Captivador lies between Altea and La Nucía. The CEM El Captivador is a visitor complex designed to introduce people to the Mediterranean natural environment and the history of La Nucía. Visitor highlights include signposted hiking trails, mountain bike routes, the Ermita de Sant Vicent del Captivador and the San Vicente Festival. If you are planning a trip, you can first decide what to focus on: hiking, mountain biking or the festival date each offers a different reason to stay.
Hiking Trails and Landscape
The CEM lies between the Serra Gelada Natural Park and the Ponoig-Puig Campana protected area; Ponoig-Puig Campana is west of the CEM. The centre is located in the municipal green area of Tossal del Captivador, which has extensive tree cover. The Red de Senderos de La Nucía (La Nucía Trail Network) comprises four signposted circular routes covering a total of 20.5 kilometres and includes the CEM El Captivador.
The extensive pine forest has a trail network with rest and picnic areas, as well as several drinking-water points. Comprehensive signage and educational panels provide information about the natural environment and its resources. When planning a hike, both the total length of the network and the available rest stops and information about the landscape are therefore relevant.
Mountain Biking: Circular Routes and Bike Park
La Nucía’s mountain bike network comprises four circular routes of varying difficulty; in the central area, they pass through the Bike Park. It has five descents with wooden features, designed for different mountain biking ability levels. Unlike the hiking trail network, the mountain bike routes explicitly offer varying difficulty levels as a factor to consider when choosing a route.
The individual routes also vary in focus. One leads into the Captivador pine forest and has two technical sections with several steps. It then passes the Ermita de Sant Vicent, where there is a spring. Another mountain bike route runs through the Captivador area and the La Nucía sports complex. A third route is 70% on paths and climbs and descends through the pine forest in the Ciudad Deportiva–El Captivador area.
Culture, History and the San Vicente Festival
The Ermita de Sant Vicent del Captivador was built in 1804 in honour of San Vicente Ferrer. According to tradition, the saint preached at this location in 1410 on his journey from Teulada to Orihuela and the territories of Castile; no document confirming this has been found. El Captivador was a Moorish settlement until 1609. The Séquia Mare irrigation system is also part of local history: Beatriz Fajardo established it in 1666, and part of its course runs through the CEM.
The CEM’s Museo Etnológico (Ethnological Museum) covers almost 180 square metres and has three exhibition rooms devoted to local culture, traditions, crafts and agriculture. The Arboretum is a botanical garden dedicated to conserving, researching and showcasing plant diversity. It includes traditional crops, aromatic and medicinal plants, cacti and succulents. Visitors can see the animals at the Granja Escuela (Farm School).
The San Vicente Festival is celebrated on the Monday after Easter Monday in the Cautivador natural area, where the hermitage dedicated to the saint is also located. The festival includes regional dances, performances by Valencian folklore groups, running competitions, barbecues and concerts. As the date follows the moveable Easter calendar, check the date for your travel year.
Getting to Captivador
To reach Captivador and the hermitage, take the road from La Nucía to Altea; after about five kilometres, a sign points to the destination.
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