Walking in Costa Blanca - The Montgo Mountain
We take this beautiful area of Spain so much for granted and it is so nice at times to discover what splendours are right on our doorstep.
One such beauty spot which lies just off the coast between Denia and Javea that is the Montgo mountain.
The ‘Montgo massif’ is not only a stunning place to view; it’s a natural park, a walker’s paradise, and a bird watchers delight.
You can watch birds as the yellow legged seagull or the Audouin seagull, crows, ravens and birds of prey (the partridge eagle, a couple of royal owls, popular kestrel and the pilgrim falcon), reptiles, amphibians and mammals such as the dormouse, rabbit, badger, genet, etc
There is a prolongation of the walk towards the sea which forms the Cape of San Antonio rising to 165 metres. The cape is named after the beautiful hermitage of San Antonio, the ruins of which can be visited.
The Montgo also contains the ruins of an Iberian settlement, Casa de Biot, which dates from the eight century BC.
Montgo was declared a natural park in 1987 principally because of the plants, flowers & vegetation, of which more than 600 species are present.
Much of the vegetation that prospers in Montgo comprises endemic subspecies.
In spring the flower bordered tracks are a riot of pinks, purples, yellows and whites. The vegetation is made up mainly of low growing shrubs but is sprinkled with heather, lavender, rosemary, miniature palms and juniper bushes.
Despite its proximity to the bustling coastline of the Costa Blanca, it survives as an ecological enclave and is home to wild boar, genets, lizard, foxes together with birds of prey and some pelagic seabirds.
On the sea facing side of the mountain and at sea level, there are also several caves, some of which can only be reached by boat. The best known are the Bassota, La Cova Tallada and La Cova de l'Aigua Dolca.
This last one, which translates as Freshwater Cave, was used by the Moors to collect the drinking water that bubbles from a spring below sea-level.
It is a steep hike to the summit best undertaken in the cool of the morning and from the mountain top, there are glorious views up and down the coast.
The ascent takes about four hours. On a clear day the climber is rewarded with the sight of Ibiza, some 70 km to the east.
There are also several lower level walks close to Planes for those daunted by the summit.
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ARTICLE: Walking in Costa Blanca - The Montgo Mountain 
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