Valencia: Montanejos Thermal Pools, Hiking & Kayak Day Trip

4.60

(128 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The bus was late picking us up in Valencia—maybe ten minutes, not a big deal, but enough for the group to swap those awkward first smiles. Our guide, Pablo, apologized in that easy Spanish way (shoulder shrug, grin), and then we were off toward Montanejos. I’d never even heard of it before booking this day trip from Valencia. The road wound through olive groves and then suddenly the mountains started crowding in, all sharp rocks and green pines. Someone behind me opened a bag of oranges and the whole bus smelled sweet for a while.

Pablo gave us options: relax in the village or go hiking or try kayaking or rafting. I picked hiking because my legs needed to wake up after too many days wandering city streets. The trail was steeper than I expected—my shoes slipped on some loose gravel—but the views over the Mijares River made me forget about my knees complaining. We ducked into something called the Black Cave (Cueva Negra). It was cool inside, almost damp, and our voices echoed weirdly against the stone. Pablo told us a story about bandits hiding out here centuries ago; he swore it was true but winked at the end so who knows.

Later we met back up with everyone at Fuente de los Baños—the famous Montanejos thermal pools. The water’s always 23°C but honestly it felt colder than that when I first dipped my toes in (I might be soft). Once you’re in though… it’s just clear and fresh and you can see tiny fish darting around your ankles. There were a few locals lounging on sun-warmed rocks, chatting quietly or just watching the river drift by. I tried to float on my back but kept bumping into someone’s uncle—I think half the village comes here on weekends.

Lunch was whatever we packed ourselves (nobody tells you that ahead of time), but Pablo shared some turrón from his backpack—sticky almond nougat that crumbled everywhere. By afternoon clouds started rolling over the peaks and it got chilly fast; still, nobody wanted to leave yet. On the ride back to Valencia I watched rain streak across the windows and thought about how different this place felt from anywhere else I’d been in Spain. Sometimes you just need cold water on tired feet and a story about bandits to feel like you’re really somewhere new.