The caves of Cova Tallada
You can walk to the caves of Cova Tallada in two ways. Cova Tallada is actually an old quarry and is therefore not a naturally formed cave. The carved stones have been used since the 12de century to build a church in Jávea and the castle of Dénia. A short walk of approximately 2 km is possible from the parking at Cala les Rotes in Dénia or you can also opt for the longer walk (PR CV-355) that starts at the monastery of Nuestra Senora de los Angeles in Jávea.
We made the 7 km long version through the nature park of Montgó (Parc Naturel del Montgó). The difficulty level of this walk is medium to even heavy, because there are many differences in height. The last part from the "Torre del Gerro" observation tower to the monastery has no shadow!
Parking
Parking is free at the parking next to the monastery "Nuestra Senora de los Angeles". There is room for around 10 cars, but that day there were only 3 cars parked. At the end of the walk, only our rental car was still there. It is possible to park closer (on the right side on the first dirt road that you have to take from the main road). There is room for three cars. See map below.
P Monastery: 38 ° 48'20.5 ″ N 0 ° 10'18.3 ″ E - P west of P Monastery: 38 ° 48'17.9 ″ N 0 ° 10'05.4 ″ E
White yellow markers
The walk to Cova Tallada starts at the monastery, from where you follow the first part of the route on the main road (watch out for the cars) until you reach a dirt road (Camí la Plana de Sant Jeroni). There you turn right. You follow the clearly applied white / yellow markings that are painted on walls and rocks. The route passes several houses and over the heath (Marker 2- see map below) until the path starts to descend slightly towards the coast.
Entrance Cova Tallada
From there it is not far to the cave “Cova Tallada”. On this part of the hike, chains are attached to the rock walls to aid in the steep descent. We thought it was a nice change from the mostly flat first part. To get to the caves it took some searching for the entrance. You can go down the stairs, over and under some rocks until you come to an opening in the wall that gives access to Cova Tallada. You cannot see the opening to the cave from the stairs. It takes a while, but once found the entrance, it is worth it.
With a kayak to the caves?
Inside you will find two large rooms, one of which reaches up to 15 meters high. Enough light shines through the openings along the sea, but bring a flashlight. The surface is rather uneven and it is safer to see where you are walking. From the sea you can easily reach the caves with a kayak. Different excursions are organized every day from Dénia. It looked nice to visit the caves of Tallada that way.
We stayed there for 20 minutes. The children stepped out of the cave through the water to the area where you can snorkel well. So definitely bring your swimming gear, swimming shoes and snorkeling gear.
Limited number of visitors allowed (New)
It was said that the number of visitors to the caves in the future would be limited between 15 June and 30 September and you will have to make a reservation. In this way they want to reduce the high number of visitors per day to a maximum of 482 people per day, of which 112 per kayak. At any time, only 71 people should be present in the cave. To this day, however, no agreements have yet been made as to who should check this. We have not seen any inspectors. If you have to make a reservation, it will be possible on the website of Parc Naturel del Montgó.
Walk from Cova Tallada to Dénia
The exit of the cave is the same as the entrance. Back up the stairs via the chain along the wall and from there the walk continues along the coast in the direction of Dénia. After about 15min steps you will arrive at Mirador Las Rotas, from where you have a beautiful view from the cliffs on Les Rotas of Dénia. Downstairs are some of them the most beautiful beaches and swimming spots of Jávea and its surroundings. From there you walk a few 100 meters further until you reach the paved road “Carrer de la Via Lactea”. On this road you go up to the left (Marker 3) up to the "Torre del Gerro" observation tower.
Torre del Gerro
The watchtower was built in 1553 against the many Berber attacks in the 16de in 17. de century and is named after the shape of the tower. Gerro is Spanish for jug. From Torre del Gerro it is a long way to walk through the heath to the same main road (Carretera del Cap de Sant Antoni) from where the walk started. Just past the tower you take a walking path that curves to the left. A little further you will see an empty and deserted ghost village on your right (Marker 4). Be sure to bring enough water and a hat or cap, because there is no shade on this last part of the walk. Count on walking for less than an hour.
Last part of the walk
The walk goes past a shooting range (Campo de Tiro de San Jerónimo). We took the walk on a Sunday and there was indeed some practice. The closer you came to the main road, the louder the shots became, because the road is right next to it (Marker 5). There are many derelict houses along the dirt road. We found this part a bit disappointing, but inevitable if you want to make the walk in a loop. Once on the main road turn left. You pass a restaurant with swimming pool (Restaurante Amanecer) on your right. I walked to get the car, while the children drank something. From the restaurant it was still 10 min steps (850 meter) to the monastery. To the 2de parking it would have been only 500 meters 😉
Short walk to Cova Tallada is possible
The short walk starts and ends at the Cala les Rotes parking lot in Dénia. You follow the beautiful path along the coast to Cova Tallada. We have met several people in the direction from Dénia. Note: Also on the short walk of total 2km (go and back) are several height differences that you should take into account. This short version is not recommended for people with reduced mobility and for people with a lesser condition.
Map: walk to Cova Tallada
Other walks in the area
We made several other beautiful hikes in Jávea and surroundings, such as a hike to the top of the Penyal d'Ifac in Calpe. Also the short walk to the watchtower of Torre Vigia de Cap d'Or in Moraira is fun to do.
In addition to hiking and swimming in Moraira, there are other fun activities to do in the area. We made a day trip to the waterfalls of Algar and visited the beautiful village Guadalest in the Benidorm area. Finally, if you like to shop then a visit to the very beautiful town Altea is recommended!
