From Valencia: Montanejos Guided Hike with Natural Pools

It was a wonderful experience, guides were so sweet and welcoming, we saw such beautiful sights and learned a lot of interesting stories! Personally I’d say this is a must, if you’re in Valencia. At the start of the hike there were some harder trails to walk, since we were going up the mountain for a while, but it was nothing impossible, guides weren’t rushing anyone, you can go on your own pace, manage to take in a lot of mesmerising sights and a good amount of breaks to rest, drink some water and rejuvenate. Later on we had an opportunity for a swim and sunbathing with a breathtaking view. Me and my mom loved everything. Even though we weren’t in our best shape, we enjoyed it fully!

Our two tour guides were super friendly and organised. The hike is a circuit which starts and ends at the thermal pools, and the guides made it clear that if there was anyone not feeling up to the hike, they were welcome to stay at the drop-off point by the pools. I’d rate the hike at about 6/10 overall difficulty, coming from someone who has done long hikes before but on the whole lives a relatively sedentary lifestyle. The hike itself lasted about 3.5hrs with a half hour lunch break and a couple of short water breaks (bring a plastic bag for rubbish as there are no bins). The first half is most strenuous as it is almost all uphill, about 8/10 for how tired it made us. The second half is much more flat/downhill, 4/10 difficulty. There are decent toilet facilities right next to the thermal river to get changed in. Be warned that the pools are called thermal for their mineral content, not temperature! (25°C/77°F). Not warm, but the coolness is probably good for really hot days.