The Sierra Helada Park(Serra Gelada) is one of the most famous and known throughout the Valencian Community. For something it is one of the most visited with more than 130,000 annual visitors. It is located in the municipality of Benidorm separating the east from the municipality of Albir. In addition, it is an extensive park, with more than 5600 hectares. oday we are going to tell you some routes of the Sierra Helada de Benidorm.
In the Natural Park of the Sierra Helada you can find a lot of vegetation, as well as great views with cliffs of more than 300 meters high or the hanging fossil dune. You can also enjoy some magnificent views from the Alto del Gobernador, its highest point, at 440 meters above sea level.
The protected natural parkof the Sierra Helada includes a maritime coast, facing the cliffs of the sierra. In this protected area there are some seabeds, reaching a depth of 20 metres in a short period of time, distance which makes it an ideal place for many marine species. It has a rocky reef in the south of Benidorm Island.
Within the limits of this Natural Park you can also find the Island of Benidorm and Mitjana Island. In its waters you can also find a multitude of crustaceans, fish and other species which makes it a great source of fishing resources that can be noticed in the gastronomy of the area.
One of the characteristics of the Sierra Helada, and that you can enjoy in one of the 3 routes we are going to tell you about is its rich vegetation.
Many of the plant species that you will see are protected, in fact, the Sierra Helada has two micro-reserves of flora at its limits. The white pine stands out, which constitutes the main tree species in the area.
As far as animal species are concerned, the bird fauna is considered the second most important in the whole of the Valencian Community after the archipelago of the Columbretes Islands. In the Sierra Helada you can see several cormorants, European gulls and puffins, as well as peregrine falcons, gannets and shearwaters.
Albir Lighthouse Route
This route begins in the municipality of Albir. It is a fairly straightforward walking route easy and simple for everyone. It will take us a little less than two hours since is about five kilometres long.
You can start it in the car park with access to the Natural Park of the Sierra Ice cream from the town of Albir, next to an information point. The path itself starts in the picnic area from where you will connect with the path 61 yellow. Shortly after starting the route, you can find some viewpoints overlooking the sea that will allow you to see Altea and the bay of Albir.
During the rest of the way you will pass by Cala La Mina and Caleta del Metge that you can visit by deviating from the path just a few meters. Also you will pass by some cliffs in addition to the possibility of seeing the Boca de la Balena, a large cave in the mountain.
At the end of the route you will find the Albir Lighthouse and an exhibition with the history of this building.
Punta del Cavall Route
This route is quite easy and accessible to almost everyone. It has a length of 5 kilometres, round trip so that in just over two hours the you can do without going especially fast.
At the beginning of this route, as a small additional tour, you can visit the cove from Tío Ximo. It is a small but charming beach.
The route itself begins at the exit of Benidorm from the east of the city. The start of the route is signposted with an explanatory poster of the Natural Park at a road closed to vehicular traffic.
The path is simple and clear and will take us to the Mirador de la Sierra Helada or Punta del Cavall where you will find a watchtower dating from the XVII century.
Sierra Helada Route
This route is already for more experienced hikers, not only is it more difficult technique but has a greater accumulated elevation and almost 9 kilometres of distance, being only linear so for the return journey you will have to retrace our steps. This route, in short, is not suitable for everyone.
The route covers the whole of the Sierra Helada Natural Park from north to south. For this reason a linear route that can be started either from the city of Benidorm or from Albir. If you do it from Benidorm the beginning is the same as in the already mentioned route of the Punta de Cavall in the previous point. In the city you have to look for the Cross of Benidorm from which you can already enjoy good views of the whole city and its skyscrapers.
If instead you start it from the town of Albir the starting point is the car park from which you can also start the route of the Lighthouse of Albir. In fact, you can do both routes in the same route but the distance, difficulty and time spent will obviously be greater.
Taking the path of the antennas, well signposted, it will take you around the mountain range and you will be able to enjoy beautiful views of the sea at all times. This way you can see the Puig Campana or Mitjana Island.
The path takes you to the Alto del Gobernador, the highest point in the whole natural park, 440 metres above sea level. 440 metres above sea level. The good thing is that the climb will have been rewarded and you will be able to enjoy breathtaking views and the added bonus that the rest of the route is in descent. You will spend less energy in the final stretch. The rest of the route goes down by a winding road to the car park of the natural park in the municipality of Albir, next to an Information Point. From here you could continue to the Faro de Albir, but that’s another route we’ve told you about.
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