Welcome to Spain. This homemade hiking trip makes you discover the southern part of Andalucia, between Cadix, Malaga and Granada provinces and two incredible cities: romantic Granada and mountain-perched Ronda, bullfighting capital.
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Budget:
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Level:
For regular hikers
Duration: 8 days
Dates: March, April, May, June, September, October, November
Explore the court yards and fountains of the Alhambra in Granada.
Hike the mountain villages of the Sierra de Grazalema and Sierra de las Nieves.
Taste southern Spain’s cuisine, including delicious tapas and Andalucian gazpacho.
Welcome to Spain. This homemade trip makes you discover the southern part of Andalucia, between Cadix, Malaga and Granada provinces and two incredible cities: romantic Granada, with its extraordinary hilltop Alhambra Palace, and mountain-perched Ronda, bullfighting capital. Linking these cultural places, I’ve created a hiking journey through the quiet “pueblos blancos”, with their fascinating Iberian, Roman, and Moorish heritage.
Linking these cultural places, I’ve created a hiking journey through the quiet “pueblos blancos”, with their fascinating Iberian, Roman, and Moorish heritage. The landscapes of rural Andalucia are breathtaking and one of the best ways to appreciate their diversity and beauty is on foot.
Hike the Grazalema Natural Park and Sierra de las Nieves and discover magnificent villages with its balconies overflowing with flowers and wild trails across limestone landscapes.
Along the way, we sample delectable Andalucian cuisine, from jamón ibérico and gazpacho to tasty local wines. Live the spanish way!
Places of Interest
RONDA: One of the most dramatic town sites imaginable, Ronda is set on a towering plateau above a plunging river gorge that separates the medieval part of town from the 18th century section. The gorge is spanned by an arched stone bridge with breathtaking views. The Moors kept the soldiers of the kingdom of Castile at bay in this mountain redoubt until 1485, a few years before the reconquest of Granada. Ronda’s Moorish architecture is a striking reminder of the multilayered history of southern Spain. It was in the town’s historic bullring, built in 1785, that the costumes and culture of the sport of bullfighting were developed.
GRAZALEMA, with its red-tile roofs, whitewashed walls, and old town square, is one of the most striking and renowned of Spain’s pueblos blancos. It is also headquarters for Sierra de Grazalema National Park, a spectacular nature reserve of majestic cork oak and ancient fir trees that shelters some of Spain’s rarest flora and fauna. The park includes about a dozen of Spain’s traditional villages.
SIERRA DE GRAZALEMA: This mountain region is actually several small sierra graced with a variety of beautiful landscapes, from pastoral valleys to dense Mediterranean woodlands and perpendicular limestone cliffs. Craggy 5,000-foot summits top the park, cloaked with dense holm oak, pine, and chestnut woodlands interspersed with olive and fig groves. This is one of the greenest parts of Andalucia, with its warm Mediterranean sun, and the Sierra de Grazalema is known for its magnificent and rare forests of Spanish fir and endemic flora, including two native species of poppy and an exceptional species of thyme. Declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1977, the reserve shelters wildlife including ibex, foxes, genets, and mongoose. Europe’s largest colony of griffon vultures resides here, as well as imperial and royal eagle and osprey.
GRANADA is the capital of the province of Granada. The city is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains and Sierra Nevada Ski Station where the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1996 were held.. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres , yet is only one hour by car from the Mediterranean coast, the Costa Tropical. It’s a very romantic and dynamic city. Take time here to try different bars and restaurants, just for the pleasure to have some “tapas” with locals in a lively atmosphere.
Day 1: Meeting in Ronda
Welcome dinner and overnight in Ronda.
Depending on the schedule, we’ll have time for a short walk down the bottom of the river gorge with the sun behind us illuminating the famous ancient Roman bridge - a fantastic way to appreciate the magic of Ronda’s setting. D.
Day 2: Ronda / Montejaque / Grazalema
Up : 2 400 Ft / Down : 1 000 Ft / Hiking Time : 6h
After a short transfer, our hike starts on a four wheel drive trail in Huertas La Reala, up to Montejaque through the nice chapel of The hermitage of Spotless Conception. After the visit of this first white village and lunch, we’ll hike up to El Cabrizal pass and keep going through the fields of olive trees on a undulating trail till the fountain of “Los a lamos” where we end. A short transfer will bring us to our hotel in Grazalema. B,L,D.
Day 3: Reloj, Simancon and Charca Verde
Up : 2 500 Ft / Down : 2 500 Ft / Hiking Time : 6h00
We go for a loop today, enjoying the Natural Park of Grazalema. Starting in Grazalema village, we warm up hiking up to Puerto del Endrinal. good place to see mountain goats. We keep going up on a nice trail till Los Yedrales. From there we reach the Simancon summit (5 160 Ft) and a fantastic 360 view upon the entire region. El Reloj ( 5 065 FT), our second peak, draws up in front of us. From the top starts the downhill to Charca Verde. A nice lunch with the griffon vultures company and we’re ready to go back down to Grazalema along holm oaks and pines. Overnight in Grazalema. B,L,D.
Day 4: Grazalema / Benaocaz / Villaluenga del Rosario
Up : 1900 Ft / Down : 2 400 Ft / Hiking Time : 5h30
After reaching El Puerto de Boyar, the 3,000-foot pass above Grazalema town, our route clims in the heart of Endrinal range. We enjoy fantastic views in that remote area fefore reaching down the valley the lost white village of Benaocaz. After a good lunch we hike up to Navazo alto on a steep trail. We should be disturb only by cows and sheep… before reaching lower down the quiet village of Villaluenga del Rosario. We’ll taste the “Payoyo”, a local goat cheese. B,L,D.
Day 5: Villaluenga del Rosario / Benaojan / Ronda
Up : 1 400 Ft / Down : 2 000 Ft / Hiking Time : 5h00
It’s our last day in Grazalema Natural Park. To end up the loop, we start on an easy trail trough the holm oaks and wild pigs to reach “Los Llanos del Republicano”. A rocky single track allows us to cross “la Sierra de Libar” till a huge plain and El Libar hut. We enjoy a pic nic on the way before going trough the “Sierra del Palo” that brings us to Benaojan, our final destination. A 15 minutes transfer across the Guardiaro valley and we’re back to Ronda. Tonight dinner is on your own because you’re fed up with your guide. laugh B, L.
Day 6: El Torrecilla, Sierra de las Nieves
Up : 2 100 Ft / Down : 2 100 Ft / Hiking Time : 6h00
We leave « Sierra de Grazalema » for « Sierra de la Nieves » and El Torrecilla ascent. Torrecilla, meaning 'Small Tower', is the highest peak in Western Andalucia (6 335 Ft). This range, covering 18,530 hectares, stands on the border between the provinces of Malaga and Cadiz. In 1995 the park was declared a Biosphere reserve by UNESCO.
This is a quite challenging day on good trails through the biggest area of all Mediterranean Europe of Spanish fir (Abies Pinsapo). The views form the summit provide wide views across the “Costa del Sol” (from Gibraltar to Fuengirola), the Sierra's, rolling hills and Sierra de Grazalema. On a clear day we are about to see the African coast. Up and down on the same way. After the hike, we transfer (2 hours drive) to Granada. B,L,D.
Day 7: Granada, The Alhambra
Today we explore Granada’s legendary Alhambra Palace, one of Europe’s most romantic monuments and the most renowned example of Moorish architecture. Dating back to the Nasrid Dynasty (1238-1492), the last Islamic sultanate in the Iberian Peninsula, this fortified palace is wonderfully atmospheric, with its orange-tinted walls, massive gates, and expansive views over Granada.
The rest of the day is dedicated to Granada visit: Albayzín, the ancient Moorish quarter of the city, the different monuments, parks and shopping centers. B,L,D.
Day 8: Time to go back...
Transfer to the airport for departure on homeward-bound flights... B
B: Breakfast / L:Lunch/ D: Dinner
NB: For safety reasons, the guide may modify the trek itinerary due to terrain, weather or other conditions.
Tour leading
Creation, organization and guidance of your trip by a French State qualified trekking guide.
Hiking
The trip is rated moderate. We hike from 5 to 7 hours on most days over rolling hills, with some steep and rocky sections. You should be in good shape and wear good hiking boots. Hiking poles are recommended. You need to carry only a daypack for your camera, water bottle, lunch, gears, etc.
Driving
A private vehicle transfers your luggage between overnight accommodations. Transfers between Ronda and Sierra de la Nieves and from Ronda to Granada in a private bus.
Accommodation
Accommodations are in charming small inns or hotels. Please note that in Spain, the dinner hour is considerably later than what you usually expect. I do my best to secure early reservations for our group, but most often the evening meal will be at 9:00 PM. Although rooms are not always of uniform or international size, I always try my best to assign rooms in a fair way so that all participants experience an equal advantage throughout the trip as a whole. Single rooms can be requested but are not always available, due to the limited space in the hotels. If you require a single room, please let me know as early as possible.
Food and water
All tap water is good drinking water. The food is excellent and varied. As you can imagine we have plenty of local dishes based on meat, eggs , vegetables.On some days, we enjoy picnic lunches with local produce, breads, vegetables, and cheeses.
Breakfast (B) is mostly local made with bread, butter, jam, olive oil and tomatoes. In some places it is often continental-style buffet with the addition of cereals, fruit juices, eggs and meats.
Lunch (L) is self-made from a range of goodies we buy locally: fruits, salads, cheeses and meats. This is carried in your pack and eaten picnicstyle on the trail. Sometimes, lunch can be taken in a local cafe.
Dinner (D) is three courses at the hotels we stay at or in separated restaurants. We get to taste local cuisine and of course washed down with the local wine!
Hiking maps
Natural Park Sierra de Grazalema
Map and Guide
Escale 1:40.000
Editorial Penibetica
Natural Park Sierra de Las Nieves
Map and Guide
Escale 1:40.000
Editorial Penibetica
Maps available in Ronda and Grazalema.
Currency
Spain is part of the Euro zone. ATMs make it easy to withdraw money. Plan cash for your personal expenses in more isolated areas.
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