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Alpujarra, Spain

Spain Walking & Food

Spain Walking & Food

HIGHLIGHTS

Cooking class, Tapas tour, olive groves, deli tasting dinner, walking in rural Spain

FROM

€ 3,345

DURATION

12 Days

Why you’ll love this trip?

  • Explore Andalucía’s Mediterranean beaches and UNESCO World Heritage cities like Sevilla, Granada, and Córdoba.
  • Enjoy walks in rural landscapes teeming with flora and fauna.
  • Sample the renowned Mediterranean Diet with private visits to exclusive sherry bodegas, ham-curing businesses, and family olive groves.
  • Experience the vibrant culture and warm hospitality of Andalucía.

What’s the Activity level?

  • Designed for those who are relatively fit and comfortable walking 3 to 4 hours on hilly terrain.
  • Trails are approximately 12 to 18 km long, with some stony sections.
  • Footwear: sturdy hiking shoes with good tread are recommended.
  • While not purely a walking tour, the ability to comfortably complete the included walks enhances the trip’s enjoyment.

What’s the transport and accommodation like?

  • Transportation: Private mini vans or small coaches are used for travel.
  • Luggage handling: Participants should be able to manage moving their own luggage from transport to hotel rooms, sometimes involving a short walk from the coach set-down point.
  • Hotels are unique, often family-run properties, with private facilities and approximately three-star standard.

*All our tours are non-smoking

TRIP SUMMARY

Duration: 12 days starting Sevilla, ending in Cordoba.
Trip focus: Walking with cuisine and cultural highlights
Accommodation: 11 nights hotels
Transport: Minivan or Minibus
Group size: Maximum 12 + local tour leader, Minimum 6
Single supplement: €605, applies to all singles

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

  • 11 nights accommodation
  • All breakfasts, and selected other meals as per itinerary
  • All transfers mentioned above included in private mini-bus or mini-van
  • Accompanying resident English-speaking Tour Leader throughout
  • Private guided tours with expert local guides in Sevilla and Cordoba
  • Entrances to Seville Cathedral and Real Alcázar, and to Córdoba Cathedral-Mosque and Synagogue, with “whispers” headsets
  • Tapas Tour in Sevilla, drinks and tapas in three bars included
  • Sherry winery visit and tasting in Jerez
  • Ham “secadero” visit and tasting in Capileira
  • Private cooking class with lunch in Vejer/Seville
  • Tips to Tour Leader, local guides, coach driver and at each meal are included

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED:

  • Any flights either to or from Spain
  • Travel insurance
  • Any train, air or other travel within Spain to begin or end tour
  • Extra nights in hotels before the tour begins or after it ends
  • Food and drinks on the walks
  • Meals and entrances not mentioned in the itinerary

PAYING LOCALLY

Most of our tours involve a local payment. Paying locally allows us to keep the overall cost of our tours competitive and pass the savings on to you. These funds are put towards local cash expenses while on tour, such as meals, bus tickets, ferry tickets etc. They are part of your overall trip cost on this tour, not additional. You pay the local payment on day one of your trip to the tour leader.

All prices are approximate and subject to currency fluctuations until final payment has been made.

DAY 1 – ARRIVAL DAY SEVILLA

Independent arrival into Sevilla. At 6pm, your Tour Leader will meet you in the lobby of your hotel for an overview of the trip. Then head out for a stroll around the narrow streets of the Juderia. Here you will get to know the neighbourhood through its bars (!) as we enjoy drinks and tapas.

Meals Included: Dinner (tapas)

DAY 2 – SEVILLA

A full day to explore the historic centre of Sevilla with a local guide. Introducing us to its incredible history and vibrant culture on a two and a half hour guided visit, which will take us into the Gothic cathedral and the Real Alcázar.

In the afternoon you will have free time to further explore the city on your own, perhaps strolling through Maria Luisa park, or crossing the river into the colourful Triana district.

Meals included: Breakfast

DAY 3 – JEREZ AND VEJER

Today we depart Sevilla and head to the city of Jerez de la Frontera, famous for its distinctive sherry wines, flamenco and equestrian shows. We will see inside one of Jerez’s most famous bodegas where aged sherry and brandies are produced according to artisanal methods and which has the added attraction of a superb private art collection that includes works by Goya, Velázsquez and El Greco. After lunch in the old centre of Jerez we continue our journey south to the beautiful “white town” of Vejer de la Frontera. The narrow lanes of the old town are a delight to explore, and you will find some excellent options for dinner this evening.

Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 4 – COSTA DE LA LUZ AND VEJER

This morning we delve further into Andalusian gastronomy with a wonderful Cookery Experience in the kitchen of Annie, a local expat resident – rounded off, naturally, with a lunch of the dishes prepared on the sun terrace of Annie’s town house.Then, the first hike of our tour takes us through the town, past windmills old and new, heading towards the Atlantic Ocean. We first pass through farming land, with views towards the coast, before a section through pine forest takes us down into the laid-back beach town of Caños de Meca. Here we will enjoy time on the beach. Taxis will take us back to Vejer in the late afternoon, where there will be time to rest before spending another evening in this picturesque town.
Todays walking: 12-14KMs Easy to Moderate

Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch

DAY 5 – GRAZALEMA

Heading inland from Vejer we will pass by another hilltop town, Arcos de la Frontera, and then begin to ascend across a terrain of limestone mountains, cork oak and pine forests into the Sierra de Grazalema National Park. On arrival we will have a guided walk in the Park on a trail known as Valle del Endrinal. Some superb views as well as exceptional flora are sure to make this a delightful walk.
Free time in Grazalema village after the walk, and time to enjoy the pool and gardens of our hotel, which is situated just above the town.

Todays walking: Loop walk 12KMs Moderate

Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 6 – GRAZALEMA AND RONDA

This morning we take a coach to the quaint railway station of Benaoján, to start todays guided hike to Ronda. In Ronda we have several hours of free time to enjoy a leisurely lunch, take photos of the deep and impressive gorge that splits the town, and take in some of the main sights, including the emblematic Plaza de Toros (bull-ring) and the 12th century Arab baths. In the late afternoon we return by coach to Grazalema and then the remainder of the day is free.
Todays walking: 13Kms Moderate

Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 7 – GRANADA via EL TORCAL

Leaving Grazalema, we drive to Granada via the plateau of El Torcal, where we will take a guided hike through the spectacular karst limestone rock formations. Afterwards, time to enjoy a picnic lunch (packed by yourselves) by a natural spring before heading onto Granada. The city of the Alhambra is our home for the next two nights, and the central location of our hotel allows you to explore with ease this attractive and historic city. This afternoon will be at your leisure until we meet again in the evening for dinner, which takes place in a gourmet food store, where we can taste local hams, cheeses, pates, preserves and of course wine.
Todays walking: 7KMs easy Loop walk

Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner (Tapas) 

DAY 8 – GRANADA

The walk this morning starts from the centre of the city and ascends above the Alhambra into woods that were formerly the hunting grounds of the Sultan and his court. It then descends to the valley of the Darro river and takes us through the unique Sacromonte district. We end in the downtown Plaza Nueva, close to our hotel.

The afternoon is free in Granada and you can choose visit the incredible Alhambra Palace*, or spend time exploring the historic centre around the Cathedral and Royal Chapel, or delve into the labyrinthine district of the Albaicín which, like the Alhambra, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tonight, there is the option to see live flamenco, in the unique setting of one of the Sacromonte cave houses.

*Please note entrance tickets for the Alhambra often sell out and must be purchased (online) as far in advance as possible. Please ask us for details.

Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 9 – TO CAPILEIRA & POQUEIRA GORGE HIKE

We journey into the mountains of the Sierra Nevada today with a visit to the Alpujarra, a hidden corner of Andalucía which shows rural life as it was lived for centuries. After checking into our hotel, we set off on a hike which descends through the Poqueira Gorge to the village of Pampaneira, from where we take the public bus back up to Capileira late afternoon. We will pack our own picnic and enjoy this with views, or head into a local bar, as the weather dictates. There are several cosy bars and good local restaurants in Capileira to choose from for this evening’s dinner.
Todays walking: 13KMs Moderate to Hard

Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 10 – CAPILEIRA & LA TAHÁ VILLAGES HIKE

After breakfast we set out on today’s guided hike – the last in our itinerary – which takes in some beautiful scenery as we trace a linear route to the village of Busquistar. This is one of several villages which trace their history back to medieval muslim times and to a grouping known as “La Tahá”. We visit a “secadero” (curing and drying factory) en route, and enjoy a slice of the delicious, cured ham along with a glass of home-made wine. You could either bring a picnic lunch (Capileira has several shops in which to buy ingredients, or the hotel can provide this for you) or we can stop at one of the bars and cafés in the villages we walk through. From Busquistar, we take a public bus back to the hotel, where you will enjoy some free time and the evening to further explore.
Todays walking: 12KMs Moderate

Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 11 – CÓRDOBA

Today’s journey is one of the longer ones, from Capileira to Córdoba is just over 3.5 hours’ drive, so we will break it with a stop in the town of Zuheros. Here we have lunch in the restaurant of the local hotel, after a short stroll through the streets, taking in views over the surrounding countryside and its extensive cultivations of olives. We arrive in the mid-afternoon into our final destination, the magnificent city of Córdoba. After leaving bags at our central hotel, we head out on a walking tour to discover this rich history. To mark the end of the tour, we invite you to drinks and tapas with your Tour Leader, after which the rest of the evening is at leisure, so why not pick one of the city’s fabulous restaurants to taste more of what Andalucía has to offer!

Meals Included: Breakfast

DAY 12 – DEPARTURE OR EXTRA NIGHTS

Today is departure day. Córdoba train station is on the high-speed AVE train line which links it to Madrid (1 h 45ms) and Barcelona (5 hrs 30ms on average). Should you wish to stay longer in Córdoba or Andalucía we would be pleased to help you with your arrangements.

Meals Included: Breakfast

TESTIMONIALS

HikingSightseeingCultural ExperiencesFood and CookingPlaneBusNature

HIGHLIGHTS

  • The illustrious cities of “Moorish Spain” – Sevilla, Granada and Córdoba
  • Quiet rural towns of Vejer, Grazalema and Capileira
  • Sampling all the good things of the Mediterranean Diet, with excellent Spanish wines
  • Sherry winery visit and exclusive visits to food producers & shops
  • Walk on the shores of the Coast of Light at the historic Cape Trafalgar
  • Explore the delightful town of Ronda which straddles a spectacular gorge
  • Spot mountain goats and Griffon vultures on walks in the Natural Parks of Grazalema and Sierra Subbética
  • Meeting the locals as you wander through whitewashed villages in the Alpujarra
  • More glorious food! – take part in Annie B’s cooking class in Vejer and enjoy lunch on her roof top terrace afterwards

DATES

Start Date End Date Availability Cost
16th Sep 2024 27th Sep 2024 AVAILABLE € 3,345
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