My name is Heidi and I come from Helsinki, Finland.

With my husband Olli-Pekka and our 3 dogs we live in Gran Alacant and enjoy the brilliant Mediterranean climate and possibility of discovering new hiking routes all over our Alicante province and sometimes even a bit further.

Ironically, I have a fear of heights, but I love the views from tops of the mountains too much to stay away. Our dogs are getting older so all the hikes need to be suitable for them too as they always go on our adventures with us. I also love photography and always take load of pictures from our hikes.

This is very nice circular route PR-MU 82 on the right side of the reservoir. It’s about 8 km long and it’s an easy hike. The route is very well marked.

Leave your car south from the dam to a small park (see picture) where you can also see the map of the route. There are few parking places available.

We did the route following the reservoir side first and walked back the other side. We saw birds and rabbits, but otherwise it was very tranquil walk with some mountain bikers that passed us by. The whole route took us about 2 hours with a snack break. This hike is suitable for people who do not want to climb much.

Santomera dam was made in the 60’s to protect the area from Segura river’s floodwaters and is still used for that purpose. Its total length at the crest is 205,79 m, with a width of 4 m on the latter. The total height is 51,50 m above its foundations. The crest of the dam is situated at a height of 101,5 and it has a 3 metre wide road which is protected by concrete paving. Two pavements 0,5 metres wide run along both sides of the road. Reservoir capacity is 26,29 hm³.

The dam area is beautiful and there are lots of birds around, so you may want to bring your binoculars! If you don’t want to walk the route you can just pack a picnic and enjoy the views. Swimming is not allowed in the reservoir.

Check List:

Always when going on hikes check that:

Your Mobile Phone is fully charged
Water – climbing up is hard job & you will need it
Snacks (Remember to take all the garbage back down with you!)
Have good shoes for walking
Have small first aid kit with you
Have layered clothes. Up hill might be
– very windy and cold, even on a warm day.
– Coming down might be chilly, so extra dry
– t-shirt to change into if needed is not a bad idea

Always tell someone where you are going and when you’ll approx. be coming back

Next month we go on foot again,
Hasta luego,
Heidi & Olli