Els Arcs by Castell de Castells - hiking in the mountains to a fascinating natural phenomenon

A few kilometers from the village of Castell del Castells, an hour's drive inland from the Costa Blanca near Benidorm, lies a natural park with double arches in the mountains. Here, heavy rains and winds over millennia have carved out caves and cavities that in some places have created beautiful arches. There are many routes to Els Arcs. The easiest and quickest is a 45-minute hike.

The hike starts at a small parking lot on the road between Tarbena and Castell de Castells (CV-752). About 8 km from Tarbena, there is a small dirt road up to the left. There is an information sign with information about the nature park and the route to the double arches Els Arcs de Castells. You can park on the shoulder of the road by the sign or on the other side of the CV-752. From this point, it takes about 45 minutes to walk to the arches. If you want to shorten the route for health or other reasons, you can drive up the dirt road and follow the signs to Els Arcs and park in a small parking lot further up.

However, this post describes a round trip that takes you back to the parking lot at CV-752, and then there is no advantage to parking further up. We start at point 1 on the map below and go to point 3 via point 2 (which we do not go up to). The double arches are located at point 3. From point 3 we go to point 4 which is a viewpoint from the top called Penya Escoda where you have a view of several arches in the mountain. From point 4 we go back to CV-752 and point 1 where the car is parked. The entire trip with the detour down to Penya Escoda is about 6 km and takes about two hours to walk without breaks. If you do not take the detour down to point 4, you save 1 km and half an hour of walking.

When you walk from the parking lot, you quickly get a view of the mountainous area we are going to walk in. On the left side there is a pine forest, on the right-hand side plains.

After reaching the top of the hill, a lush valley opens. We will go down to the bottom of the valley and then turn right up towards the mountain. Follow the signs for Els Arcs.

Parking lot by the road a few hundred meters up the slopes towards the mountain. You can park here if you just want to walk up to Els Arcs and back again the same way.

Where the asphalt ends, we turn right and continue walking on a gravel road. There is a sign for Els Arcs.

When there are 654 meters left to go to the double arches, there is a path to the left that we will follow up to the arches and back again the same way. Here the gravel road turns into a path.

At this point, which is marked with two yellow dots on the stone, we will take the narrow path up to the left. If you follow the path straight ahead, you will go too far down into the terrain. After a couple of hundred meters, you will come up to the arches.

The path stops at the double arches of Els Arcs. Here there is information in Spanish about why this natural phenomenon has occurred. The rock in this area consists of two types of limestone, a light gray, and a dark gray. The light gray rock is softer than the darker variety and is therefore less affected by erosion. Over hundreds of thousands of years, the combination of heavy rains and intense winds with sand particles has managed to wash away part of the light gray, soft limestone, so that cavities have formed in the rock. In some places, this has created arches of the type seen in these pictures.

In addition to the arches, there is also a small cave at one end. You can go down to the arches, but not through and beyond.

On the way back down, you get a view of the part of the mountain area that you had behind you on the way up and therefore perhaps didn't notice very well.

At the bottom of the sign we will turn left towards Penya Escoda. Follow the gravel road to the next sign.

At this sign you can choose to go down to Penya Escoda and back again the same way or go directly back to the parking lot by following the sign towards Pla D'Alalt.

On the way down to Penya Escoda you get an overview of the valley down to Castell de Castells. After 500 meters you come to a viewpoint with an information sign about Penya Escoda. From there you go back the same way.

After walking the same way back up the hill, turn left at the sign and follow the direction towards Pla D'Alalt. Here you walk through cultural landscapes with views of the surrounding mountains. After a brief time, you will see the parking lot down on the right.

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Excursion of the week: The double arches Els Arcs de Castell de Castells - a hike in the mountains to a fascinating natural phenomenon.

Length: Approx. 6 km if you take the walk past Penya Escoba, otherwise 5 km. If you are in good physical shape, it will take you 45 minutes to walk to the arches and approx. 2 hours for the entire walk including Penya Escoba.

Suitable for: Anyone in normal physical condition. It is an easy hike with no dangerous sections, but there is some climbing up to Els Arcs which can be strenuous if you are elderly or have health issues. However, if you adjust your pace to your fitness level and take breaks along the way, most people will be able to complete this hike.

Geting there: Enter "Ruta als Arcs de Castells" in Google Maps. This will take you straight to the car park. Alternatively: Drive from Benidorm/Altea towards La Nucía, then via Polop and Callosa d'en Sarrià towards Tàrbena. After Tàrbena, turn left onto road CV-752 towards Castell de Castells. It is approx. 8 km. from Tàrbena to the car park, approx. 12 minutes' drive.

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