Camping Los Botijos (Bicorp): Base camp for the "Ruta Rio Fraile"!

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Camping Los Botijos is a big campsite located in Bicorp in Valencia.

It is nestled in the Macizo del Caroig (Caroche Massif), which is one of the largest and wildest mountain and forest areas in the region.

It is right next to the Rio Fraile (“Fraile River”), making it the perfect summer campsite for:

Adventurers to want to do the “Ruta Rio Fraile” (river route).

This involves walking through water, swimming in gorges, cliff jumping in natural pools, and climbing down waterfalls with ropes!)

Families who want to take a short walk and cool off in a natural pool
Camping-lovers who want to enjoy some time relaxing in the shade of the forest on a hot day.

There is also a hiking route that you can do in the area.

During the daytime the crickets are wide awake chirping in the forest, but at night there is complete silence.

Camping Los Botijos is away from civilization, so at night it is great for stargazing.

I lay and watched the shooting stars until I fell asleep.

The campsite is a bit elusive, with no website, no facebook, and no presence on my maps app.

As a result, the booking system and site rules are a mystery to anyone who hasn´t already visited the area. So, keep reading to find out more…

Who is it suitable for?

Camping Los Botijos is suitable for:

Tents
Vans
Hammocks

Campervans/caravans are not allowed.

Everyone is welcome, including:

Big groups
Families with children (including pushchairs). There are a couple of basic kids´ play areas within the campsite.
Dogs.

How it the site organised?

Camping Los Botijos is on a gradually-sloped mountainside, with 5-6 layers of campground.

The site largely consists of big wide open flat spaces which makes it perfect for large groups!

However, there are also some smaller wilder areas around the edges.

The arrangement is fairly wild, with:

No designated camping plots, and therefore no size limitations
No electricity hookup
No wifi

There is no internet signal at all with a 30-minute drive of the site)

.You simply drive your vehicle into the site, park and camp wherever you choose.

There is one toilet/shower block located fairly centrally in the site, which you can easily see when you enter.

Toilets and showers

In both the female and male toilet building at Camping Los Botijos, there are:

Two toilet cubicles + a sink in each (cold water only)
No communal sinks (there are two old bowls, but the taps are not in use)
No urinals
2 showers (cold water only), which I didn´t see anybody using
Toilet roll holders in the waiting area + toilet roll usually present

But I recommend that you take some toilet roll with you, just in case

There are lights on in this building at night, but no plug sockets.

The toilets are not sufficient for the size of the site!!

With no communal sinks, people stay in the toilet cubicles to use the sink (e.g. to brush their teeth, or wash their face) when there is a queue of people waiting.

One girl even got changed into her bikini in the cubicle while we were waiting!

I often used the mens´ toilets, but even in the morning, there was even a queue outside of their door at around 9.15am.

I recommend that you bring your own toilet facilities to Camping Los Botijos, if you can.

Or if you prefer to use nature´s toilet, you will need to choose a camping spot right at the far end, where the camping area meets the “Barranco de Mirasol” because there are no places to hide in the main part of the campsite.

Cooking and Washing-up

There are two barbeque buildings (called “Paelleros”), each with 12 cooking areas.

Next to each barbeque building there are:

3-4 picnic benches
A water tap (it doesn´t say whether it´s drinkable or not)
A stone sink area with three taps, where you can wash plates, etc (cold water only)

During Fire Alert level 3 (in summer), barbeques are prohibited.

You can only cook with your own gas stove in the barbeque area at Camping Los Botijos.

Booking

You must book Camping Los Botijos in advance by calling: 687 510 583

The only way to book is to call between 10-2pm. However…

Many times, I tried to call early (from 10am), but the automated message was still on.
Other times I called and there was no answer!

So, perhaps it is better to call later in the day, and just keep trying!!

I unsuccessfully tried a few other options to contact, including another phone number I found online (always turned off or without signal), an email address (no reply), and Whatsapp (not connected).

You cannot arrive without a reservation, and Camping Los Botijos will get definitely become fully-booked on the weekends during the summer months.

When you book, all they ask you for is a name and number of people.

How much does it cost?

The prices displayed at Camping Los Botijos are:

5 € = Person
5€ = Tent
5€ = Car
6€ = Van

Everything here is payment by CASH ONLY due to the lack of signal in the area.

They don´t appear to charge any extra for:

Gazebos
Hammocks
Awnings, etc

However, the site is controlled in other ways.

Rules

Camping Los Botijos site rules include:

No fires – ever!
No campervans/caravans (vans are okay)
Take your rubbish with you

There are no waste bins in the campsite.

However, there are waste and recycle containers nearby at the day visitors´ carpark entrance, so you could take it there.

People must be quiet between 1am-9am, which is complied with.

Even the nearby cockerel follows the rules, as I only noticed it crowing around 9am when making my coffee!

10km/h speed limit.

During Fire Alert level 3 (in the middle of summer), there are extra rules:

No flames at all
No fires (this always applies)
No barbeques (the barbeque area cannot be used)
No candles
Gas stoves can be used, but only in the barbeque area.

Camping Los Botijos is controlled by Guardia Rural as well as site staff at the entrance who communicate with two-way radios.

I saw them checking for wristbands, and reprimanding somebody for driving too quickly within the site.

Entering and leaving site

There is only one place where you can enter/exit the campsite both on foot and in a vehicle.

This is guarded by a worker in the shed nearby.

The campsite has a barrier to manage vehicle access, which is opened manually by the worker.

Check-in

You can check-in to Camping Los Botijos between 9am-10pm

When you arrive, you will be given a:

Colour-coded wristband (so that they can see who is booked into the campsite, and not a day visitor)
An A5-sized ticket to display in your car window, with your booking details.

Check-out

You must check-out of Camping Los Botijos at 5pm on the last day.

On a noticeboard it states that you will be charged an extra 10€ per hour for every hour that you are late leaving the carpark.

I was two hours late, and they never charged me. However, you may want to remember that, just in case they decide to enforce it, or if there is a different staff member, next time!

If you do the full 5km Ruta Rio Fraile (the awesome route where you walk, swim, jump and climb), it takes a long time!!

When you check-out, the worker will take your ticket, and open the barrier.

Leaving site and coming back

You can leave site during your stay.

If you do, you will keep the car ticket, which you can show to re-enter Camping Los Botijos on your return.

6 Tips: Where to set up camp

The nicest part of the campsite is around the far edges. This is because they are facing the forest (which offers a little privacy on that side), and because the trees provide more shade during the day. Therefore, these spots are occupied sooner by people arriving during the day.

The more central areas tend to be taken up by big groups, that need more space for multiple tents, gazebos, etc. Therefore, this is usually the noisiest area.

The most remote/private place is probably right in the far corner, the furthest away from the Camping Los Botijos However, it is far away from everything else too.

However, an area where there was almost nobody camping was on the upper levels, behind the barbeque buildings. If you want a good night´s sleep, this is probably the best place to go. However, at 9am the day visitors will start to arrive in the carpark and walk down the road nearby.

If you have children that you want to stay close by, you might like to camp right next to one of the kids´ play areas.

There is a hidden water fountain here, which has old stagnant water in it. This could attract mosquitoes, so I suggest that don´t camp too close to it.

Eating and Drinking

On the entry road towards Camping Los Botijos there is a food truck and a restaurant.

Food Truck

Opens at 10.30am on Saturdays in July
It closes at 8pm
They don´t serve tea/coffee!
They serve soft drinks and beer
It costs 50€ for a small can of beer
Two small seating areas in the shade
Table football
They have a small menu of sandwiches and waffles…

Restaurant: “Bar Restaurante Zona de Acampada Los Botijos”

I saw people sitting outside of the restaurant in the morning, so I assume that they are open for coffee in the morning (I didn´t ask)
You must book lunch/dinner at least 1 day in advance
You can book by calling the restaurant in advance, or with the campsite staff on arrival
They become fully-booked very quickly
Lunchtime reservations: 1pm and 3pm
Dinner reservations: It opens at 8pm
The food and service has really mixed reviews. Read them yourself here

I didn´t go in the restaurant because I took prepared food and cold drinks with me.

Other items on offer at Camping Los Botijos

Ice: 4€ if you order in advance, or 5€ if you don´t
Bread: 3€ if you order in advance, or 4€ if you don´t

Directions and Parking

Follow directions for “Aparcamiento Río Fraile”.

When you arrive, you will pass the day visitors´ car park. The staff member might stop you, but then tell you to carry on driving to Camping Los Botijos.

As soon as you leave the main road here, there is no internet signal at all anywhere near the campsite.

So, once you have input the address into your GPS/phone, don´t close it, because you will not be able to access it again.

From the main road, you will drive on a long (30-minute) windy mountain road.

Only the last few minutes are gravel and rocky until you reach the entrance.

(Google Maps™ mapping service is a trademark of Google LLC and this blog is not
endorsed by or affiliated with Google in any way)

Hiking and River Routes

Ruta Rio Fraile

There are various ways to enjoy this river route, including:

Easy short hike with a natural pool suitable for children
A river route where you can walk through the water, with small waterfalls and natural pools to dip into along the way
Super adventurous options with: cliff jumping, swimming through gorges, and climbing down big waterfalls with ropes!
Read more here.

“PICO DEL FRAILE” (PR-CV 236)

This is a hiking route that begins/ends at Camping Los Botijos:

8km
Circular
2 hours
Follow the river, cross the river (your feet will get wet!), ascend to “Pico Fraile”, traverse along the top, then descend back down the mountain.
You can download the map here.

If you prefer to do the Ruta Rio Fraile with a guide, check out this Excursion with transport from Valencia…

Want to explore more?

Want to see a different side of Alicante? Dive into an exciting outdoor challenge with “Adventure Hunt”.

Or you browse the hidden gems of the Costa Blanca on an interactive map…