La Font Amarga

The orange harvest takes place twice a year, once in summer and once in winter. For us Central Europeans, these plants, like olive trees, are always a feast for the eyes. We're here in winter, a time when the tourist crowds are still quite manageable.

We find numerous plantations, especially in the Valencia region. Who hasn't heard of the product "Valensina"?

Although we encounter these plantations everywhere, we're drawn a little further inland near Alcantera. Here, there's a pleasant hiking and walking trail with excellent paving, located directly by La Font Amarga, a small waterfall nestled within the protected landscape.

The location is easily accessible via the A-7 motorway. Those coming from the coast will likely take the smaller country roads and enjoy the mountain panorama with all its views along the way.

We head towards a small parking area for hikers right by the Font Amarga waterfall. There's also a small playground for children with a zip line and picnic areas.

A short walk to the attractively designed waterfall and a small pond offers a lovely panoramic view from a slight elevation overlooking the plantation below. This is the starting point of our hike, which will be a circular route of approximately 5.5 km.

The area also boasts the blooming lemongrass at the right time of year. Unfortunately, there was no sign of it when we arrived; we were too early.

We hiked gently downhill along the path, which started out loose and later became mostly paved, heading towards the plantations. We spotted a small hill slightly to our left, which served as a landmark, and planned to follow the path around it.

Overall, it was very peaceful here; we rarely encountered other people or vehicles. We enjoyed the intricate details of the vegetation and the vibrant colors in the sunshine.

Right next to the paved area, the orange groves begin to fill up, and we stroll past them at our leisure. In the middle of these groves is a beautifully designed finca, pleasantly integrated into the grove setting.

We follow the path behind the finca, bearing slightly left around the small hill. A small dirt track leads down. We follow it initially, but then realize it's a dead end. So we return to the main path and walk back along the other side of the small hill.

More plantations now appear, including persimmon trees, most of which have already been harvested.

The mix of cultivated plants and wild growth gives the whole area an interesting character. A delightful variety of scenery is guaranteed before we reach our starting point and head home.