Exploring the wild side of the Costa Blanca
Exploring the wild side of the Costa Blanca
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“Rincón Bello” is an área recreativa (picnic area) with free camping (zona de acampada).
It is an unstaffed camping site, but you do need to book.
It is situated in the Sierra del Maigmó national park, between the towns of Agost (a 9km drive) and Petrer (an 8km drive), in the El Vinalopó Medio area.
The road is also very popular with cyclists, and some motorbikes.
From the camping, you can admire the mighty Sierra del Cid.
You can use this camping site as a base to enjoy various outdoor adventures.
I have previously seen Rincon Bello full of people and vehicles, when I drove by over the Easter holiday).
Therefore, I was pleased to find just a few other campers set up in the camping when I stayed on a weekend in August.
There is no light pollution across the Sierra de Maigmó, so it is great for stargazing too.
The camping site has very basic facilities, cleaning, and maintenance.
However, the beautiful natural surroundings more than make up for it!
The forest warden told me that there are normally around five tents pitched every weekend (usually climbers) – so I will definitely stay again!
There is one carpark, for both the Rincon Bello área recreativa (picnic area) and the camping, situated here.
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There is space for about 35 vehicles to park in the Rincon Bello site, plus one separate accessible parking space.
The accessible parking space is on the same level as a couple of benches, but a wheelchair would have to go down the road for a few metres to access the accessible toilet, which is on the next level down.
There are also a few roadside areas to park very close to Rincon Bello, such as here (without blocking access) here, and here.
Spoiler – there are none!
BBQ area (paellera)
*There is no BBQ area*
A key feature that is missing from the Rincon Bello camping site/área recreativa is a barbecue area.
Lots of sites have them, including free camping and picnic areas.
Fires
*Fires are NEVER allowed!*
Camping gas
*Camping gas is not allowed*
In forest areas, gas stoves can usually be used in the barbecue area, even when barbecues are prohibited in summer due to a high risk of forest fire.
However, since there is no barbecue area, no cooking is allowed at the Rincon Bello camping site at any time of the year – not even a hot coffee in the morning!
However, you could get a portable kettle or food warming lunch box, which you can plug into your car to make hot drinks/food on your outdoor adventures.
Washing-up
There is no washing-up area either.
However, you can get portable collapsible washing up bowls to take with you.
Drinking water
The tap water at Rincon Bello is not suitable for drinking.
However, you could use a water filter suitable for outdoor adventures.
There is a building at Rincon Bello, which includes two areas (for males and females)-
For each gender, there are
In the same building, but from opposite entrance doors, there are…
At Rincon Bello, there is just one light on the outside of this building (near the shower doors), but no indoor lighting at night.
So, make sure you shower during daylight hours and take a headtorch at night.
I also took flip flops to shower in!
At Rincon Bello camping, there are two outside sinks with the bowls designed for hand-washing clothes (cold water only).
You might need to remove pine needles first, though!
Or you could get a portable washing machine suitable for camping for campervans/sites with electricity, or camping without electricity.
There are a lot of waste bins in the Rincon Bello carpark, and near the toilets (no recycling).
Below the carpark, and close to the road, there are 2-3 levels of land with picnic benches, which make up the área recreativa (picnic area).
However, people did camp there too, such as: late-night arrivals who couldn’t see the signs, and a person who needed trees suitable for a hammock.
Tents
The Rincon Bello camping area has a capacity of 30 people.
Below the picnic area, there are 4-5 levels of land, with “ZONA ACAMPADA” signs.
Some camping areas have picnic tables, while others don’t.
The ground is nice and flat, and some areas are covered in pine needles.
For tents:
You could also use anti-mosquito items for camping, such as a mosquito lamp, repellent bracelets, a spray or citronella spirals.
Check out these best-selling tents:
Hammocks
The Rincon Bello camping area has a sufficient number of trees to provide shade, but they are quite spread out.
I saw a couple of people in hammocks with a mesh cover when I stayed.
However, there are not many places that are suitable for using them in the Rincon Bello camping.
Vans
On several occasions, I have seen converted vans staying in the carpark too.
Wondering what the most popular camping and hiking gear is at the moment?
Take a look here.
Noise
At night, a few vehicles passed Rincon Bello, but then there was silence – and I slept really well!
However, there was activity in the area from about 7.30am, so don’t expect a lie-in (in summer, at least).
There was shooting again late afternoon (around 6pm). Both times for about an hour or two.
Light
At 8.30am the sun appears from behind the mountain (in August).
Of if you prefer to have a lie-in, you can wear light and noise-blocking earplugs and eye mask.
Rincon Bello camping is in quite a remote location, 8-9km from the nearest town.
*There is no mobile internet signal in the camping site*
You can walk here to get a better signal, but I only got a signal for a few minutes!
I stayed at Rincon Bello in August when there was a high risk of forest fires, so I was a little worried that I didn´t have an internet signal to receive alerts via the:
However, the Forest Warden stopped to check the camping site, and the Fire Services (BOMBERS) passed by a couple of times too.
The camping site is conveniently close to a water storage container used for forest fires, so if the Fire services turn up to use it, you will soon know!
Staying at the Rincon Bello camping site is free.
However, you must book in advance to ensure that the 30-person capacity isn´t exceeded.
Read more about the booking process here.
Why not treat me to a coffee, and keep the adventures coming your way!
Outdoor adventures that can be enjoyed close to Rincon Bello include:
Normally, I would include a hiking route directly from the camping site, for you to follow, but on this occasion, I just went to relax!
However, you could try these hiking routes from the Rincon Bello camping site:
1. Hike or drive to scramble on the Penya Muntesa ridge (without equipment)…
2. Drive to the other side of the national park to scramble up the Cantal del Pixaor ridge (without equipment)…
You can drive to Novelda for a:
Other outdoor adventures that are close to Rincon Bello include:
If you are looking for a unique way to explore Alicante´s hidden corners, then I recommend trying an outdoor adventure challenge: “Adventure Hunt”.
Or you browse the hidden gems of the Costa Blanca on an interactive map…
Wild Child Costa Blanca
