Penyal d'Ifac Natural Park

The Penyal d'Ifac is an enormous limestone outcrop — 332 metres high — that juts directly out of the sea at the edge of Calpe. It is a protected nature reserve and the summit trail takes about an hour each way, passing through a tunnel cut into the base of the rock and climbing steeply through garrigue scrub to a viewpoint that, on a clear day, takes in Ibiza and even the Pyrenees.

The lower slopes of the park are good for birdwatching — yellow-legged gulls nest on the rock, and Audouin's gulls are sometimes seen below. The reserve is free to enter but visitor numbers are capped, so arrive early in summer. The path is well-marked but the final section requires some scrambling; good shoes are essential.

things to do sight park wildlife
A story
The rock was used as a lookout and defensive position for centuries against Barbary pirate raids that plagued this coast from the 16th to 18th centuries. The tunnel through the base of the rock — the only way to reach the summit trail — was not cut until 1918, which is why the climb was effectively impossible before the 20th century despite the rock being the most distinctive landmark on this stretch of the Mediterranean.