Torre de les Caletes (Torre del Cavall)

Torre de les Caletes, also known as Torre del Cavall or Torre Punta del Cavall, stands at the southern end of the Serra Gelada, at the headland known as Punta del Cavall. Felipe II ordered it built in the 16th century as part of a coastal watch system set up by the Crown to defend the shoreline against corsairs from Algiers, Tunis or Genoa. The tower was part of a dense network of lookout posts strung along the coast, spaced roughly six kilometres apart so that each tower could see the next and pass on a warning by fire or smoke signal if danger appeared.

Cone-shaped, the tower has a base about eight metres across and stands today at roughly seven metres, completely solid up to that height. Time and cliff erosion have made consolidation work necessary in recent years to stop the structure from losing further material.

A coastal route with history

The tower is reached via a coastal path inside the Parc Natural de la Serra Gelada, with cliff sections and open sea views for most of the walk. It's common to combine the visit with the nearby Roman-era site of Tossal de la Cala, or a swim at Cala de l'Almadrava, at the far end of the path. Since much of the route has no shade, it's worth avoiding the middle of the day in summer and carrying enough water, as there's nowhere to refill before getting back to Benidorm.