38.97° N · 0.50° W · Xàtiva
A flat path beside the irrigation channel that leaves Xàtiva's old town and reaches, in an hour and a half or two, the meander of the Albaida river where Neanderthals lived. You can do it independently and for free, or with a guide on a private tour.
Part of Xàtiva
Who offers it
Independent companies: you book with them, on their terms. Prices are as they publish them and may change.
Step by step
Beside the Cocentaina gate. The PRV-78 starts here, waymarked from the city.
The path follows the canal that carried water to Xàtiva, without slopes.
You enter the Municipal Natural Site, with poplars and elms beside the river.
The mouth of the cave above the meander. Look from outside and find the Aventador wall.
Another hour and a half or two back to the old town, or pick-up by car at the Alboi poplar grove.
The Cova Negra is the other Xàtiva, the one from tens of thousands of years ago. It is in the widest meander of the Albaida river, north of the city, where the river leaves the Estret de les Aigües after crossing the Serra Grossa. Neanderthals lived here during the Palaeolithic, and the site is key to understanding Mousterian culture. You reach it on foot from the old town along a flat path beside the irrigation channel, and the walk is worth as much as the cave.
The cave is a Site of Cultural Interest. Human remains, paintings and objects ranging from pottery to fire-making tools have been found in it. The best-known piece, a Neanderthal parietal bone, is not here: its exact replica is in the Almodí Museum, so it is worth stopping at the museum before or after the walk to put a face to what you see in the countryside. The tourist office does not say that the inside of the cave can be visited; expect to see it from outside.
The surroundings are the Cova Negra Municipal Natural Site, protected since 2006, of about 57 hectares along the valley. Riverside and mountain vegetation meet here: poplars and elms by the water and scrub on the slopes. Through the site run walking and mountain-bike routes that link the Casa de la Llum, the Xopà d'Alboi and the Arcadetes of the Albaida river, and the Aventador wall is climbed.
The walking route is the PRV-78 trail. It starts at the 25-spout fountain, beside the Cocentaina gate, east of the old town, and follows the channel that supplied water to the city. It is waymarked and flat. It takes between an hour and a half and two hours to the cave, according to the tourist office; the return is by the same path, so reserve half a day.
It is a good plan for days when the castle asks for too much climbing, or for the next morning if you sleep in Xàtiva. With children who walk, it works: there is no ascent and the end has a reward, a large cave above the river.
If you prefer to shorten it, there are two access points by car:
From the centre it is about 8 km and a good quarter of an hour.
Love Xàtiva Tours does the route as a private tour for your group. The short one, of 5 km, stops at the Cova de la Petxina, the Bellús water spring, the Casa de la Luz and the Cova Negra; it runs Monday to Friday mornings and costs €145 including VAT. The long one, of 12 km, with a mountain guide and a local one, adds the castle and the snow well of the Costa del Castell, for €200. You meet at the petrol station by the bullring and transport to the site is at your own expense. Neither is suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.
Who it's for
What to bring
Map
What you have around the starting point.
More to do
Itineraries
Tips
The replica of the Neanderthal parietal bone is there and gives the cave meaning.
If you have two cars, park one at the poplar grove and walk the route one way.
Although it is flat, in July and August the sun bites from mid-morning.
If you do the long route with a guide, you already pass it; if not, leave the climb for the following afternoon.
Questions
Between an hour and a half and two hours from the 25-spout fountain, on the PRV-78, and as much again back.
No. It is flat, follows an irrigation channel and is waymarked.
The tourist office does not say. Expect to see it from outside.
At the Alboi poplar grove, off the CV-610, with room for at least 40 cars, or in the small car park on the Camí del Pont Sec, next to Bixquert.
Yes, with Love Xàtiva Tours as a private tour: 5 km for €145 or 12 km for €200, on weekdays.
Yes, if they walk well: there is no ascent. With a pushchair, better not.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/valencian-community/xativa/things-to-do/cova-negra-walk
