Autumn is an ideal time to go hiking again and one of the most beautiful that can be done on the Costa Blanca is the one that goes up or around Puig Campana. This mountain is the second highest in the province of Alicante, with an altitude of 1410 meters, and is separated from the Mediterranean Sea by almost eight kilometers as the crow flies. Lovers of vegetation will not be disappointed because it is home to numerous plant species, some of them endemic such as the Cystanche phelypaea and the Teucrium lepicephalum.

The views it offers are breathtaking. As you ascend you can see the coastline of the province of Alicante, and even, if the days are very clear, you can glimpse the silhouette of the island of Ibiza. Photography enthusiasts will enjoy the panoramic views and also the beauty of the trails that lead into the interior of the mountain. Depending on the orientation, a different type of species can be found. On the south face, Aleppo pine forests and mature holm oak forests dominate. On the northern slope grows a more humid forest, composed of maples, ash, strawberry tree, mustajos, lavender, ivy, honeysuckle or sarsaparilla. From 1000 meters of altitude, the forest gives way to pastures and bushes.

A mountain with a magnetism like Puig Campana cannot miss its own legend and the many versions that have been made of it. The most romantic tells that the hero Roland was in love with a dying young woman who knew that her last moments of life would expire with the last light of day, so the handsome knight tried to prevent it by giving a monumental cut to the mountain. This rock was thrown into the sea, being today what is known as the Island of the Journalists in Benidorm.

The ascent to Puig Campana can be done in several ways. On the north face, with a route of 12 km and a high difficulty; the west-east turn; the east-west lap and the vertical kilometre.