A 3-day trip from Friday 19^th – Sunday 21^st September 2025

DAY 1 Friday 19^th September

08.30 hrs: Departure from Golden Star Apartments, Calle Bruselas, Javea Arenal.

08.45 hrs: Departure from Interiors, opposite side of the road, Javea Port.

09.00 hrs: Pickup at Mas y Mas, N332, if required.

10.30 hrs: Arrival in Algamesi, free time for refreshments and for those who are interested, a visit to the Museu Valencià de la Festa de Algemesí.

12.30 hrs: Reboard the coach and travel to Cuenca; comfort stop enroute.

15.30 hrs: Arrival and check in to a central 3*/4* hotel.

Free time for own sightseeing in Cuenca, or if there is sufficient interest, a guided walking tour (16.30 hrs – 18.30 hrs).

DAY 2 Saturday 20^th September: A full day tour led by a guide from Cuenqueando.

Breakfast

09.15 hrs: Board our coach and departure from the hotel.

Programme

• Walking tour of the Enchanted City.
• Visit to Uña Lagoon.
• Lunch at a restaurant in Uña.
• Walking tour to the Birth of Cuervo river landscape.
• Devil’s Window viewpoint.
• 18:30 hrs estimated time of arrival back at the hotel in Cuenca.

Our first stop will be the Enchanted City where the karstic landscape has developed suggesting forms in the rock that surprise the visitor. During our walking tour (around an hour) we will learn about its unique flora, which is well adapted to its different environments (rock hollows and cracks, shady and sunny lands, pinewoods).

Around noon we will make a short visit to Uña Lagoon, named as a wildlife refuge in 1988 for its special bird biodiversity. We will learn about the bird species linked to the lagoon (gray heron, great cormorant, lagoon eaglet…) and at its rocky cliffs (griffon vulture, Egyptian vulture, western marsh harrier…). Many bird species make this lagoon its wintering site, and we can also find many bird raptors and mammals such as otters.

In Uña village we will have our included lunch in a typical mountain range restaurant. 

After lunch, we will visit the Birth of Cuervo River site. This is a Natural Monument sited in the North border of the Cuenca mountain range Natural Park, just in the limit with Alto Tajo Natural Park. This concentration of protected sites is due to the beauty of this environment and to the ecology values of this part of Spanish nature. Cuervo River sources have developed beautiful travertines and waterfalls. Also, the plant community here is different, with many species typical from Atlantic environments: holly, yew, rowan, etc.

On the way back to Cuenca, we will have a last stop at the Devil’s Window viewpoint to take photos of the Cuenca mountain range Nature Park with its spectacular views over the Jucar canyon.

DAY 3 Sunday 21^st September

Breakfast.

09.15 hrs: Check out and departure for the Parque de Fauna El Hosquillo, located in the Serranía de Cuenca Natural Park.

11.00 hrs: Guided tour of the Parque de Fauna El Hosquillo.

El Hosquillo occupies almost 1,000 hectares of land in the heart of the park. The name “Hosquillo” comes from its rugged terrain and difficult access. Visiting El Hosquillo provides a direct encounter with the most stunning nature in the Serranía de Cuenca Natural Park. The landscape is breathtaking, with high, inaccessible cliffs on steep slopes covered in dense pine forests.  The park is home to numerous animals, including a wide variety of birds.

It also has good populations of game species such as deer, roe deer, fallow deer, mouflon, and mountain goats. It is also home to an endangered species, the true emblem of the park: the brown bear. This year, 2025, the Iberian wolf returns to the El Hosquillo Wildlife Park.

All tours are guided by park monitors and take approximately two and a half to three hours. The tour includes a visit to the Museum, the Interpretation Centre, and the various enclosures where animals can be seen in semi-wild conditions (deer, mouflon, wolves, etc.), followed by a walking tour. Finally, the tour includes the Rincón del Buitre (Buitre Corner), the bear enclosure, which can be reached by private vehicle after a short drive through the park.

14.00 hrs: Reboard our coach and travel to Las Majadas.

14.30 hrs: Lunch at the Restaurante Casa Raquel or similar.

16.00 hrs: Reboard our coach for the return journey to Javea, with a comfort stop en route.

20.30 hrs: Approximate time of arrival in Javea.

What is included

Coach transport, 2 nights’ accommodation in a  3*/4* hotel, a full day tour led by a guide from Cuenqueando, as described in the programme (with lunch included), tour of the El Hosquillo Wildlife Park, lunch on the return journey to Javea, gratuities, and a €2 pp contribution to the Javea U3A travel fund. This will be a small group tour only.

Please note this trip is not suitable for anyone with a walking difficulty.

AT THIS STAGE, EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST – no commitment – if you would like to receive the final programme with the cost when available, please send an email to the group leader, Angela Chantry:

spanish.culture.cuisine@u3ajavea.com