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| Explore two of Spain's mountainous Natural Parks in southern Catalunya & northern Valencia. Enjoy walking or hiking in the Els Ports & Tinenca de Benifassa Natural Parks with their many trails.
Whether you are a casual walker or a serious hiker, this relatively unknown part of Europe, the Els Ports mountain range and its surrounding countryside will offer you a wealth of surprises. The Els Ports range (also known as the Puertos de Beceite in Spanish) is made up of Calcareous Mesozoic rock formations, creating many peaks, the highest of which is Mont Caro at 4,747 feet (1,447 m). The Catalan part of the range has been designated a Natural Park since 2001, & more recently the Valencian part (known as the Tinenca de Benifassa), however the Aragonese part of the range still remains undesignated.
It's an ideal area for nature excursions, fully covered by both long and short distance trails. Footpaths delightfully vary from well- marked tracks to abandoned drovers' paths. The general landscape is wild and rugged with verdant forest interrupted by craggy peaks with twisted strata, and sharp ravines. Here and there, springs feed crystal clear streams and rivers that you can swim in when temperatures are high and these eventually meet the River Ebro. Our walks will therefore vary from flatish river valley to steeper mountain climbing routes with breath-taking vistas. Some of our walks follow dry or flowing rivers or barrancs with strange, water-sculpted and water-stained rock sides sometimes culminating in steep-sided, narrow gorges.
All around, wildlife is in abundance. The ibex 'cabra hispanica' is the most representative of all the animals in the Ports, while birds such as the magnificent griffon vulture and golden eagle can be seen gliding effortlessly on the thermals overhead. There is a great variety of vegetation as Nordic and African species strangely cohabit with the typical Mediterranean flora. Umbrella pines and beech trees (the most southerly in Europe) dominate the higher slopes and in spring and autumn flowers form great swathes of colour over the ancient meadow land and slopes. There has been little written about these mountains in the past, which for many years were just used as a national hunting reserve. This has resulted in them being relatively unwalked and their many secrets often can only be revealed by local knowledge: this all adds to that sense of adventure and excitement.
These mountains are walkable all year round, however the months of July and August can produce high daytime temperatures, therefore shaded early morning and late afternoon walks are recommended. Mountain river valley walks are also suited to the summer months as swimming in the river rock pools can be an ideal way to cool off. Your summer daily walking gear need only consist of shorts, T-shirt, sunhat, sunglasses, sun protection cream, small day sack and sturdy walking boots which provide a good grip and ankle support. It’s best however to be fully prepared, and include when packing for your holiday a pair of light trousers and fleece, plus light waterproof jacket, all useful for any undergrowth, cool breezes, the odd downpour etc. For winter walking at higher altitudes, you will require a thicker fleece & trousers & you may also need waterproofs, hat & gloves on occasions. You may wish to bring along your walking pole if that is what you are used to, as some walks do have steep scree paths. For the more independent walker, a 2 map pack (1:30,000 scale) of the El Port mountain region is produced by Piolet Editorial, ISBN 84-95945-00-2 and is widely available in local book shops in this part of Spain & also in the Catalan Els Ports Natural Park office, Roquetes, for around about €15 (€uros). We also supply free of charge, self-guiding instructions for short local walks to guests staying in the Bona Vista country house or Casa Pequena rural accommodation. If you would like to see some examples of a few short walks, (with maps & photos), in the Els Ports & Montsia mountain ranges (along with other Costa Dorada treks), then a booklet has been published by the Tarragona Tourist Board in English which you can download in pdf format (2.39 mb) by using the link below.
Our lead walking guide, Rob, has worked in the past (mainly guiding in the Montsant mountain range behind Tarragona) with the Catalan author of this booklet, Rafael Lopez-Monne, who is also an accomplished author of numerous walking guides.
New for winter 2010, the Els Ports Natural Park and nearby mountains of Southern Catalunya is now covered by a Cicerone walking guide. The guide's authors, Philip & Vivien Freakley, have been working tirelessly over the past few years to produce what we consider to be an excellent guide that will be of invaluable assitance to those who love to self-guide. To purchase & for further details visit the Cicerone website For details of our guided trip prices plus walk examples with photos go to Hiking Itineraries.
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