Peñón de Ifach

The Peñón de Ifach is a 332 m limestone rock in Calpe, joined to the mainland by an isthmus and protected as a natural park. A trail from the park's interpretation centre leads through a tunnel cut into the rock to the summit, which looks over Calpe, the old salt flats and the isthmus. The ruins of the medieval settlement of Pobla d'Ifac survive on its slope.

The Peñón de Ifach, Penyal d'Ifac in Valencian, is a huge limestone mass 332 m high, joined to the mainland by an isthmus of sediment. Geologically it is one of the last outliers of the Betic mountains. The natural park was created on 19 January 1987 over 45 hectares and was enlarged to 53.3 hectares on 2 April 2015. Rare plants grow on the cliffs, including the endemic Ifach silene, and about 80 bird species have been recorded in the park, among them the peregrine falcon, Eleonora's falcon and the European shag. On the northern slope lie the ruins of the Pobla d'Ifac, a settlement enclosed by an 800 m wall with eleven towers. King Peter III of Aragon ordered it to be built in 1282, but construction only really got under way in 1298 at the initiative of Admiral Roger de Llúria. It was partly destroyed in 1359, during the war between Castile and Aragon, and abandoned around 1400, and excavation campaigns are carried out here every year. The trail starts at the park's interpretation centre and is easy as far as the tunnel, becoming steeper and more demanding beyond it. The tunnel, about 50 m long, was cut in 1918 on the orders of Vicente París, who owned the rock at the time. Past the tunnel the path crosses smooth, slippery rock, as many visitors point out, so you need closed hiking shoes. From the summit you can see Calpe, the old salt flats and the isthmus, and on clear days also Ibiza, Formentera and Cape Santa Pola. Since 2020 the trail to the summit has had a daily visitor limit and requires advance online booking, and during wildfire alerts the park may be closed altogether. In spring, during the breeding season, yellow-legged gulls defend their territory and can be aggressive towards walkers. One visitor writes that the climb from the park entrance took about half an hour each way and advises setting off early to avoid crowding on the path. Another suggests that those who do not climb to the top walk around the foot of the rock and see it from different sides.