoursome chickpea paella – served with a large salad.  He gave us guidance on the walks and weather.  The first walk was North of Tarbena, and we used a leaflet Juan gave us which had an additional scenic section. It was easy to follow the White and Yellow waymarkers and the walk tracked at 9.2 miles. 

Both transit walks were just over 10 miles, and although not too challenging for navigation we agreed with another reviewer who thought it was at the upper end of a grade 2.  Walking poles are useful for some stretches or if legs and feet get tired.  We were at Castell de Castells on Easter Sunday and went to see the morning procession.  It was atmospheric to join in, but the procession sped up when rain started!  We then walked to the cave paintings and back, mostly in the rain, but we had some sun around the middle of the walk when we were at the paintings (9.5 miles). The walk to El Castellet was 8.3 miles, but felt hard because of the strong, cold wind we had that day.  There were lovely views and forest tracks. The watchtower ruins are more extensive than we had imagined - it must have been more like a fort, and a feat to build it where it is situated.

We had nicer weather conditions for the walk to Benimaurell and for the remainder of the holiday. The walk to Benimaurell was perhaps one of the nicest of the walks, but we were tired when we got to Hotel Alahuar.  Here we liked the friendly staff. An effort had been made to translate the menu into English and staff tried their best to explain what the dishes were like. At breakfast there is only a self-service coffee machine, and if you like coffee with milk but no sugar, the Americano with some cold milk is the best option (otherwise the coffee is very sweet). We had a rest day after the transfer and on the final day chose the Barranc de Racons, with just the one gorge (8 miles). The first part of the walk retraces the final part of the transfer route as far as the Coll de Garga – the ascent felt a lot easier with fresh legs than it had done coming down!

We had a splendid trip through Alicante's rugged mountains.

Our favourite walks were:

Barranc de L'Infern - Cathedral of hiking - on the final day.  It lived up to its name, decending three times into a Y shaped gorge.  The cloud that day was at ground level so we repeatedly sunk into clear air from the low level cloud.  An excellent path despite the 6,800 steps!

The North of Tarbena - take Juan's recommended diversion

Tarbena to Castell de Castells - Els Arc is a brilliant detour

To the Moorish watchtower in Castell de Castells - the ridge walk following the castle was breathtaking

The scenery is historicaly interesting - every rugged space devoted to terracing allowing the planting of almond and olive trees, and vines.  Sadly a disease is inflicting the almond trees and many of the ancient terraces are being abandoned.  We saw griffon vultures and golden eagles on a few occasions and some sturdy mountain goats on the walk to El Castellet. 

Hotel de Tarbena was excellent throughout.  Juan extremely attentive and always willing to assist with information.  He is also a great cook and we enjoyed some lovely meals including his chickpea risotto, all using local ingredients.  Casa Pilar was also homely and comfortable and it was fun to dine around a communal table and share walking stories.  Hotel Alahuar was less welcoming and the room was disappointing with the internet not working and a poor shower, but the restaurant was excellent.

The villages were all quiet with few options for buying food or taking a break.  We did enjoy the empanadas from the bakery and village shop in Tarbena.  We understood that many of the houses in the villages are used as holiday homes, hence the quietness.

Overall a wonderful holiday, extremely well curated and organised by Inntravel.

We had a fantastic holiday. Beautiful weather, wonderful scenery and challenging walks. The hotels were all great. Hotel Tarbena and Casa Pilar were both excellent with personal friendly service and delicious food. We loved the Hotel Alahuar too with good food and service and a view from our balcony that was simply stunning. Highly recommended!

An excellent holiday in beautiful scenery and worth extra nights in both Tàrbena and Benimaurell.

A lovely holiday with quite challenging walking as steep mountains so a lot of steep ascents and descents, but made up for by the views, often to the sea, and pleasant weather (late Feb into March). All the walks were good, taking in amazing scenery and views, we saw golden eagles on two days, once at the start of the gorge walk to the neolithic art (this walk was the best of the trip), and again during the walk from Castell to Benimaurell, it's worth carrying binoculars! We had clear weather with blue skies and sun throughout though strong winds on a couple of days were quite challenging. The Hotel Tarbena was excellent, personal service, good food and very friendly, and it was lovely to end up at the 4 star Hotel Alahuar with an amazing location on top of a mountain, a proper bar and choice of menu, good service and comfortable rooms. Casa Pilar was the most disappointing hotel, room was pleasant though bathroom tiny, communal dining table, pretty basic set menu and very limited 'honesty' fridge to get a drink (no bars open in the village). Note Casa Pilar was closed when we got there at 3pm, no phone signal so we had to hang around for nearly an hour before anyone showed up - so worth taking time over breakfast in Tarbena to arrive later. We used 'Welcome Pickups' for the taxi transfers - very efficient and good value.

I have a stressful job and an Inntravel holiday is the perfect antidote. Everything is taken care of - the hotels, walking directions and food are always excellent - I am an Inntravel superfan. Loved this holiday - my 10th Inntravel experience. It is up the top end of Level 2 (but there are easier options available every day). This was my first solo Inntravel holiday and I travelled at the end of February so I could walk amongst the almond blossom. The weather conditions were optimal - 20C some days and no rain all week. Amazing views - the paths certainly are rugged. Sadly many of the almond trees are being grubbed up since they are affected by a fungal disease, so it was not quite the sea of blossom I had imagined. I loved all the walks - the paths were very quiet - few other people - The Cathedral of Hiking on Day 6 is not to be missed. The hotels were all great, each with their own character. Casa Pilar was my favourite - family run and a communal dining table in the evening - the homemade coconut yoghourt at breakfast is highly recommended. Please be aware that the hotels are all in small villages - the bars and restauarants were all often closed when I was there, so if you are looking for a vibrant place to stay, probably you would be disappointed. Overall a great holiday. I have already booked another Inntravel holiday for later in the year.

Very enjoyable holiday with ideal weather for walking in February - sunshine and blue skies, except for the day we walked up to the watchtower when we were covered in mist and rain, but it did give an atmospheric feel with the odd glimpses into the valleys as the clouds cleared. The three gorges walk was excellent - we found the three star rating was only needed from the fact that it was longer and more demanding, rather than any technical/danger aspect. Accommodation and food all very good. Enjoyable time was had.

The walking was much better than I expected it to be. The tracks that were well signed with fabulous views. The routes that were suggested also included plenty of alternatives. We stayed Sunday to Sunday and I was surprised to find that so many Spanish were out hiking on the Saturday, it is clearly a popular walking area. We went in February and the weather was nice and sunny on all but one day when we had rain. For walking I found that tee shirts and shorts were fine despite it being early on in the year. During the evenings the temperatures dropped a little so taking a lightweight fleece is advisable. The accommodation was all good and the food at all 3 places was excellent. A really nice surprise awaited for us at the last hotel when we got back to the room after the evening meal to find a bottle of champagne waiting for us together with a letter wishing my wife a Happy Birthday - as it was indeed that day. I would recommend that for all the days that picnics should be ordered the night before with each hotel as most of the restaurants and bars are closed at this time of year.

We had a very positive experience on our first Inntravel holiday. The hotels, food, friendly locals, walking routes and notes and in-country travel arrangements were all excellent. We booked an extra night at both Tarbena and Benimaurell and found there was enough variety of walks to justify this extension. There were just too many highlights to mention! 

HIGHLIGHTS: Meeting Juan at Hotel de Tarbena, his father, Becky and celebrating Christmas Eve with cava; our hosts Pilar and Juanjo at Casa Pilar; enjoying the first two family hotels; the quiet beauty of the rural villages and austere beauty of the countryside; being together as a family on the hikes; the lack of decisions and planning; the terrific home cooked meals in the first two hotels. All around exceeded our expectations!

A wonderful holiday in a great place. One of our favourite Inntravel holidays. Great welcome from the first two hotels especially. A chance to experience the 'real' Spain and some great walks, surrounded by nature.

The weather for mid-November was wall-to-wall sunshine and temperatures of 25+ degrees - maybe too warm for some for walking. The mountain scenery and views were stunning. We were surprised by how green the area was. The olive harvest was in full swing. It was interesting talking to Juanjo at Casa Pilar about their family olive groves. Their olives were being pressed at the local co-operative while we were there.

We were made especially welcome by Juan at Hotel de Tarbena and enjoyed the food very much. It was fun meeting up with fellow Inntravellers - one couple ahead, one behind - and sharing experinces and meals.

This tour was a wonderful way to experience Spain and the mountains of Alicante. The terrain was dramatic and ever changing. Routes were a good workout and physically satisfying. The accommodations were all very welcoming with wonderful hosts and great care.

We had a wonderful holiday in the mountains of Alicante. I had no idea that this beautiful part of Spain existed such a short distance from the built up areas on the coast. All the hotels were good but the Hotel Tarbena and Casa Pilar make you feel really welcome and the hosts are very helpful and friendly. We appreciated being able to choose our meal times - previously in Spain we've stayed in hotels where dinner isn't available until 8:30pm at the earliest. Our favourite walk was the one through the Barranc de l'Infern although all of them were good. Els Arcs is a spectacular spot to visit as is El Castellet. It's worth walking up to the ruins there if you can as the views from the top are breathtaking. The short path up was easier than anticipated after reading the notes. The routes were mostly very quiet - it was only on the Barranc de l'Infern route that we saw several other walkers. We found the timings in the notes to be very generous. In Tarbena we managed to do both option A and B on the same day. The weather was beautiful throughout the holiday - sunny but not too hot for walking. We'd love to visit this region again at some point.

This is an excellent walking holiday in a stunning landscape and the highlight for us was the option to walk the Barranc de L'Infern (The Cathedral of Hiking). The temperature in early November for this level of walking.

This is an excellent walking holiday. We stayed an extra night in Tarbena and at Benimaurell enabling us to walk for 8 days in all. The three hotels are all excellent in their different ways and fit for interesting and varied accommodation and eating experiences. We were amazed by how beautiful and untouristy the whole mountain area is. Yet again another great holiday from Inntravel. Thanks! 

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Alicante’s Rugged Mountains. The scenery is spectacular and the suggested walks are varied and extremely enjoyable. We were lucky to see vultures and eagles on 4 of our walks. We particularly enjoyed the walk to the north of Tarbena and walking through the gorge from Tollos on the Neolithic Art route. The walks between the villages were excellent too. The “Baranc De l’Infern” was a challenge but was hugely satisfying when we made it back to the hotel for an ice-cream and a drink ! All of the hotels were very welcoming, the rooms were lovely and the food was excellent. The weather was warm and sunny with only a few spots of rain now and then. We would recommend this trip to anyone with a moderate degree of fitness who would like to experience the remoteness of a mountainous area.

This was a truly fabulous week of walking. The scenery was spectacular and we loved the fact that there was just about nobody around. I would do it all again like a shot! 

We felt warmly welcomed and looked after at the first two hotels, and very much appreciated their delicious home-cooking. It all felt direct, straightforward and personal.

Hotel Alahuar is a more impersonal affair, but it has a great view, a pool and interesting cuisine. 

All the walks were great. The two linear walks (from Tarbena to Castells and then Castells to Benimaurell) were probably our favourites. The instructions were excellent, and we only had two or three moments of confusion in the whole week. We used walking poles for the first time and were glad to have done so: they spared our knees somewhat and gave our arms a good workout, as well as helping us feel more steady where it was loose underfoot. 

We walked in the second week of October, mostly in temperatures of about 25-28C and full sunshine. It was definitely hot for walking but manageable. 

We had not anticipated that there would be so much colour and life in the flora at this time of year. The scents (in the pure, clean air) were wonderful: thyme, rosemary, fig, pine, broom, unidentified delicious-smelling flowers.... It was utterly wonderful.

It's a stunning landscape and a great opportunity to enjoy Spanish village life. It was very hot when we were there (end of September) and we would avoid walking in such high temperatures again. It would be a good idea to have more options for shorter walks in case it's very hot. The hotels were very good. The food in Hotel de Tarbena and Casa Pilar was excellent and the owners had put a lot of thought into preparing vegetarian meals for us. The third hotel, Alahuar, had a very limited vegetarian menu but the food was still good. Overall, a great holiday and we really enjoyed it.

We thoroughly enjoyed the walking especially the views. The proprietors of the first 2 hotels were fantastic. The final hotel was beautiful but you could feel it was part of a group. However they were helpful and allowed us to keep the room until we checked out at 5 00 pm. The only criticism of this hotel was the lack of an English translation for the dinner menu. On the first night we had to use google to translate it as the waitress didn't speak English.

Our rail journey from London via Barcelona was well organised and trouble free. In retrospect, we would have requested upper deck seats where relevant. We very much enjoyed all the walks especially from Castell de Castells to El Castellet (a ruined Moorish watchtower) and the Barranc de l'Infern circuit which is challenging but well worth the effort and provides a sense of achievement on completion! The welcome, service, and pescatarian cuisine were excellent at Hotel de Tarbena and Casa Pilar, as were the taxi transfers to and from Alicante station. In contrast Hotel Alahuar felt somewhat impersonal but had spectacular views and an inviting swimming pool. The Hotel Alahuar's extensive menu did not indicate which meals were pescatarian/vegetarian which complicated selection somewhat!. 

This was a fantastic walk in a beautiful part of Spain. We were lucky with the weather as it wasn't too hot, so everything was perfect. Well done Inntravel and thanks to the three hotels which were all excellent.

Alicante's mountains are indeed very rugged - a walk into a timeless landscape and what at times seemed like uncharted territory. We completed the week's walk in mid-September and during that time only passed one other hiker on the trail, though there were quite a few cyclists on the minor roads. We found the terrain and underfoot conditions challenging, but the immense satisfaction of completing the walk left us with a warm glow!  

Lovely area for walking and the Inntravel arrangements were excellent, with easy to follow routes, although we did appreciate having the GPS files as a back up. The hotels were great, well located and welcoming, and we apprecated the opportunity of trying traditional Spanish food, with flexible meal times. In summary, a very enjoyable and well organised holiday.

We were anxious because Spain had a heatwave a few weeks before but thankfully temperatures were acceptable and there was a mixture of cloud cover, which was just as well as in long parts there is little or no shade. We even had a rain storm!

The scenery was beautiful, the wildflowers were in bloom and the walks were dramatic and varied. This area of Spain is particularly interesting because it has been populated by humans for so long. The personal attention and excellent cooking from Juan at the Hotel Tarbena and Juanjo and Pilar at the Casa Pilar really helped to make this a memorable holiday. The food was excellent at the Hotel Alahuar, although the service was not as personal as at the two family run hotels. The transfers went off without a hitch. The towns offer little in the way of restaurants and shops so one is mostly dependent on the hotels for food. The weather was sunny, dry and hot except for our last day, when it rained, so we did not attempt the walk into the Barrancs at Benimaurell and opted for the delightful Vall de Languar walk instead. We were a little challenged by the steepness of some of the walks, as we are older people. We were glad that we had brought our hiking poles. It is nice that Inntravel provided a variety of walking options for most days.

The quality and hospitality of all of accommodations was excellent. Juan, Pilar and the rest of the staff could not have been more welcoming. The scenery is stunning and a great treat. However this is not a trip for someone who suffers vertigo.

To put this context we are veterans of many Inntravel walking holidays and are not the wrong side of 65. We are experienced walkers but our strenuous days are behind us. Inntravel have excelled themselves here - this is a great holiday. We were blessed with dry, warm and sunny April weather which really helped. Some of the walks would have been very difficult for us if it had rained and a number of dry riverbeds are crossed and many of the paths are on limestone which would be slippy when wet. The standard and welcome at the first two hotels was the best we have experienced. The staff could not do enough for us and gave us a truly personal service. The food was excellent throughout the holiday. The third hotel was less personal but is a lovely hotel in a great location and a great way to finish the holiday. The walks are excellent and exactly as described. The area is outstandingly beautiful and really quiet. Sadly we saw very little wildlife although the spring flowers were very pretty. Some routes pushed us to our limit but the shorter options available were a great alternative. We walked in shorts all week and did not need walking trousers but we really needed our walking poles for many of the descents.  The one final note is our disappointment of the lack of available bars in the villages for refreshment. There was one OK one in the square in Tárbena, there was only one in a side street in Castells and did not serve any food at the times we arrived (at least three other bars were closed all week). Likewise in the villages on the final two days. However, that did not come as a surprise and Inntravel had already suggested this may be the case. We will definitely continue to use Inntravel for our walking holidays in the future and thoroughly recommend them.

We had a fantastic holiday exploring an area we knew almost nothing about before our arrival there.  The Hotel de Tarbena and Casa Pilar were perfect - welcoming, comfortable and very Spanish!  The welcome given by our hosts at both hotels added so much to the holiday with local history and information, recommendations for the walks and delicious home cooked traditional Spanish food.  Definitely ask Juan for his recommendation for the circular walk from Tarbena - and eat his chickpea paella at dinner!  Highlights were walking through pine woodland with (generally invisible) small birds singing around us in early morning sunshine on Juan's route; pausing on the walk up from Castell de Castells to the ruined Moorish fort and looking up to see eight - yes eight! - golden eagles soaring above the ruins; the walk through three ravines from Benimaurell, especially the descent to the first ravine passing through an arch in the rock into a spectacular gorge.  The swift changes from terraced olive and cherry trees to vertiginous rock faces, pine wood or hillside covered in wild camassia, rosemary and rock roses on every walk. And this may sound a small thing but I think it saved my legs that our room at the Hotel de Tarbena had a bath with lots of hot water to soak away the aches of the first two walks...

This was a wonderful holiday. The first two hotels are both family-run businesses and the welcome at each was exceptional. At the first hotel, in Tarbena, the host, Juan, was helpful and obliging and we were very comfortable there. He speaks excellent English and was able to give us useful tips about different parts of the walk that we did from there. The food here was delicious. It was a very special moment to hear beautiful choral singing in the streets at midnight on the eve of Good Friday. We did the walk to the north of Tarbena, which on our first day was quite challenging, especially as we did the optional detour. Walking to Castel de Castells, at the second hotel, Pilar and Juan made us feel very at home. There is a lovely little terrace at the top where you can sit and have drinks or, at night, make yourself a tea or coffee on the sofa. Breakfast at Casa Pilar was a delightful event, in a sunny breakfast room, and we loved the "traditional cake" and other delicacies. At dinner, we had excellent wine and particularly enjoyed the soups. We did the gorge walk on one of days at Casa Pilar, which was a marvellous sight although, as the Inntravel notes pointed out, the effect of the previous year's wildfires was sadly very evident. On the other day we took the route that went via the prehistoric rock paintings--it was a bit of a climb up to see the paintings but for me the best part was being able to sit in the cave at this site, rest in the shade and contemplate the people that would have used the cave thousands of years before. We were really sorry to leave Pilar and Juan but the walk to the third hotel was one of the best, although the descent into Benimaurell was very tiring. The third hotel was much more corporate in style but the food in the restaurant was excellent even if it was sometimes a bit difficult to find out what was on offer! On our day in Benimaurell, we chose to do the Barranc de Racons walk as we were all feeling a bit tired--this was another favourite, so don't feel you will miss out completely if you don't do the "cathedral of hiking" option. Throughout this holiday, the vegetation was fabulous--so many plants living happily in the wild, which you would recognise from your garden, and so many interesting habitats. Fossils all over the place in the limestone rocks. The scents were tremedous--wild thyme, wild rosemary and--we think--the smell of the fan palm flowers were everywhere. We caught a glimpse of mouflon on the opposite side of a valley, and we heard nightingales numerous times, mainly around Benimaurell. Thank you Inntravel for another excellent holiday!

Wonderful holiday, the walking was quite challenging because so much up and down, but despite me not having a head for heights, no problems. The ancient Moorish stepped paths are fabulous, and beautifully maintained. Great flora.

Another excellent break from Inntravel. Good walking, which is challenging at times, in beautiful and peaceful surroundings providing a genuine sense that you're exploring a region that's an unsung gem, despite being so easily accessible. Hotel Tarbena and Casa Pilar are homely hotels run with warmth and commitment by lovely people who really couldn't do more to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. No specific highlights - rather a delight that everything was just right. 

A very well organised holiday it was nice to hear how well you treat the local hotel partners

On our flight home, we tried to decide what had been the best bit of our holiday but failed - it was all just great, thank you for the research and management this must have involved.

Sunshine.

Almond blossom

Freindly owners in first two hotels.

Pleasant staff in last.

We had a truly magnificent week.  Wonderful weather, outstanding scenery and delicious food.  We were lucky enough to see golden eagles at close quarters, flocks of choughs and a myriad of smaller birds.  We really enjoyed the Rock paintings at Pla de Petracos.  In all the perfect antidote to the cold, wet Scottish winter we had had.

A fabulous holiday in spectacular, varied scenery. Organisation and walking notes were great throughout. Additionally downloading GPS provides useful confidence - I paid for a subscription to Gaia GPS so that I could be sure of accessing the routes offline. As a solo traveller I particularly appreciated the warm welcome from the first two hotels - Juan at Hotel Tarbena can't do enough to ensure you enjoy your stay. Hotel Alahuar was more welcoming than expected (with a bit of effort to practice some Spanish). The small size of the first two hotels also makes social interaction with your fellow travellers easy (mostly UK Inntravellers). Food at the first two hotels was terrific - simple, homecooked and made very tasty. Hotel Alahuar a little light on vegetables but with a good range of beers.
Each day's walking was different and enough for me when taking the longer options. Weather (mid-February) was perfect and above-par at 16-20C. The highlight (for the impressiveness of the step construction, the challenge and the achievement) has to be the final day's 'Barranc de l'Infern' longer walk. I wouldn't want to have done it on Day 1, in the wet (limestone rocks become slippery), or (although previously sceptical) without walking poles, but to look down and say 'Did I really just walk from there?' and then descend and ascend twice more is very satisfying. The 6,800 (vertical) steps in the notes is no misprint!
A very impressive introduction to Inntravel. Fellow travellers (some many time users) had only good things to say about their experiences and that the hotels they use are chosen for their friendliness and good food. No argument here.

Excellent varied walking,quite challenging at times. First two hotels were our favourites. Food at Tarbena outstanding.

The title is very appropriate to the walking and the scenery. The walks are all individual with different views and perspectives on the landscape. It's amazing to be so close to the large coast resorts yet feel so remote and alone.  The hundreds and hundreds of terraces now many abandoned, make the contrast with modern life all the more vivid. Apart from leaving and entering the villages I think we came across one other couple walking and one walking group over 6 days. Local accommodation and food was excellent throughout.  Weather was a bit changeable in Mid-February, so definitely a case of lots of layers to adjust clothing to suit sun/wind/rain.  An excellent 6 days walking.

We had a great holiday in an area of which we knew little. And it was so near yet so far from the horrors of Benidorm. Two days of continuous rain wasn't a great start, but the walks were good and the last day's walk was a lifetime highlight. 

Well organised holiday with interesting scenery and some good walks. We had a week of unusually cold v rainy weather in mid Feb so recommend bringing good waterproofs, gloves, and woolly hat  if visiting in winter, just in case. 

Another great walking week, despite the rain. Amazing scenery, varied walks and good food

This was another excellent walking holiday from Inntravel. The hotels were well chosen and the welcome from Juan and Paco at the hotel in Tarbena was perfect. The packed lunches from both the first two hotels were excellent as well. The walks were challenging but not too difficult. The weather went from T-shirt weather at the weekend to cool and rainy in the week. Even on the sunny days, though, there were patches of snow and ice left over from the previous week.  These made the detour up to Els Arcs treacherous.  The scenery was superb, although low cloud on some days prevented us from seeing it at its best. After the rain, there was water at the upstream end of the gorge when we walked from Tollos back to Castell de Castells, making the walk along the gorge very difficult. We decided it was too wet for the Barranc de l'Infern walk, but we enjoyed the alternative route. We would recommend taking lots of layers and full waterproofs, at least in February, just in case. Sadly, the almond trees are affected by disease so while there is some almond blossom in February and it is beautiful, many orchards are dying or cleared. The food was very good, especially at Hotel Alahuar in Benimaurell and we really appreciated the full breakfast they put on for us at 6.30am on the day we were leaving.

We went in late January and saw the almond blossom starting to emerge. The scenery is amazing, the walks interesting and the food was great. The temperature can be very different in the mountains and it is worth checking the weather conditions before setting off on this holiday. Don't rely on temperature predictions for the coast! We added an extra day at each of the locations which was well worth it. We spent our extra day in Tarbena trying out a walk suggested by our host Juan which we greatly enjoyed - he provided a GPX map for us and was very informative about the local area. Adding an extra day to Castell de Castells meant we could do all the walks suggested by Inntravel, the gorge walk from Tollos was a real highlight and included lunch watching the golden eagles fly. We walked to the Moorish watchtower in snow which was magical, the trees were beautiful and the mountains spectacular. The Barranc de I'Infern was also a highlight, it's a slightly more challenging walk but very worth the effort. We found walking poles were useful particularly on some steeper descents - damp loose limestone needs care. It was lovely to be in this part of Spain and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

We had a lovely week away, great walks in dramatic scenery and glorious sunshine, a great antidote to the British winter! The Barranc de l'Infern route was a real highlight. Highly recommended and and would happily do more routes using the friendly local hotels. Notes for other walkers: It was colder than average for January so glad we took hats, gloves and thermals - it was also windy when high up on some of the days. Also what3words works in Spain. 

This was a lovely holiday with excellent walking in a very beautiful landscape. The hosts in the first two hotels made us feel very welcome and cooked us great meals, which was much appreciated after all the walking. We upgraded our room in the last hotel and had a balcony overlooking some fantastic scenery. The walk notes were easy to follow and, along with the GPS, meant that we didn't get lost once. We had half expected the scenery to be rather dry and barren, but that wasn't the case at all. It was full of trees, birds, herbs and interesting flowers, even in January. We even glimpsed an eagle. All the walks were good, but a highlight was the first walk around Tarbena, including the detour which is stunning, the walk from Tarbena to Castell and the walk around the watchtower in Castell. We would do the shorter version of the walk from Tollos if we came again, as the walk down the river bed was hard going. If you are looking for some beautiful walking in winter sunshine, with easy travelling from the UK, we couldn't recommend this holiday highly enough. 

Friendly small country inns with great food and amazing service.  Great walking area in the hills with amazing views.  Good paths. We particularly liked the views around Castells including from the watchtower and the moorish steps at Benimaurell.

The walking instructions were unbelievably detailed and easy to follow. Someone did a fantastic job writing this all out. Each of the accommodations was special in its own way. The countryside was incredibly picturesque. People were very kind and helpful wherever we went. Thank you for providing us with an excellent trip. I'm already recommending Inntravel to my friends. 

Take earplugs to help with sleeping near the churchbells. Walking poles were really useful too as there are a lot of ascents and descents and the paths are very narrow in places. The villages were extremely quiet in late October so take some games for the evening. We were glad we had come with fellow bridge players and had brought some cards! 

This was an exceptional week with wonderful walks, warm hosts, delicious food and beautiful weather. Paco and Juan (Hotel Tarbena) made us feel so welcome, giving us a wonderful insight into the walks in their area. Casa Pilar is a treasure and the walk from Tollos to Castell de Castells was very special indeed (with the cave paintings). The meals in the final hotel were delicious. The most spectacular walk was the Barranc de L'Infern. We have walked in many different places around the world - this walk is right up there in the top rankings. Although it was tough as it was a very hot day, the views were incredible and the ravines were breath-taking. 

If you are looking for the real Spain then this is the holiday for you. It is only a few miles down to the coast but it seems a million miles away from the brashness of Benidorm. Here you can see how life really is in rural inland Spain, enjoy great walks and scenery and hear hardly a voice of English. The walks were all very good, especially Tarbena to Castell de Castells (the longer version is recommended) and the Barranc de L'Infern. There are also fabulous views when climbing to the Moorish watchtower and I would recommend climbing right up to the castle - I found the track a lot easier than the notes suggest and I do not even have a head for heights. Do climb up to the caves of Pla de Petracos which are very evocative. A prior visit to the excellent museum in Castell de Castells provides a good explanation, although you need to be staying in Castells at a weekend as the museum has limited opening times.

The three hotels are all excellent, especially the first two which are family run hotels offering a brilliant personal service. I also enjoyed the final hotel at Benimaurell which although more of a chain type hotel had excellent facilities including a lovely pool which is very welcome after a long day of walking. Dinners are provided on all nights and are excellent at all hotels as are the breakfasts and picnics. There are some good bars in Tarbena and Castell de Castells where you can mix with the locals and soak up the atmosphere. However these often close in the afternoon so you could be disappointed if you are looking for a refreshing drink at the end of a long walk.

This is a great holiday leading you through dramatic scenery to comfortable and varied hotels in quiet and remote villages.  The walking is glorious, and views spectacular.  We found our walking poles essential.  

This was a wonderful holiday in a beautiful area. The information and service from Inntravel was top notch.
The personal welcome and family atmosphere of the hotels in Tarbena and Castells was a highlight. 

We enjoyed the peaceful trails, seeing hardly a soul and often spotting local wildlife such as wild goats or boar.

I would recommend eating in a village restaurant once or twice. Otherwise you tend to talk only to fellow Inntravel guests. The restaurant in the square in Castells was very good.

The Tárbena hotel, and Paco and Jean François, were a highlight of the trip; warm, solicitous, and caring beings. Same for Pilar, although language limited conversation. Weather was perfect, although warmer than expected...not that Inntravel was responsible for that (were you??). The rooms at Arahuar, in the bungalow, were a bit strange in that it wasn't clear what one was supposed to do with the upper level. The landscape was generally fantastic; rugged and beautiful, as advertised. But I wouldn't want to have done some of those climbs in the rain. Your advice about long pants to avoid scratched legs was spot on.

On this trip we  felt that we had an experience of the real Spain, away from the tourist hotspots.

The friendly welcome and helpfulness we received at Hotel Tarbena  and Casa Pilar stand out.

Our group of 3 comprised a vegetarian, a pescatarian and an omnivore and we were all catered for superbly well. The breakfasts at all the hotels left nothing to be desired, as well as the evening meals. Pilar's cooking at Casa Pilar, and enthusiasm for introducing us to some local specialities stand out.

It was hotter than we expected (30°) so we shortened some of the walks and joined our luggage in the taxi on transfer days! The scenery was spectacular on all the walks. We particularly enjoyed walks up to Castellet and Els Arcs from Castells and most especially the walk we did on the final day from Benimaurell down into the gorge and back up again.

This is the first walking holiday we have done with Inntravel and we will shortly be perusing the brochure to find our next one.

Hotel de Tarbena was an absolute gem. The father and son team were so welcoming, caring and a source of great local knowledge. Excellent food and picnic....absolutely the highlight of the week!! 

Hotel Taberna excellent, very welcoming and personal attention, fine food (freshly foraged asparagus and home grown avocados). The nicest small hotel I have ever stayed at.

Another wonderful holiday from Inntravel. Eagerly anticipated after the last couple of years, the walking was absolutely superb - if anything even better than we had hoped! This is a very quiet area despite being so close to the coast and the walks and views are simply stunning. Thank you Inntravel for such a well-designed walking holiday.

This was a very enjoyable walking holiday through limestone hills and gorges. Much of the walking was on good paths and tracks, although some sections of narrow, stony paths were more challenging. The walk from Tarbena to Castell was very enjoyable, particularly the section through the gorge. The Day 6 walk (Barranc de Racons) was outstanding. Although the walk down into and back out of the gorge looked a bit daunting, it turned out to be very enjoyable as the ancient Moorish zig zag paths were broad and set an an easy angle, giving outstanding views back down into the gorge.

We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday, walking amongst such stunning landscape. We were walking in April and were lucky with the weather - one wet day at the start and one misty day at the end and in between lovely sunshine and not too hot. We were looked after beautifully in the first two smaller hotels and the facilities of the larger last hotel allowed us chance to relax at the end of our stay. We added one night at the end in this hotel to allow us a day's relaxation reading and admiring the view! We upgraded to a Junior Suite in the last hotel and were delighted to have done so as the view from our balcony was stunning. Walking notes were excellent and we were particularly glad we had walking poles and flip flops in our bag on the day we had to cross a river as recommended in the notes!

TIPS: Opt for Junior Suite at Hotel Tarbena but not Hotel Alahuar. Consider getting a lift half way on Casa Pilar to Benimaurell walk - it's a very long day otherwise.

This was a wonderful holiday, spectacular scenery, lovely walks and a warm welcome at the hotels, all of which were excellent. At Tarbena Paco and his son could not do enough for us. The meals were quite simple but beautifully cooked with lovely salads. Pilar and her husband looked after us well at Casa Pilar, however we did not enjoy the meals here as much. There was a lovely bar behind Casa Pilar run by an English couple. Hotel Alahuar is bigger but the rooms were lovely and the food excellent. We upgraded to a junior suite which was well worth the extra. The walk instructions were good and most of the routes are way marked and quite easy to follow. I downloaded the routes on to my phone which was really helpful when we were unsure of the route.

It is difficult to pick a favourite walk as they were all enjoyable. I think our favourites were the walk from Tarbena to Castell de Castells, the walk to the Moorish watchtower and the walk from Castell de Castells to Benimaurell. Unfortunately the weather was very wet on the last day so we only managed to do the first bit of the Barranc de l'Infern walk but the gorge is spectacular. The cave paintings at Castell de Castells are well worth seeing and the museum in Castel de Castells is very informative.

This was a wonderful holiday in an area which many walkers do not immediately think of visiting. Although it is easy to get to when we visited (March) it was very peaceful. The hotels and food were terrific and everybody we met was friendly and helpful. The scenery is spectacular and the walks were the perfect level of stretch.

We really enjoyed this Inntravel walking holiday. The countryside was far more spectacular than expected and the walks were varied and with options that allowed for plenty of flexibility to see scenery, historical sites and beautiful areas.  The hotels were really welcoming and hugely helpful. Pilar at Casa Pilar was exceptionally helpful (and a very good cook!). 

Our arrival coincided with the worst rain the area had seen in decades which could have caused us some problems. However, it cleared up very soon and we managed to do all the walks. However the "dry river bed" crossings were definitely not dry in a number of places. 

The walk notes are a real strong point of Inntravel holidays and it is wise to read them carefully to allow you to really plan out the day. 

Unfortunately we had unprecedented bad weather. Only our last day was dry with visibility of more than 100 yards. On several days the rain was heavy and persistent all day while on others it varied from drizzle to heavy showers. There was a lot of standing water and some footpaths had turned into streams. It is therefore not really possible for us to comment on the quality of the walking. We did manage some short walks mostly making our own routes along tracks and quiet roads, helped by being provided with large umbrellas by Casa Pilar.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed staying in the three villages. We had our morning coffees in the local bars where everyone was friendly and even apologising for the weather. Every room we had was comfortable and warm, so our wet clothes dried quickly. All the meals were good though we particularly enjoyed those prepared at Tarbena. We travelled to Benimauli with our luggage taking a minor road because the rain had caused damage to the main road. We had been there only 24 hours when we had to return to Castells because there was a danger of the minor road becoming impassable. Inntravel kept us well informed and Casa Pilar looked after us well, collecting us and our luggage and providing the last two nights accommodation.  

The landscape and scenery were outstanding and the lack of people around made it a really unique experience. The notes were generally excellent. I think it was an ideal trip for a solo traveler looking for some alone time as I was.

A very warm welcome awaits on this wonderfully varied circuit through the almond and olive groves with superb views over the mountains and the sea. With ridge walks, gorges and beautiful valleys to explore the scenery is breathtaking and the delicious home cooked food using local ingredients is highly appreciated. Every day is different but we especially enjoyed the walk from Tarbena to Castell (long version) and the walk from Castell to Benimaurell.

Magnificent scenery and a wonderful release from February UK weather into bright and sunny days in clear fresh air. Two lovely quiet hotels with great personal service in friendly villages and one more upmarket with great food.

This was a wonderful introduction to a dramatic rural landscape just a few miles inland from the Costa Blanca - from some viewpoints it was possible to look down on the coastal resorts and even out to Ibiza. We went in early February and were delighted to see on the hillsides the almond trees covered in beautiful pink blossom (and on our way up there, on the coastal plain, all the oranges trees covered in fruit.) The temperatures were ideal for walking during the day, but it was chilly at night and early morning. The quality of the walks and and the views from them were amazing and it's hard to choose a favourite walk, but we both particularly enjoyed the walk up to El Castellet from Castell de Castells. We were made very welcome at all three hotels but especially by the first two, as others have said. The included dinners at all three hotels were delicious, and we requested picnics from the 1st and 2nd hotels which were great. We hired a car at the airport and drove to the last hotel, where we were able to leave the car, and got the taxi round to the first hotel to start the walk. This meant we had the use of our hire car at the last hotel, so after our Day 6 walk, we drove down to the coast for an aperitif, before returning to Benimaurell hotel for dinner. We also (and independently from Inntravel) added on a couple of nights in the city of Valencia afterwards which we enjoyed. A really lovely holiday.  

This was an excellent holiday. The walks were as said earlier, challenging, but that in itself was a pleasure. The scenery was spectacular and what a relief not to have to cater for ourselves! Each day brought a new high point!