This day hike to the summit of Muntanya del Garbí was a welcome stop on my recent vanning adventure from Lisbon to Barcelona. Muntanya del Garbí is a 600m peak in the Serra Calderona mountain range, which stretches 49km across the Valencia region of Southern spain. Practically speaking, you’ll need a car to reach this area and the trailheads are in the small towns of Estivella and Segart.
The red rock formations in this area were a highlight, as was the view of the green mountain ranges from the top. The rocks reminded me of the rounded, red shapes in Arnhem land, Australia, and were so photogenic. I loved the alpine growth and wild flowers scattered along the ridge at the top of El Garbi too.
There were some chained sections on the way up that called for long limbs, some basic rock climbing skills and a bit of grit. You can return down the mountain using the same path, however we chose to take an easier trail (toward the east) which returned us to the back streets of Segart.
It was hard to find online information about trekking in this part of the world, mostly because what exists is in Spanish. I recommend the Serra Calderona National Park website, which has some maps showing the trailheads. Finding the trailhead was the trickiest part of the walk, apart from that, the track was well marked with red and white paint blazers and some decent sign posts at various junctions near the summit.
Length: 10km
By Rachelle Jones
June 2016
