The Fuentes del Algar emerged as a protected natural area in 1994, but the springs themselves have carved their limestone channels for millennia. Fed by underground aquifers in the Sierra de Bernia, the waterfalls release 1,200 litres of water per second during peak flow months.
The site spans 15 hectares of riparian forest where Aleppo pine and Mediterranean scrub give way to wetland vegetation. Conservation fees fund the walkway network and endemic species monitoring.
Today the Algar waterfalls buggy tour combines rugged terrain access with close-range views of the cascade pools. The surrounding Callosa d'en Sarrià municipality contains over 60 kilometres of unpaved mountain tracks, many carved by centuries of agricultural use before motorised vehicles existed. These routes wind through almond and citrus groves, cross seasonal riverbeds, and climb slopes that reveal the Guadalest valley to the north and the Mediterranean coastline to the southeast. Off-road excursions thread terrain the paved Altea-Callosa highway cannot reach.
The waterfalls themselves descend in a series of five major drops, the tallest measuring roughly seven metres. Water temperature holds steady at 17-18 degrees Celsius year-round, a result of the aquifer's depth and the limestone's thermal buffering. Native fish species include the endangered Valencia hispanica, a toothcarp endemic to eastern Spain. The site's botanical inventory records 142 vascular plant species, with the rare Limonium furfuraceum growing only in these calcium-rich seeps.
Buggy tours typically depart from Benidorm or Albir, covering 40-50 kilometres of mixed terrain before reaching the falls. The routes avoid asphalt in favour of compacted earth and gravel tracks that demand four-wheel traction. Drivers navigate switchbacks cut into hillsides where erosion control terraces date to Moorish agricultural engineering. The algar waterfalls buggy tour tickets grant access to both the off-road circuit and the waterfall reserve itself, where wooden boardwalks traverse pools deep enough for swimming during summer months.
11 hr
