Yet another reason to visit

THE old fishermen’s paths of the cliffs of Marina Alta are once again becoming popular thanks to coasteering, a sport newly introduced to the area by an active leisure company in Javea.

The practice is not new to the world as it became popular in Pembrokeshire, Wales, in the 90s and has been on offer in the Balearic Islands for some years, however, it is a new form of tourism for the Costa Blanca which offers those looking for something more exciting to do than sunbathe all day a unique insight into the area’s environment.

Combining caving, climbing, hiking, diving and swimming, coasteering is rather like a rollercoaster ride but without the wagons.

Guides are not only fully trained in sports activities and lifesaving but are also environmental educators and biologists, and are proud to be part of the project.

“Not only do we raise awareness of the environment, we also teach people about the area’s history, explaining about the paths which were used by ‘pesqueres’ (fishermen) to work and feed their families and the reasons behind the names of different landmarks,” said guide Raul Ibañez.

Although some of the routes are tough, there are some which are suitable for families and nobody is left unaffected.

“Lots of people come back from a four-hour route saying they’ll be back because they want more,” Ibañez proudly admitted.

This new form of tourism is raising expectations in the area, which looks forward to attracting even more visitors.THE old fishermen’s paths of the cliffs of Marina Alta are once again becoming popular thanks to coasteering, a sport newly introduced to the area by an active leisure company in Javea.

The practice is not new to the world as it became popular in Pembrokeshire, Wales, in the 90s and has been on offer in the Balearic Islands for some years, however, it is a new form of tourism for the Costa Blanca which offers those looking for something more exciting to do than sunbathe all day a unique insight into the area’s environment.

Combining caving, climbing, hiking, diving and swimming, coasteering is rather like a rollercoaster ride but without the wagons.

Guides are not only fully trained in sports activities and lifesaving but are also environmental educators and biologists, and are proud to be part of the project.

“Not only do we raise awareness of the environment, we also teach people about the area’s history, explaining about the paths which were used by ‘pesqueres’ (fishermen) to work and feed their families and the reasons behind the names of different landmarks,” said guide Raul Ibañez.

Although some of the routes are tough, there are some which are suitable for families and nobody is left unaffected.

“Lots of people come back from a four-hour route saying they’ll be back because they want more,” Ibañez proudly admitted.

This new form of tourism is raising expectations in the area, which looks forward to attracting even more visitors.