Alison Sabath is a student at The Ohio State University and an ISA Featured Blogger. She is studying abroad with ISA in Valencia, Spain.
If, for some reason, you ever get tired of exploring the perfect mix of city, beach, and green space that is Valencia, I highly recommend taking a day trip to Montanejos!
Montanejos is a very tiny town just about an hour bus ride northwest of Valencia. A group of 17 of my fellow study abroad friends and I decided to take advantage of our free Sunday and check out the hot springs there. Montanejos is known for having hundreds of little bodies of water peppered throughout the bases of the mountains. We took about a 20-minute walk down a trail to find the hot springs called La Fuente de los Baños. Let me tell you – what we found was absolutely breathtaking.
There were streaky, eroded rock walls surrounding the body of water, which makes you feel as though you’re on a hidden island. The water was incredible as well. The shallow areas of the springs were clear enough to see little fish swimming around your feet, and the deeper areas were blue enough to make you consider whether you were swimming in a vat of Koolaid! The water was fairly cool, but felt amazing on such a hot day. What’s even better is that research has proven that these springs have anti-aging properties through the abundance of vitamins and minerals they contain. Relaxing AND rejuvenating? Sign me up!
After drying off a bit, my friends and I went in search of a hike and found a tiny little path off to the side of the paved trail. The terrain was fairly easy to maneuver, despite wearing flip flops, and the view was spectacular from start to finish. We were climbing higher and higher on the mountain while the springs were getting smaller and smaller! We walked for about an hour through plants, rocks, and a few caves until we came to a dead end – but luckily that dead end led us to something great. We had the perfect view of the pure blue Río Mijares cutting through the beautiful mountains. There were bright greens trees lining the shore and even a few little waterfalls along the ledges of the rocks!
If you have a full day free from other excursions and plans, definitely take a trip to Montanejos. Your day will surely be packed with swimming, hiking, exploring, and just hanging out along the springs!
Tips to Make the Most of Montanejos:
- Wear shoes you don’t mind getting wet to protect your feet from rough rocks in the hot springs and bring sneakers for hiking
- Load up on sunscreen – it is very hot and there’s not much shade if you don’t get a spot under a tree early in the morning
- Talk to your ISA Advisor about transportation – if enough people on your program want to go, you should all be able to pitch in and rent a bus for cheap!
The world awaits…discover it.