A long walk to a stunning waterfall: Salto de la Novia

The first time I saw a picture of the place I am going to show you today, I was surprised. Everyone loves a good waterfall, and there are few things less suited to travel photography and writing than beautiful waterfalls surrounded by green and lush mountainsides. However, these are fairly few and far between in Spain, where (especially in the warmer half of the year) water can be scarce. I have previously written about a fantastic waterfall in Portugal, where I spent several years. This was my one favourite spot to take people who visited, and I think I might just have found my Spanish equivalent. This article will cover how to get there, where to go, how to find it and what you will see. The next article about the Salto de la Novia waterfall will show much more detail about some of the great stops you could make as you follow the route, what to look out for and what you need to know.

Salto de la Novia waterfall

You can find this waterfall, known as Salto de la Novia, about 40 minutes away from Valencia (by car), through stunning countryside and winding roads. A quick tip here, if you get any kind of motion sickness, take a travel-sickness pill beforehand, as roads barely get more winding or more twisting. But it is a beautiful journey, and driving through the Spanish countryside has always been one of my favourite activities. Most of the time I am lucky enough to have an activity/sight to do/see at the end of the drive, but even when I do not, I could barely care less, such is the beauty of the natural world here.

The route

The route to the waterfall presents you with two options that will appeal to different people. The first is a 16km circular route that begins in the nearby village (Navajas), and goes through mountains, forests, open plains and finally arrives, hot and sweaty, ready to swim and frolic in the water. The second option is to arrive at the same village and walk 10 minutes downhill to the waterfall. Although certainly you could just take the easy way and get it done quickly, I really believe that you will not enjoy the experience anywhere near as much.

The long and winding and hot walk is harder, longer and actually quite hard to navigate. That being said, I 100% advise you to do it. Anything worth having normally comes with a cost, and you should pay this cost gladly, with wonder in your eyes and a smile on your face. When we finally got to the waterfall it was like a mirage in the desert (especially as we were running a little low on water).

The quick option will still give you a chance to enjoy the waterfall, but without the long walk, the challenge and the difficulty, it will be easy for you to say “oh cool, a pretty waterfall”. This does not do it justice at all, and really I think it is necessary to arrive gasping and hot and tired, to really appreciate the beauty and joy of this place.

Salto de la Novia Waterfall

Salto de la novia, Calle Bajada de las Fuentes, S/N, 12470 Navaixes, Castellón, Spain