Centro de visitantes del Parc Natural del Penyal d'Ifac — Attraction in Calp

We went up the Peñon on a Sunday in mid-January in good weather conditions (not too hot, not too cool, minimal wind and good visibility). The booking system is straightforward, though the gates were not well supervised and my strong impression is that there were significantly over 300 people on the rock (I wasn't counting and I may be wrong) but in places it felt quite crowded and slower older walkers were "under pressure to let pass" from runners and younger groups. Additionally some of the walkers were under 18 (which is not recommended for the post-tunnel stage) and a few walkers had dogs on leads. The sloping tunnel between the two sides of the rock is quite dark and given the very smooth rock surface a small headtorch would not be amiss. Getting up the top is strenuous in places, although I'm sure that regular climbers of the rock know the best paths across the trickier stretches.

In my view there are better walks in the area. Though the rock itself is stunning from a distance, I'm not sure that the views along the route and at the top itself are sufficiently spectacular to justify the effort.

.... and as previous reviewers have said, suitable footwear is a must, be prepared for several sections where you will need to hold onto chains, no really bad sheer "drops" but some of the ledges are narrow and a little hairy if you don't like that...

As soon as I saw this rock across the bay, I knew I had to get up there. You wonder at first how you're going to do it, but once you get up the slopes almost to the sheer face, there's a tunnel to take you to the other side. From there it's pretty much like a grade 1 scramble, as it's called in the UK. Keep both hands free and put all stuff in a rucksack. Take off your wristwatch as you may scratch it on rocks higher up. And keep your phone zipped away until you need to use it. Follow the red marks painted on the rocks for the route to the summit. One tip you should follow: normal trainers / sneakers are not ideal. You're far better off with thick soled walking shoes because your soles and tops of toes will take some pressure from jagged edges underfoot and narrow gaps to put your feet into. It's worth all the effort (but it's really only for reasonably fit adults and sensible / agile youngsters). The views at the summit are incredible. There's just enough room to sit and have a picnic lunch; and when eating, a family of feral cats will politely sit and wait for scraps. All in all, this was one of the best European holiday experiences...

Be mindful in order to hike here you have to register first. Hike is great however the bureaucratic booking system is badly designed.

I showed up with a smile and informed staff that I had registrations. She was rushing “show me show me!” so I showed her my phone and she shouted “wait wait wait”. I was very confused that she was the one rushing in the first place.

I did four registers for four of us. However they only three registers in their system and staff claiming that I did not do it properly. Even though I received and downloaded four registering proof to show them. In stead of owning the IT and system error. Staff blamed me that I did not register “properly”. I was just there to hike I wasn’t interested in dealing with any government IT issue at all. Staff said she needs to investigate the system and finds out the problem. And all I care is if I can go hiking or not. That’s all. Wasted my time dealing with bureaucracy and ruined my mood. What if it’s elderlies who do not use computers I guess there’s no way they can access.

Please update the booking system. And make it easier for hikers on the spot in case there’s IT issue...