Vall d'Ebo is one of those places where history has left obvious scars. In 1609 the Moriscos, the descendants of Spain's Muslim population, were expelled from the kingdom of Valencia, and valleys like this one were suddenly emptied. The Vall d'Ebo was resettled, but never fully recovered, and today it is home to fewer than four hundred people. The village stands in a deep bowl of mountains with terraces cut into the slopes, and it feels as though it belongs to another century.
The Cova de Reinós lies close by, in a dry landscape of limestone and pine above the town of Pego. The area has several painted shelters belonging to the Levantine tradition of rock art, the one listed by UNESCO in 1998. Their red figures, many of them archers and animals, were painted by hunting peoples long before the Moors ever came. Together the paintings and the empty terraces suggest how many layers of human life have passed through the same valley.
Below, Pego sits at the edge of a huge wetland, the Marjal Pego-Oliva, where rice has been grown for centuries and herons and other birds gather in winter. It is a good contrast to the dry mountains above. If you have time, take the Vall de Gallinera road north of Ebo; in late winter its cherry trees come into bloom, and the valley turns white.
The road to Vall d'Ebo leaves Pego and climbs through a narrow gorge before opening into the valley, with plenty of tight bends and little traffic. It is the sort of road where you slow down because you want to, not because you must. The surface is mixed, so keep an eye out for gravel on the corners after rain. Mornings are best, with cool air and good light.
Fuel is available in Pego, which has over eleven thousand people and all the usual services. Vall d'Ebo has a bar or two but no pumps that you should rely on. Eat in Pego, where the rice dishes are worth the stop, and bring water for any walking.