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The Cova del Montgó de Xàbia: route, history and characteristics

24 2020 April - 10: 43

La Cova del Montgó, Also called cova ampla (Cueva Ancha, in Spanish), is located about 450 meters above sea level on the southern slope of Montgó.

Next you have an index with all the points that we are going to deal with.

History

The first archaeological evidence of settlers in the Montgo They come from this cave, and are from the Upper Palaeolithic, that is, from about 30.000 years ago: some notch points have been found that suggest that it was inhabited during the Solutrean period. At the moment these are the oldest testimonies of human presence on Montgó, hence its importance.

How to get

The road to the Cova del Montgó It is not within the official routes established by the Natural Park. But sources from the Center Excursionista Xàbia explain their situation:

We take as a reference the official path to the top of Montgó, which is marked as PR 355. Very close to where this route starts, the path to the Cova del Montgó leaves: in The flat Just, about 50 meters before starting the official path to the top, the forest track turns to the left, and about 150 meters there is a landmark that is where the path to La Cova begins. This path is not as well defined as the one at the top, it is steeper and harder, but it is also shorter: it takes around half an hour or forty-five minutes to reach the Cova.

Access to the cave and tips for visiting it

Again, the Center Excursionista Xàbia explains all the details: about 200 meters before reaching the Cova, we will find the Sima or Avance Montgo.

We left behind l'Avenc and we arrive at the Cova: the large cavity that is observed is visible from all over the valley. This main cavity is only the shelter, the cave is in the upper part and has two mouths. In the final section you have to crawl for about 15-20 meters, and you will reach a room about 80 meters long with many formations. You enter from the right of the main gallery and exit from the left.

Worth taking spare clothes, because in the drag section you are going to fill yourself with ash dust.

We reproduce the exact text extracted from the "Catàleg de coves i avencs de Xàbia", a work of the Espeleologia Section of the Xàbia Excursionist Center (SECEX), and edited by the Xàbia Town Hall:

L'abric tea a single irregular molt, plague of huge blocks unprinted from the support by the erosion and the pes. The cavitat features two narrow entrances, "gateres". Normally, it enters per la de l'esquerre, facing the W i s'ix per la de la drata, facing N, if we have a reference to the center de l'abric. The entrance has a semicircular shape, both low and the ground covered with a fine, phosc gray clay. A double gir a l'esquerre and drawer, is located in a more spacious and comfortable gallery of 1 m of height, which communicates with the main room at a low height forming a ressalt. The main hall is trapezoidal and is in a very low state of conservation due to the massive influx of visitors. Així i tot preserves some formations of colonnades and golerons. The eixida flap is so narrower than the entry and is ascendent. Després d'un meters communicates to the sign an outline of reduced dimensions formed by gates at two levels with a maximum height of a meter that is connected with "the labyrinth". A little more avant to eixir a l'abric.

Curiosities and warnings

Halfway to the Cova, you can make a stop at The sariero house, a charming place.

There are more cavities explored in the area, but they are not distributed to minimize impacts and protect them from overcrowding outside recommended routes. In addition, you always have to take into account the risk of caving. As they warn in the Catàleg de Coves d'Alacant:

  • The practice of caving presents unpredictable risk situations that can cause serious accidents. The authors of this informative work cannot be held responsible for accidents that may arise in the course of this activity, directly or indirectly linked to this work.
  • The authors of this page are not responsible for the facilities described in the chasms either, since it must be the speleologist who evaluates them and assumes their own responsibility according to the state of the described facility, since this work is only indicative.
  • In the same way, it is recommended that readers or users of this page acquire the necessary materials and knowledge, as well as evaluate their limitations and physical aptitudes before undertaking the activity, being able to obtain the best teachings in caving clubs and centers.

If you are interested in this topic, there is an in-depth work on Center Excursionista d'Alcoi. Contact him Interpretation Center of the Natural Park Montgó for more information: Park_montgo@gva.es o 966467155.

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