Exploring the wild side of the Costa Blanca
Exploring the wild side of the Costa Blanca
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Cortés de Pallas is probably the most beautiful area I have visited in the Valencia region.
Around the town in every direction is a mass of never-ending magnificent mountains.
Simply driving to/from the area itself was an otherworldly experience, especially if travelling from the east, such as Millares or Otonel.
The Embalse Cortes de Pallas, with its deep blue waters is like a gleaming gem nestled in the luscious environment.
This paddleboarding route doesn’t have many features like some of the other routes. For example, the:
However, the scenery and tranquillity of the Embalse Cortes de Pallas took my breath away, making it my favourite place to paddleboard.
You really are engulfed in nature, with high crags towering at either side, and ibex mountain goats hiding in the crevices, blending in with the landscape.
At Embalse Cortes de Pallas, the lush trees in the water are like works of art for you to admire, and the blooming bushes scatter pink petals across the water´s surface, for you to glide through on your paddleboard/kayak.
The Embalse Cortés de Pallas and the surrounding area also has other opportunities for adventure, such as:
If you love visiting reservoirs, here are two more locations…
My paddleboarding route starts from the Embarcadero Cortes de Pallas.
You can follow my route on the Embalse Cortes de Pallas here.
The best place to park is in the carpark here. This is the closest option.
You must park “en bateria”, which means side-by-side.
From this carpark, you can access the lower area by:
There are other parking spaces before this, on the entry road, but they are further away from the water.
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You can enter the water:
The adventure company, Tot Aventura, have a Paddleboard/Kayak rental office, situated here at the Embarcadero Cortes de Pallas, with prices starting from 15€ an hour.
They also have a beach bar serving drinks, with nice friendly staff, and some other outdoor adventure activities on offer.
You could also take your own paddleboard/kayak.
However, if you do take your own watercraft, you might need a licence from the Confederacion Hidrografica el Jucar.
I only stopped for a snack break at one of the structures, but there could be more to see.
It looks like you might be possible to park up behind these and access the area. Go and find out!
There are some opportunities for cliff jumping along this route:
1. The Aqua Trekking route includes several cliff jumping locations.
However, when I went to take a look, the owner of the route arrived in his boat within minutes to warn me about the trees under the water if I were to fall along the roped route.
He didn´t specifically say that I couldn´t use the route unofficially, but if you plan to, then I recommend that you do it when they are closed, or outside of the “summer” season.
2. There is a 7-metre-high cliff jump approximately here, which is fairly close to the start/end point.
You can access this by parking your paddleboard/kayak just around the corner, and scrambling up the hill.
I did this, and it one, and I survived!
3. There are some other potential cliff jumping locations on the way back, right near the end of my paddling route.
Warning!
There are LOTS of fallen trees in the Embalse Cortes de Pallas reservoir (more than in other reservoirs), due to the forest and steep cliffs surrounding it. A lot of them you can see from the paddleboard, but some could be hidden in other unofficial cliff jumping areas.
If you want to jump into crystal-clear river water, you can visit four hidden gems in one day and enjoy a variety of Cliff Jumping in the town of Anna.
There is also an awesome guided route called “The Great Beach Crawl”, which includes cliff jumping, secret caves, beautiful coves, and beach bars.
I know it´s good, because I helped to create it (that´s me jumping in the picture!)
The Embalse Cortes de Pallas II is a northern section of the water, made up of three creeks, providing potential paddleboarding access points:
1. Ruins (east access)
You can park here.
I visited here (to visit the ruins nearby) and there is a sign displayed: “No bañarse ni navegar” (no swimming or sailing/paddling).
However, other paddleboarders have set off from here, and technically you could paddle to this point from where I started my route (which was my plan, until the wind increased).
2. Playa del Ral (north access)
I only discovered the Playa de Ral after my visit, so I haven´t been myself, but it looks like the best place to visit the Embalse Cortes de Pallas II reservoir.
There appears to be gravel carparks here and here, as well as some roadside spaces.
Check out this video of the Playa de Ral from July 2025.
3. Dehesa de Cortes (west access)
Dehesa de Cortes is an area near the Cortes de Pallas II that is possibly used by fishermen.
You can park here and on the opposite side of the road.
I didn’t visit this access point myself – because I got distracted by some natural pools and ran out of time!
However, other people have kayaked from this location recently and it looks divine!
Check out this video from June 2025.
Aqua Trekking
Aqua Trekking is an activity that takes place in and around the edges of the Cortes de Pallasreservoir.
It is a combination of:
.
It belongs to Tot Aventura, who have their Paddleboard/Kayak rental office, as well a beach bar, situated here at the reservoir.
Via Ferrata
There is a Via Ferrata route, which can be accessed from the water here (or from the land).
There are some bolts attached to the rocks, where you can tie up your paddleboard/kayak, and then use the rope to ascend the gulley, to begin the via ferrata.
This can also be accessed via the land, on foot – but the water route is definitely appealing to me!
There is a short section with is a grade K5/K6, that consists of hanging chains with triangles on the ends, which looks awesome!
I couldn´t find it online, but Tot Aventura can do tours of this on request.
If you just want a relaxing day, the Embarcadero Embalse Cortes de Pallas is perfect.
There is:
.
I don´t recall seeing any picnic tables, so you will need to take a picnic blanket or furniture.
Camping at the reservoir
Unfortunately, you cannot camp at the Embalse Cortes de Pallas reservoir any more, which is such a shame, because the area is perfect for it!
That was my plan, but I saw a Police car there, and there are barriers at the entrance points, which they may close at night (I saw the lower barrier closed at one point).
Wild Camping
Wild camping is very difficult at Embalse Cortes de Pallas.
The area is monitored by the Police and Forest Wardens.
Also, several large areas are occupied by an energy company (Iberdrola), who seem to constantly drive between locations.
Therefore, it is very difficult to find somewhere to hide a vehicle and a tent – though not impossible.
Free Campervan Parking
Luckily for campervans, there is a free parking area called the “Área de autocaravanas Cortés de Pallas” situated just on the edge of the town.
It is basically a carpark with a drinking water tap, bin, and bench.
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Why not treat me to a coffee, and keep the adventures coming your way!
Free Mountain Shelter
There is a big free unmanned mountain shelter called the Refugio “Casa del Empalme”.
It is situated about a 30-minute drive from Cortes de Pallas town, and you park right there (or you could do a 3-hour hike).
You can spend the night there legally with just a sleeping bag.
Fires are NOT allowed, and apparently the Forest Wardens do check.
I didn’t visit the shelter personally, because it was recommended to me by a local adventurer after I had camped. However, I probably will in the future!
(Google Maps™ mapping service is a trademark of Google LLC and this blog is not
endorsed by or affiliated with Google in any way)
You can collect cold, natural water from “Fuente Chapole”.
You can park right there, and there is a bench when you can rest in the shade.
The water is untreated, straight from the well.
The locals drink it, and so did I. It tastes good!
There is also a treated water fountain in the town, but you can taste the chemicals, and it is warm.
There is a viewing point called the “Mirador de la Tierra Colorá”.
There are a couple of picnic tables with shade, and a great view!
You can also stop here for a view from the other side, if driving in from this direction (there is only space for one car by the side of the road).
At the Embalse Cortes de Pallas II (East) there is an old cement factory.
It is an interesting ruin with several different parts on the hillside, overlooking the Embalse de Cortes.
Access involves going through a spooky tunnel, and you can also get down to the reservoir to cool off.
You can park here near the ruins.
, or if you prefer to walk the 630 metres in, while taking in the views, you can park here.
Visit Alicante and embark on an “Adventure Hunt”.
This is a different way to explore more urban areas including puzzles to solve and things to search for in the great outdoors.
Or you browse the hidden gems of the Costa Blanca on an interactive map…
Wild Child Costa Blanca
