The silhouette of the Peñón de Ifach or Penyal d'Ifac In Valencian it is one of the symbols of the Costa Blanca. It is the smallest natural park in the Valencian Community but one of the most visited. Hikers, climbers and scuba divers converge in it.
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History
This place was declared a natural park by the Valencian government on January 19, 1987 and has an area of 45 hectares. At the foot of the Rock are the remains of the Pobla d'Ifach, a small town that was built in the XNUMXth century after the conquest of Jaume I. This settlement only lasted a few decades, but its remains can be seen on the ascent to the Rock. The MARQ, the Archaeological Museum of Alicante, is carrying out excavations. The old wall that surrounded La Pobla is also visible, in fact, several of the current viewpoints are built on the basis of watchtowers of the wall.
Geology
The Peñón de Ifach is a huge calcareous rock that rises up to 332 meters above sea level. It is connected to the land by an isthmus, which makes it a small peninsula. It is the product of a landslide in the nearby Sierra de Oltà.
Flora and fauna
The rupicolous plants predominate, that is, those that grow in rocky areas. And in addition, many of them are endemic, typical and unique in the area, such as the silene de Ifach, the thyme, the rock scabious and the Valencian horseshoe. In the high areas of the northern part you can find shrubby vegetation, such as palm hearts, black juniper, aladierno and sea grape, while in the lower areas there are mastic, bayon, honeysuckle, asparagus and juniper.
This natural park is home to the shag, the yellow-legged gull, the gannet, Eleonora's falcon, the peregrine falcon and the pale swift.
How to get to
There is a hiking route that leads to the top of the Peñón de Ifach. From there there are beautiful views of the Mediterranean and on clear days you can see Formentera, Ibiza and the Cape of Santa Pola.
Routes
The red route (route up to the rock), has two levels of difficulty. The first section to the tunnel is very simple, then the difficulty increases and can be considered medium-high. These are the technical data of this circular route:
- Distance: 4'6 km
- Duration: approximately 2 hours
It is necessary to ask prior appointment to climb the Peñón de Ifach.
Recommendations for the visit
- Take mountain shoes or similar
- Make sure you have enough water
- From the tunnel, it is not recommended to continue for those under 18 years of age, due to the danger of the path
- In rain or fog, it is not recommended to continue from the tunnel
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The silhouette of the Peñón de Ifach between houses
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Poster of Natural Parks of the Generalitat Valenciana in the Peñón de Ifach
