Hotels in Vall de Gallinera

Vall de Gallinera

La Vall de Gallinera is a valley municipality in the Marina Alta comarca of the province of Alicante, made up of eight small villages strung along the valley floor. They are Benirrama, Benialí, Benissivà, Benitaia, La Carroja, Alpatró, Llombai and Benissili, and Benialí holds the town hall that serves them all. The valley is famous for its cherry trees, which usually blossom between mid-March and early April for just seven to twelve days. Above it rises the Penya Foradà, a natural stone arch where in March and October the sun shines through and lights up the site of a former Franciscan convent. The Route of the Eight Villages, about 14 kilometres long, starts at the Font de la Mata spring near Benirrama and links every village. On the way it passes the abandoned Moorish village of L'Alcúdia before reaching Benialí. A circular rock-art route of about 12 kilometres visits two of the area's best-known prehistoric painting sites. Shorter loops start from places such as Benialí's old washhouse. The valley suits hikers, cyclists and anyone looking for quiet rural stays in the mountains. The beaches of the Marina Alta coast are within driving distance.