There really isn’t very much left of El Castillo de Mascarat. Just the one wall really.
But its location is a bit special. It’s perched dramatically on a limestone crag overlooking the Mascarat pass between Calpe and Altea on the Costa Blanca.
You can see it silhouetted against the sky as you drive down the autopista from Valencia to Alicante or along the N332 coast road.
When you climb to the top, you can see exactly why El Castillo (El Castell in Valenciano) was built. It absolutely dominates the coastline. And back in the day, the royal road would have run directly beneath the tower, through the Mascarat pass, until the nearby tunnels and bridge were constructed in the 19th century.
Look away to your left, and you can see for miles beyond Calpe to Moraira. Look to your right and the view extends to Benidorm and beyond. Spectacular!
A little history
It was built originally in the 12th century, when the Moors from North Africa were in charge in this part of the world, probably as an outlying fortification of the town of Calpe on the coast below.
It was then taken by the Christian forces of Jaume el Conqueridor coming down from Valencia. The castle was probably reinforced in the 13th century to deal with Islamic revolts against the new Christian overlords.
After that, it seems to have lost much of its importance until it was rebuilt in as a watchtower in the 16th century to combat the threat of the Barbary corsairs. These semi-legal pirates constantly harassed the Spanish coast from their bases in north Africa, raiding in search of loot and slaves.
A system of towers was built right along the coast to spot the corsarios berberiscos out at sea. Smoke signals would put the whole area on alert and summon the militia to deal with the invaders.
Up the coast, you can see the Torre Cap d’Or on the cliffs above Moraira, while to the south you can make out (with binoculars) the remains of the tower next to the present-day lighthouse at L’Albir.
How to get to the top
It’s short but steep. From parking your car at the top of Carrer Levant to the castle wall is around half an hour.
As the tarmac road runs out, someone has helpfully (!) blocked the path with a fence, but it’s easy to climb around it.
There are thick ropes bolted to the rock, and you do need them to haul yourself upwards on the steeper sections. Shoes with grip are essential. I wouldn’t climb it if there’s rain forecast either.
Once you’re at the top, there’s just the single remaining wall of the castle, which has been restored (sort of) rather unsympathetically. It may not look much like the original, but at least it won’t fall down any time soon!
But we’re really here for the views, not the castle architecture. And they are spectacular. El Castillo sits on the border between two regions; the Marina Alta to the north and Marina Baja to the south. So you have a foot in both – literally.
Look inland to see the ridge of the Sierra Bernia and the road and motorway squeezing through the narrow gap.
El Morro de Toix
In front of you is the Morro de Toix, gradually being submerged in a never-ending tide of tourist villas rising up the hillsides. There are some great sea views from the other side of El Morro – see my post here.
Haunt of highwaymen
Back in the 18th and 19 centuries, the Mascarat pass became notorious for highwaymen. They preyed on travellers heading along the coast road as it squeezed through the gap between mountain and sea, below the castle. So much so that the pass was named after ‘los enmascarados‘ – the masked ones.
For more great views, check out my video below:
How to get there
My advice – drive up past the hilltop mansions on Carrer Levant and park as close as you can get to the castle. I’m afraid I couldn’t see an easy way of getting there by public transport.
Take a look at the two maps below. The Google map shows you how to get from the main N332 coast road to where you can park your car, while the Wikiloc trail shows the hike to the castle itself.
Other walks nearby
These great walks are all within a few minutes drive of El Castillo de Mascarat:
More castles!
Explore the fascinating fortesses of Alicante’s Vinalopó valley on La Ruta de los Castillos del Vinalopó
© Guy Pelham
This is a very interesting and helpful post, Guy. I was around Altea and Calpe last week and knew nothing about the castle and its one remaining wall until I read your post. Thanks for sharing it.
Hi Nancy. Yes, I didn’t know much about it either until I spotted the ruins while driving down the autopista towards Alicante and googled it. It looks very dramatic up there on the skyline, especially towards sunset. Great views! Guy