El Salto de Chella
Spectacular 25 m waterfall plunging into an emerald-green swimming hole, in the outskirts of the village of Chella, Valencia (Spain).
El Salto de Chella is an impressive 25-meter high waterfall in an environment with its own microclimate. It’s located just outside the village of Chella, Valencia. The waterfall is not entirely natural. It takes the flow from the treatment plant and parts of the Sellent river.
The viewpoint to the cascade (‘Mirador de El Salto de Chella‘) is in the village of Chella. It has impressive views of the waterfall, swimming hole, fields and mountains. From it, a steep path descends to the river. This path is very dangerous, and not recommended. There is hardly any room to walk, and the drop is considerable.
Instead, go to the waterfall by taking the road from the village and cross the bridge. From the paved road, take a narrow meandering path that passes vegetation and purple petunias. Eventually, you’ll see the ruins, an old mill and ‘The Cave that Rains‘. Many people get lost among the ruins, so take a look at the ‘Getting There’ section below. Once you have descended to the level of the river, you’ll be walking through ‘El Paraíso’ (Paradise). This is a small wetland with abundant vegetation protected by its microclimate. The water of El Salto de Chella is cool, but you will definitely enjoy this swimming hole and its tiny, cute beach!
El Mirador (viewpoint) of El Salto de Chella has these views. The trick to get there is to turn right on the curve indicated by the arrow.
Leaving the town of Chella. This signpost is one of the few for El Salto de Chella.
After walking for a few minutes on a paved road, you’ll see the bridge crossing over El Salto de Chella.
View to the right as you cross the bridge. 1) The stream is the top of the waterfall. 2) The swimming hole as seen from above.
Once you have crossed the bridge, there are some old stone buildings. The path to descend to the waterfall is next to them.
Take the narrow path to the right of the road.
The path has a lot of vegetation.
After walking a few minutes, on the right-hand side, you’ll see several side paths leading to ruins. It’s easy to get lost here. This area has caves (photo 3) and 2 m deep holes in the ground (photo 4). To get to El Salto de Chella go straight on!
The path now starts to go parallel to the river. Turn right when you see the large rock of pic 1 in front of you. The second pic shows the curve you need to take.
You’ll have a lovely view of the waterfall before crossing the river.
When you cross the river and look back, you’ll see the big rock that you just left behind.
You’ll have to jump over large rocks to cross the river. Once arrived at the other side of the river, turn right. Follow the path parallel to the river, which consists of stones.
You will have some good views of ‘El Paraíso’ (Paradise) on your right-hand side.
Finally, you’ll arrive at the spectacular waterfall.
A perfect place for a refreshing swim.
This is the ´beach’ of this natural pool. The big bush on the left is a bramble bush, that might try to steal your sock!
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DIFFICULTY LEVEL
SWIMMING HOLES
IN VALENCIA
Check out the best Swimming Holes & Places to Swim INLAND!
Pou Clar
Salto de Chella
Bolbaite
Chorradores de Navarrés
Salto de Millares
Cortes de Pallás - Reservoir
Cortes de Pallás - River
Gorgo de la Escalera
Charcos de Quesa
Cueva Turche
Bugarra
Gestalgar
Azud de Tuéjar
Pozas del Ral
Barranco Otonel
SWIMMING HOLES
IN ALICANTE
Check out the best Swimming Holes & Places to Swim INLAND!
Algar Waterfalls
Toll Blau
Barranco de la Encantada
Salt de Jijona
Guadalest Reservoir
Swimming Safety
Read these Tips
&
be Safe
when Wild Swimming
DESTINATIONS
UK
Spain
Bali
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Trinidad and Tobago
Costa Rica
India
Martinique
Keep it Clean!
The Rules
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HOW TO GET TO - El Salto de Chella
Getting There
Getting There
From the village of Chella, start walking at Parque de la Fuente (right next to the ‘Bajada de la Fuente’ street). This is the only place where the direction to El Salto de Chella is signposted.
Follow the thin road leaving the sports centre on your left. Keep walking for about 100 m until you reach the bridge (which is just over El Salto de Chella). Next to it, you will see the ruins of an old house.
Go down the path to the left of the road next to the old house. After walking around 150 m on this winding path, the path becomes more straight. At this point, you will see paths going to the right. Don’t go to the right, as that’s where almost everyone gets lost. Go straight.
If you would turn right (not advised) there is an old mill and a small cave called the ‘cave that rains‘. Stalactites and stalagmites have been created by the leaks and filtrations of the waterfall. You will also see the ruins of an old power station to the left of the road. In addition, in the ruins of the buildings that are at the foot of the remains of the old power station, there are wells without blocking. These are several meters deep, so you can get trapped and hurt yourself. In the past, there were paper factories, mills and the old power station that supplied Chella and its neighbouring towns with energy.
Keep going straight, and you will get to the river, to an area called ‘El Paraiso‘. This is a small wetland. It’s naturally protected by its surrounding microclimate, which has created abundant vegetation. From here you can see the waterfall at its base.
Once you have descended to the bottom of the cliff, take the sharp curve to the right (towards the river). You will need to walk over some very large stones to cross the river. You might get wet. Once you have crossed the river, follow the path to the right which will take you to the base of the waterfall, or ‘beach‘. It’s 1.5 meters long, made of small pebbles and has a huge spiky bramble bush on the left.
Transport Options
Parking
There is room for about 6 cars on the road, only a few meters above the waterfall. In summer and weekends, there might be no place to park here. You can always park in the village of Chella and walk from there.
Location
Coordinates
Villages Nearby
Difficulty Level
Difficult. Getting to the village of Chella is easy. From there, El Salto de Chella is signposted. You can walk or leave the car just above the waterfall. The difficult part is walking down to the waterfall since it’s not signposted. Most people get lost here and wander around for hours. Follow the path as indicated in my pics, and you should get there without any problem.
Walking Time to Swimming Spot
Drinking Water Spots
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DIFFICULTY LEVEL
USEFUL INFORMATION - El Salto de Chella
Handy Things to Know
Entrance Fee
When to Go & Opening Times
Activities
Facilities
Kids
Dogs
Skinny Dipping
Wheelchair Access
Restrictions
Managed by
Things to Do – El Salto de Chella
Things to Do
Don’t miss El Salto de Chella viewpoint that is at the top of the village of Chella. The views of the waterfall, swimming hole, countryside and surroundings are impressive. You can visit the historic centre of Moorish origin, called Barrio de la Peña. It’s in the highest part of Chella, where the old Muslim fortress (currently Calle el Castillo) is.
Check out these amazing natural pools in the province of VALENCIA!
In the village of Anna, there is a beautiful and well known Lake called ‘La Albufera de Anna‘. There are also 3 waterfalls at the other end of Anna, which can be enjoyed doing the 3 waterfalls hiking route. The best waterfall for swimming is Gorgo de la Escalera, an awesome waterfall.
Check out the spectacular Chorradores de Navarrés waterfall. It’s on the outskirts of Navarrés. It also has a signposted route that is easy to do on foot with young children.
The village of Bolbaite has 3 beautiful pools in the river. Pou Clar, Bugarra and Gestalgar have unique swimming holes!
Where to Eat
It’s not advisable to have a picnic next to the waterfall and pool. Check why below in the ‘How Clean is the Swimming Spot’ section. Besides, there is barely any space on the ‘beach’.
It’s best to eat in a restaurant in Chella, Bolbaite, Anna or Navarrés.
Accommodation
Fortunately, there are no large hotel complexes in this area of villages. It’s best to stay with locals or in a rural house. There is one located near Salto de Chella viewpoint with spectacular views of the waterfall.
Geography
Altitude
Size
Under Foot
Maximum Water Depth
Minimum Swimming Level
Shade
How Clean is the Swimming Spot?
Water
Underwater
Water Temperature
Water Colour
How Clean is the Water?
SWIMMING HOLES
IN VALENCIA
Check out the best Swimming Holes & Places to Swim INLAND!
Pou Clar
Salto de Chella
Bolbaite
Chorradores de Navarrés
Salto de Millares
Cortes de Pallás - Reservoir
Cortes de Pallás - River
Gorgo de la Escalera
Charcos de Quesa
Cueva Turche
Bugarra
Gestalgar
Azud de Tuéjar
Pozas del Ral
Barranco Otonel
SWIMMING HOLES
IN ALICANTE
Check out the best Swimming Holes & Places to Swim INLAND!
Algar Waterfalls
Toll Blau
Barranco de la Encantada
Salt de Jijona
Guadalest Reservoir
Keep it Clean!
The Rules
Swimming Safety
Read these Tips
&
be Safe
when Wild Swimming
DESTINATIONS
UK
Spain
Bali
Belize
Mexico
Trinidad and Tobago
Costa Rica
India
Martinique
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