The Columbretes

In days of very good visibility, and being in the highest summit of the Community of Valencia, the tip of Peñagolosa with more than 1800 meters of height, is possible to descry back in the horizon small deceptively near islands, in front of the mouth of the Mijares river.

The archipelago of the Columbretes is formed by 4 small barren island groups. Moved away 30 miles out to sea. Its nearer mainland is the end of Oropesa from which we have 6 hours of navigation to candle to reach most important of them; The great, well-known Columbrete by the fishermen as `Grosa' with semi-submerged crater form that demonstrates its volcanic origin. Generally they are steep inaccessible that lacks potable water and occupies an extension of 4 miles of north to the south.

In highest and to 68 meters on the sea the light of Bonilla End is raised around constructed in 1855 and with several houses to his, that they served to lodge to the old families of fareros and at the moment used by the 3 guards who now watch so interesting surroundings with the consideration of natural park, reason why its visit becomes necessary to ask for a permission as much as to be able to realize immersions of diving. These can be asked for the Valencian Catalan Autonomous Government; Authorization of the Conselleria of Agriculture and Environment of the Valencian Catalan Autonomous Government and the Territorial Subdirecció of Medi Ambient (96 420 42 11), Castellón (96 422 57 00); It is recommended to also call to the Information center of the Natural Reserve (96 428 25 84).

Although navigation by its waters is free, is necessary to respect a series of norms and prohibitions: it is not allowed to anchor to less than mediates mile of small barren islands and it is recommended to use the buoys equipped with prepared trains of anchorage for the mooring of boats of up to 25 meters of length. The quota of daily visits during the summer is of 80 people, and exists a service of gratuitous guides who realize a small explanatory route by the island of about 45 minutes.

 The Derrick is the more comfortable accesible place when land winds blow and it is had in the natural harbor called Tofiño, In the other end of the island also the one can be disembarked in a place known like Rossí and to the south of Scale of Spain more. In the end of the South arm of the Grosa is an old cemetery that speaks to us of the hardest conditions that must have a century ago the life of the fareros that worked two months followed to rest a month in earth.

The other small barren islands are farallones with different forms and cliffs that rise more than 30 meters on the sea. Some of them as the Caralot were used years back like target by ships of the Navy and airplanes to even realize shot practices, luckyly prohibited custom at present for good of the rich colonies of marine birds that nest in these zones.

In the antiquity they were plagued of vipers as or as classic historians mentioned as Pliny or Estrabón. The Greeks called Serpentarias and Columbrarias later from where surely its present name comes. During the construction of the light they got themselves to hunt more than two thousand units of hocicuda viper by that burning fires repeated until ending them totally were caused and unfortunately also with the ebullient vegetation that the historians to long ago relate us. 

In them the Moors hid themselves to send repeated attacks and acts of piracy to the peninsula and until very recent dates served as refuge of smugglers and malefactors.

At the moment its quite poor fauna is formed by very important populations of scorpions, small lizards and some rabbits introduced by the fareros. Not therefore the fauna of birds that is formed by migratory species that use the islands as place of transit and rest, as well as others like the gull of unique Adouín in the Mediterranean, the hawk of Eleonor or the silver-plated gulls.

Between small barren islands very pleasant channels form to cross with the pneumatic one but that warn to us of the conditions of potential danger that they can become in case of bad sea.

With regards the marine bottoms of these small barren islands, the great diversity of the substrates and the interesting submarine relief, along with their distance of the coast, have turned the marine surroundings of the Columbretes, in true nuclei of life where missing species in other places are conserved already. The red chorale is an example among others.