Kayaking from the Granadella, paddling to the monk seal's cave.

A coast you can only see from the water

South of Xàbia, past Cap de la Nau, the coast is cliff with small coves among the rock. Several of them can only be reached by sea. Kayak Javea, an active-tourism company registered under number TA-23-Alicante, leaves from the slipway of Cala Granadella and covers that stretch: Cala en Caló, the Cova del Llop Marí, the Descubridor island and Cala Ambolo. The cave's name recalls the monk seal, the "sea wolf" that lived on this coast.

What the route is like

It is about two and a half hours. You paddle in a double kayak, with a seat, beside a local guide. The company rates it medium difficulty: you do not need to have paddled before, but you do need basic fitness and to be able to swim. At the coves and in front of the cave you stop, put on your mask and look at the seabed: the snorkelling equipment is included.

Price, age and what is included

It costs €50 per person. The minimum age is 14. It includes the double kayak with a seat, wetsuit, booties (give your size when booking), full snorkelling equipment, a dry bag for your phone and keys, and the guide. Book online on its website or by WhatsApp. If you are going as a group or want the outing for yourselves, the company also has private tours.

The website publishes no calendar or fixed times: the day and time are given when you book. In summer it is worth booking several days ahead.

Getting to the Granadella in summer

This is the delicate part. In 2026 the Granadella car park, of 130 spaces, was paid every day from 2 June to 6 September, and at weekends and public holidays from 7 to 27 September: €9 per car per day, from 9:00 to 19:00, with no reservation. When it fills, a barrier closes access; that barrier operated daily until 13 September and at weekends and public holidays until 12 October. Arrive early or go up on the tourist train from La Guardia, from 3 July to 13 September, for €6 return. See the detail at access to the coves.

What to do before and after at the Granadella

If you have paid the €9 for parking, make the most of it. The cove is 160 metres, has a blue flag every year and water that the tourist office considers ideal for scuba diving: after the kayak, swimming with a mask continues from the shore. From the same car park leaves the Granadella castle trail, which climbs to the headland above the cove; it is a good plan for anyone in the group who is not paddling. For lunch, on the way back towards Xàbia along the Cabo de la Nao road, there is Mezquida, with rice cooked over vine-shoot fire.

If you are not 14, or prefer another cave

The company's listing sets the minimum age at 14. With younger children, the boat around the bay with a swim leaves from the port and stops for a swim in a cove, from €12 and free up to age 3. If you have already done this route, the same company has the kayak to the Cova Tallada, below Cap de Sant Antoni, with torches to enter the cave and a snorkelling session in the marine reserve, at the same price.