Looking for an epic waterfall hike near Valencia Spain? Look no further than Ruta del Agua in Buñol. Located less than an hour from Valencia, and easily accessible by train and car, it’s a great escapade into the lush wilderness of the province.
We recently spent a few days in Buñol and did this hike after exploring Cueva del Turche, as we realized how beautiful nature there is around the little town, mainly set on the map due to the Tomatina Festival.
And we absolutely LOVED it! We’ve spent some time hiking in the region and can say with all certainty that this is one of the most beautiful hiking trails in Valencia.
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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!
Ruta del Agua Buñol: Hiking specs
Before I begin describing the Ruta del Agua (Buñol) hike, let’s have a look at the hiking specs so you know what you’re getting into!
While I recommend hiking this in summer as you’ll be able to enjoy the swimming opportunities, it’s a great all year hike worthy of your bucket list. In the spring (after the rainy season) it must be beautiful with plenty of water in the waterfalls.
Hiking time: 3-4 hours
Length: 8.8 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Type of hike: Loop
Best time to hike: summer
I recommend downloading the Wikiloc App to follow the trail we did which you find below. Just be aware that we did a couple of detours as we got slightly lost, but no major f***k ups.
How to get to Buñol and the trailhead
Buñol is one of the easiest day trips from Valencia as you can take the train there in under an hour from Valencia Nord (Line C3).
As it’s a small town, you can walk from the train station to the trailhead.
Driving from Valencia to Buñol takes 40 minutes and you can park your car for free around the police station and walk 10-15 minutes to the trailhead. Make sure you rent a car early to get the best deals.
Alternatively, you can book this guided tour with pickup from your hotel in Valencia, but it doesn’t include the entire hike.
I’ve also used Welcome Pickups as a great alternative for private transfers.
To get to the trailhead, walk to the bottom of Calle Valle de Andorra and cross the bridge. Just after the bridge, there is a road to the left where there are hiking signs.
We followed the left fork until we reached a water fountain and there we turned up a steep trail to the right. But you can also just follow the sign saying Cueva del Turche (right in the fork).
The first option takes you to the same road when hiking up the steep trail to the right that I mentioned. But we enjoyed the walk to the fountain and Baby Atlas enjoyed drinking and basking in the water before we got to a dryer section of the hike. We also took advantage and poured water over our heads as it was very hot on the day of our hike.
CHECK OUR HIKING ADVENTURE ON YOUTUBE
How to hike Ruta del Agua Buñol
Ruta del Agua Buñol starts with hiking the trail to Cueva del Turche (I described the trailhead in the “how to get there” section above.)
The first section is the Cueva del Turche trail which is well-marked to see the waterfall (and maybe even go for a swim?)
From there, follow the dirt road back from the waterfall (past where you came from) and to the parking area where people who don’t opt for hiking park the car (it’s still a 10-15 min walk.)
There, you’ll continue on the road to the right (not the main road on your left side)
After a while, the dirt track takes you through a forest until a small dirt parking where a small trail takes you down to the river.
There, you’ll find plenty of swimming opportunities as you hike up the river. Further up the river, you’ll see Charco del Mañán which is a big swimming hole created under a wonderful waterfall.
We didn’t go down there as we had spent way too much time in Cueva del Turche so we had to hurry up to get back before dark, but it looked absolutely wonderful!
The trail past there is a bit confusing but with some steep sections where we had to use our hands and I was very grateful for my Salomon Speedcross trail running shoes as they’re like 4WDs in the shoe world!
Shortly, you’ll reach a deep canyon which was my favorite part of this trail. It leads you to the mesmerizing Cueva de las Palomas, which is the last waterfall on the Ruta del Agua in Buñol.
It’s a large cave next to the waterfall and it’s absolutely mesmerizing. Below the waterfall there are two natural swimming pools and spectacular views.
As opposed to the two first waterfalls which lead down to the bottom of the rock walls they cascade from, this waterfall is high up above the canyon which makes it unique.
The trail loops back to Buñol past a camp (looked like kids were on summer camp when we passed there) and down past some farmhouses before you reach the village down the same road that leads to the bridge by the trailhead.
There are some very steep descents to the road and cars drive fast on the mountain road, so be careful when you walk there.
Summing up Ruta del Agua Buñol hike
Summing up, Ruta del Agua in Buñol, Valencia is a fabulous summer hike, but can easily be done all year round as long as you keep your feet dry while walking up the river section.
While most of the hike is fairly easy, there is a section that is steep and we used our hands a bit to get up without slipping, but except for that, there aren’t any major difficulties.
What I love the most are all the waterfalls you pass, whether you go swimming or not, they are stunning natural areas and I would go back in a heartbeat.
Happy hiking!