If you want to hike Peñon de Ifach in Calpe Spain, you’re in the right place. This iconic rock Costa Blanca in Costa Blanca has had me intrigued for years and I was stoked to finally get the chance to climb it.
The views from the top are unmatched, besides, it’s a fun hike taking you through a tunnel in the rock and past some sections with light scrambling. If you ask me, this hike is one of the absolute best things to do in Calpe.
In this post, I’ll go through everything you need to hike Peñon de Ifach, including how to get a permit (relax, it’s for free!) and what to think about if you take your dog.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase through one of those links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Hi, I’m Linn Haglund, the face behind Brainy Backpackers. I’ve been based in Spain for the last 10+ years, and travel locally and abroad whenever I have a chance. I’m passionate about responsible travel, slow and off the beaten path travel, and outdoor activities, especially hiking. I’m currently slow traveling in my van Persistence (Persi among friends) with my fiancée Mohammed and rescue puppy Atlas. I’m excited to help you explore this planet responsibly!
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Hiking specs
🏠Trailhead: Visitor Center, Calpe Spain
👣Type of trail: Linear return
🥾Distance: 5 km
⏰Hiking Time: 2-3 hours
⛰️Difficulty: Moderate-demanding (depending on your fitness level)
🍃Hiking season: mid-September-mid-June
🐶Hiking with dogs: Hiking with dogs is allowed, but they must be on a leash at all times. There are some sections that can be hard to do if your dog isn’t trained to hike in the mountains and doesn’t listen to commands. Thus, I only recommend that you bring your dog if it’s used to hiking in steep and rocky terrain. Atlas did great and loved the hike! Note that there are some pine trees in the lower parts of the trail, meaning there could potentially be Pine Processionary Caterpillars in season. We hiked in the season and only saw one nest, but depending on the year and how hot it is, they could be crawling around, so better take precautions. There are no water sources on the hike after the Visitor Center (there’s is a drinking fountain there,) so make sure you bring enough water for your pooch too.
How to get a permit to hike Peñon de Ifach Calpe
To hike Peñon de Ifach you need a permit. There’s no charge, but they basically only let 300 people in the nature reserve each day, meaning you’re better off planning ahead in the high season.
We did the hike in February and got a permit for the same day by scanning the QR code at the start of the hike (there are signs just before the Visitor Center)
You can only add one person per application, meaning you have to apply 5 times if you’re 5 people.
To apply for hiking permits in advance, use this link.
The following are the mandatory fields you need to fill out in the form, obviously with your own passport number (identificatión) and name (nombre + appellido 1).
After that, you can choose if you want to fill out your phone number and email, and finally, you’ll get some sort of reCaptcha to verify you’re human before validating at the bottom. You’ll then have to choose the date of the hike.
Make sure you save it to your phone once it’s approved. Note that you can only apply for a hiking permit up to 10 days before your hike.
How to get to Calpe and the trailhead
Calpe is located 20-25 minutes from Benidorm and you can get there easily by tram (no.9) in about 35 minutes.
If you drive to Calpe, there are places where you can park for free around the flamingo lake, but in the high season, it might be hard to find parking unless you get there early.
The trail of Peñon de Ifach starts at the Visitor Center of Peñon de Ifach (Centro de Visitantes del Penyal d’Ifac. C/ Illa de Formentera, s/n. 03710 – CALP).
For ease, I recommend that you download the app Wikiloc and follow this trail I recorded of the hike. This way, you can click on how to get to the trailhead from wherever you are and the GPS will guide you to the trailhead.
FOLLOW THE HIKE ON WIKILOC
Best time to hike Peñon de Ifach
You can hike Peñon de Ifach all year round. A large part of the hike is on the shady side of the rock, so even in the summer, you could do it, though I highly recommend you make it an early morning or a sunset hike so you avoid the hottest part of the day.
The rest of the year you can go at any time of the day, though we really enjoyed the sunset on the way down from the rock.
What to bring
The Peñon de Ifach trail is no walk in the park and there are pretty slippery rocks once you reach the tunnel. I can only imagine how they will be to walk on if it’s wet.
This is why you need good footwear with a solid grip. I recommend a good pair of hiking shoes or hiking boots. I was wearing trainers and they weren’t the best choice while Mohammed had his hiking boots on and had no regrets.
Besides that, you could bring a hiking pole to support you, though I think I would find it a bit disturbing on the second half of the trail as there are ropes in many places and some sections where you’re better off using your hands.
If you need it to relieve pressure on your knees, bring it and pack it away when you don’t need it. It can be helpful on the way down after the tunnel too, especially if your knees start hurting.
Besides that, I recommend you bring the following in your day pack for a smooth experience:
- Water
- Snacks
- Windbreaker if it’s windy (or potentially can get windy on the top)
- Sunscreen
- Fully charged phone or camera
Hiking Peñon de Ifach Costa Blanca
Before heading off on the hike, I recommend that you use the toilets and fill up water in the drinking fountain at the Visitor Center as there won’t be any other opportunities before you get back down.
The hike is well-marked and it’s hard to get lost.
The first part goes on a forest trail/rock path winding past several viewpoints, so don’t forget to turn around and admire the views along the way. There are some trees along this first section that provide shade, but parts are exposed to the sun.
Soon, you’ll get to the tunnel which is where the fun begins. Note that the rock inside the tunnel is very slippery. If it’s wet on the ground, I’ve heard it gets as slippery as ice and I can only imagine after walking there when it was dry.
There are chains you can hold on to if needed. We didn’t bring a headlamp and it worked fine with the mobile phone flashlight as the tunnel isn’t too long.
After the tunnel, there are a couple of sections with chains, but they aren’t very challenging. After a while on this trail, you’ll get to a waypoint with signs to Mirador de Carabiners straight ahead and Peñon de Ifach to the right.
We went to Mirador de Carabiners after the peak, on the way down. If you’re planning to go, I recommend doing it before you go to the top (it’s only a few hundred meters and pretty flat) as I found it quite underwhelming after the breathtaking views from the top.
From here, the hike starts to get more rocky and challenging. It’s well-marked with red dots painted on the rock and some signs with arrows in the right direction.
You’ll soon have to use your hands and there are some steep sections with chains. It’s steep down the side in some places but I didn’t feel like it was unsafe. Obviously, you need to take caution on a hike like this.
The last bit to the peak is without chains and without the steep drops on the side, but you’ll need to scramble a bit (at least if you’re my size.)
Baby Atlas did great the whole way. He needed a little push in some places to not slide down the rocks, but altogether he was a champ as always!
Once you get past this section, you’re at the top. And I don’t have words for the views that await you there! The whole of Calpe opens up to you with beaches on both sides and the lake in the middle.
Surrounding the town, there are beautiful mountains (which you can’t really see from down there due to all the high buildings covering the coast.)
There’s no doubt that Peñon de Calpe offers the best bird’s eye views of all of Costa Blanca! After taking in the views, the hike back is the same way as you came from.
Reflections on the Peñon de Ifach hiking route
Summing up, this was a fun and moderately challenging hike which, In my opinion, didn’t make it hard, but interesting as there was something new around every corner.
Besides, the views are truly mesmerizing the entire hike. For us, this was the highlight of our visit to Calpe and should be one of your top reasons to visit Calpe.
Happy hiking!