Swimming at the Algar Waterfalls

Yes. The site has areas set aside for bathing, and swimming in the pools is the main reason most people come.

Two honest qualifications.

It is cold

These are spring-fed mountain pools, not a warmed lido. The water arrives cold and stays cold regardless of how hot the Costa Blanca air is — which is precisely the appeal in July, and a genuine shock the first time you get in.

Get in gradually rather than jumping. That is not squeamishness; a hard cold-water entry produces an involuntary gasp, and gasping is the part that causes trouble.

The rock is slippery

Limestone worn smooth by running water, frequently wet. Shoes with grip beat flip-flops by a wide margin, both on the path and around the pools.

Water shoes are the sensible choice if you plan to be in and out of the water, because the pool floors are stone rather than sand.

What to bring

Something with grip on your feet. The most useful thing on this list.

A towel and something warm for afterwards. You will be colder ten minutes after than during.

Cash or card for the gate — entry is €4 or €5 depending on season, and it is not included in any tour.

Food, if you want a picnic. There are places to eat nearby, but the gorge rewards bringing something and staying.

When to actually go

This matters far more than anything above.

In high season the site runs timed entry turns with a capacity cap — when your slot ends, you leave. The unhurried afternoon by a pool that the photographs promise is a shoulder-season experience.

Go in May, June, September or early October, or go first thing in the morning in August. The water is the same; the day is completely different.

If you are not swimming

You have lost nothing. The walk up the gorge is about 1.5 km past the pools and cascades and is the point on its own — plenty of visitors walk it, look, eat something and leave without getting wet.

Getting there is the only part that costs real money — the trips that solve it generally pair the falls with the Guadalest valley, because 15 km inland does not fill a day by itself.