The only via ferrata in Spain that finishes underground: two Nepalese bridges, an overhanging spur, and a final section threading through a cave by headlamp. Short, intense, and unlike anything else in the country.
Book NowMost via ferratas go up a wall. This one goes up, along, down — and then into the mountain. The Tossal de les Venes is the only equipped route on the Iberian Peninsula with a genuine underground section, and it has a reputation among Catalan ferratistas as one of the most imaginative routes ever built here.
It climbs the south face of the Tossal de les Venes, a modest 854-metre hill above the village of Rojals in the Muntanyes de Prades, in quiet rural Tarragona about an hour and a half from Barcelona. The cliff isn't tall — the whole route is relatively short — but almost nothing about it is ordinary. Two Nepalese bridges, one of them threading beneath an overhanging roof. A short, brutal spur where the last staple sits just far enough away to make you commit. And then a descent on chains into a crack in the rock, and a traverse through the dark.
The mountain is riddled with fissures and shafts, and the route's final section goes straight into them. A headlamp is mandatory. Inside there's a damp traverse, a vertical section on staples, and a passage so narrow you take your pack off to get through it. There are two exits — an easy one and a harder one — and there's nothing else like it in Spain.
The genuinely clever thing about this route is that almost every hard section has an easier twin. It starts with a choice — a friendly K2 entrance or a K4 line on bolted-on climbing holds. The overhanging spur near the top can be taken direct at K4+ or bypassed on an easy flank. Even the cave splits into an easy direct passage and a more convoluted hard one. So a strong beginner and an experienced ferratista can climb the same route on the same morning, each on their own line, and both come away satisfied. We choose section by section, based on how the group is moving.
A path through pine and scrub from the parking on the Rojals road, arriving at the foot of the south face.
Two ways in from the very first move: an accessible K2 line, or a K4 start on climbing holds bolted to the wall. This is where we set the tone for your day.
A short Nepalese bridge, around 8 metres, passing underneath a rock roof — an unusual and photogenic position — followed immediately by a steep step and a small leap of faith.
Long flanking sections on staples above the drop, occasionally slightly overhanging. This is where the route feels airy rather than hard, and where an escape route exists if the group needs it.
A longer crossing, around 12 metres, then a vertical wall with a bulge at the top to keep the forearms honest.
Short and genuinely hard: an overhang with the final staple deliberately out of reach, so you use the rock. Optional — the easier flank at K3 reaches the same summit.
From the top of the Tossal, chains and steps lead back down to a fissure in the rock. Last chance to walk out — or clip in and go underground.
Headlamps on. A damp traverse where the footing is slick, a vertical pitch on staples, and a squeeze narrow enough that packs come off. Two exits: straightforward, or awkward and brilliant.
A short marked path back past the start of the route to the parking.
Let's make sure you have a great time! The cave is genuinely tight and dark, so this is not a route for anyone claustrophobic, though it can be skipped entirely and the rest of the ferrata still makes a great morning. And the rock and steps here are abrasive; gloves aren't a suggestion on this one. We carry a rope and back up the harder overhangs, but the route rewards people who arrive with some fitness in their arms.
This route sits in a quiet natural area and the caves in particular are fragile. It has been closed and reopened more than once as the equipment has been renewed — most recently with an added lifeline before the underground section. We climb it respecting the environment and the installations, which is what keeps it open for everyone. Combine the morning with lunch in medieval Montblanc, fifteen minutes away, and you have close to a perfect day out.
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The cave, the bridges, the variants and the practicalities — everything people ask about this route before committing.
If this would be your first via ferrata, Baumes Corcades is a gentler introduction with escape options throughout. If the K4+ spur sounds like the good part, Cágate Lorito is the hardest ferrata we guide.
