The Camino De Santiago Salinero, a route that highlights the natural and cultural heritage of the Camino del Sureste to Torrevieja

This route is an extension of the Camino de Santiago del Sureste that started from Orihuela (Alicante) to Santiago de Compostela. The Camino Salinero, in this way, extends the Camino del Sureste to Torrevieja, structuring the Vega Baja region, since the route runs through the municipalities of Torrevieja, Los Montesinos, Benejúzar, Jacarilla and Orihuela.

It is important to highlight that there is no Camino de Santiago, but rather we should talk about the Caminos to Santiago. These routes are an ideal way to enjoy the natural environment and all the rich historical-artistic heritage that punctuates the different routes that lead to Santiago de Compostela. The French Way, as the main route, was declared a World Heritage Site in 1993.

The Camino Salinero also emerged - like the rest of the Caminos de Santiago - as a way to make visible and value the natural and cultural heritage of the five municipalities through which it runs. In this way, the route is a way to appreciate and enjoy in situ the great wealth and variety of heritage in just 40 kilometers.

Within the Camino de Santiago del Sureste, Orihuela was already integrated as a city part of the route. The idea of extending the route from Orihuela to Torrevieja arises from the desire to connect the interior of the Vega Baja region with the coast and the sea. In fact, the motto of the last Holy Year was “Get out of your land” with the idea of continuing to structure the territory with new Caminos to Santiago. With this impulse, the initiative arose to generate this new route named Camino de Santiago Salinero.

A route, as I said, that connects two important poles of sun and beach tourism such as Torrevieja and inland tourism such as Orihuela. In addition to connecting other municipalities of smaller size but that have a wealth of heritage of the first order. The Salinero Road, in this way, tries to unite all the municipalities through which it runs and provide them with added value.

Kilometer zero of the Camino Salinero is the hermitage of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Torrevieja, where the carving of the pilgrim Saint James is located. From there, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, it enters the Lagunas de Torrevieja Natural Park until reaching the neighboring town of Los Montesinos, where it crosses fields of vegetable and citrus crops, heading to the foothills of the Benejúzar mountain range, where the Pilarica Sanctuary is located. From there, the route heads towards the gardens and Palace of the Marqués de Fontalba in Jacarilla and, then, looking for the Segura River, advancing the path along the bank to Orihuela, a city with an enormous artistic heritage and a junction point with the Camino del Southeast.