Cycling - A Journey through Andalucía
from Granada to Seville

Exploring the beautiful landscapes between two of Andalucía´s finest historical cities - Granada, home to the Alhambra Palace and Seville, the gateway to the New World. A backroad ride through quiet sierras designed for moderately fit cyclists. We visit landmark cities such as Ronda, Antequera, Arcos de la Frontera on this tour.

Fact File:

Trip outline:
Andalucia is perhaps best described as an area of enchanting and extraordinarily varied scenery. Travelling on horseback through Andalucia in 1750, Etienne de Silhouette described this area as "the best part of all Spain, the most fertile, the richest, in short the one in which all of Nature's gifts have been distributed". Landscapes apart, Andalucia is also one of the great melting-pots of the Mediterranean, the westernmost meeting-place of the pre-historic migrants from the Greek islands and later the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans. Later, and more significantly, came great waves of Muslim invaders - Moors and Berbers from Morocco, the last of the Omayyads from Damascus, and other Arabs from Syria. Their kingdom, "Al-Andalus", lasted over 700 years leaving a rich cultural heritage and distinctive traditions which we still see today, and on our journey we will be staying overnight in villages that have a distinctive Moorish character. Minarets of old mosques scarcely disguised as spires on baroque and gothic churches, Mudejar arches, jasmine-scented courtyards and castellated fortresses will all be explored.

Biking Profile:
Our journey here crosses Andalucia from east to west on minor roads chosen specially for their lack of traffic. We are more likely to be held up by a herd of goats jamming the narrow lanes than we are by cars! Despite the fact that we cross this region predominantly through Sierra country, the majority of the route is taken through gently rolling hills, avoiding steep c1imbs over mountain passes wherever possible. Wherever we travel the friendliness of Andalucia's rural population is never forgotten, friendly waves and greetings accompanying us on our tour through some of the very best of Andalucia's sites and scenery.

Example Itinerary:

Day 1 Arrive Malaga or Granada airport, transfer to Granada or to the Sierra Nevada National Park. Welcome drinks, tour of city, dinner.

Day 2 Sierra Nevada ride & Alazores to Archidona ride. 55km. (35km. downhill). We make a short transfer up to the Sierra Nevada ski resort and start our journey at the highest practical point on what is considered Europes highest asphalted road. See magnificent views across to Mulhacen, the Iberian peninsulas highest mountain. Enjoy a long easy descent almost 30km. downhill, possibly one of the longest descents in Europe to the Alhambra Palace. This is one of the great wonders of Islamic architecture and arguably the finest example of its kind. The fortress-palace stands high up on a hill above the city with a stunning backdrop of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains. After visiting the palace we transfer to the Pauerto Alazores mountain pass & enjoy a terrific swooping downhill ride to Villanueva before finishing off on the market town of Archidona. Choice of 3* Hotel.

Day 3 Archidona to Antequera via Fuente Piedra Nature reserve. 77km. We ride through easy rolling farmland towards Fuente de Piedra, home to Europe's largest colony of flamingoes. More than 10,000 breeding pairs live here and we will hopefully be witness to the magnificent site of these exotic birds feeding in the natural salt lake that is their home. We will stop for a picnic lunch overlooking the lake with a chance to observe the flamingoes at relatively close quarters & we will also see many other species of bird life that live here. We ride with the backdrop of the stunning Sierra de Torcal on easy roads. Medieval Antequera is regarded as one of Andalucia's architectural showpieces. After checking in to our central hotel there is an guided walking tour of the town where we will have the chance of visiting the myriad of gothic, baroque and renaissance monasteries and churches topped off with a visit to the Alcazaba, Archidonas famous fortress. Antequera has many good restaurants including it's most famous which is within the bullring - no guesses as to what's on the menu here! Choice of 2*, 3* & Parador.

Day 4 Antequera to El Chorro via Guadalcacin Lakes 47km. The scenery changes dramatically once again. We follow a remote road below the Sierra de Torcal, its towering peaks looming above us home to soaring vultures and eagles. Today we go into visual overload as we pass into the stunning lake areas of the Ardales Natural Park. Here the enormous lakes, pine forests and exotic bird life provide a fascinating background to our journey. We swim and take a picnic lunch by one of the lakes. After lunch we ride to our hotel overlooking the 'Camino del Rey' with its impossibly built path that snakes along the wall of the lirnestone gorge. We enjoy an early evening walk into the gorge itself to see the wonderful colours of the rock as the sun sets. Choice of 2 & 3* Hotels

Day 5 El Chorro to Ronda 50km. Todays ride takes us on a hill road above the waters of the crystal clear Rio Turon - a swim here on a hot day is a welcome refresher. We stop for a picnic lunch in El Burgo and then journey on to Ronda. We are on the edge of the Sierra de las Nieves, so-called because its peaks are dusted with snow throughout much of the winter. From one sierra to another as we approach one of the highlights of the tour - we cycle through the fabled Sierras de Ronda, famed for resisting both the Moors and the Christians in their time. From the Puerto del Viento it's downhill all the way to the beautiful and panoramic town of Ronda, legendary for its bull fighting, bandits and smugglers- The views are spectacular, and it is well worth spending the evening exploring the charms of Ronda's backstreets and, of course, its famous bridge spanning the gorge. Choice of 2,3,4* & Parador hotels.

Day 6 Ronda to El Bosque via Grazalema 52km. We are now entering what is considered to be one of Spain's finest wilderness areas, the Sierra de Grazalerna Nature reserve. Classified with a high conservation rating the wealth of plantlife and woodland is surprising: overhead, golden eagles, vultures and buzzards soar on the thermals, and deer bound across the roads. We stop for lunch in the pretty town of Grazalema and visit the carpet-making workshops still using old wooden looms. You may be tempted to use the support vehicle after lunch - the road twists and turns steeply up to Puerto de Boyar. The 15km downhill is a sheer joy and we stop overnight at El Bosque overlooking a delightful trout stream. Choice of Pension & 3* Hotel.

Day 7 Ride El Bosque to Arcos. Night Seville. 60km. Today's journey takes us across the watershed of the Grazalema Sierras and through the northern edge of the Alcornocales Nature Reserve, one of Europes largest forests. We follow a twisting road crossing various lakes alongside recently flooded valleys. Semi-submerged eucalyptus and palms struggle to resist the waters, the hills around studded with cork oaks. We picnic on the shores of the lake where swimming on a warm Andalucia day is a must. Arcos de la Frontera looms fortress-like on its clifftop perch. Arcos is the gateway between the sierras and the plains. We ride up into its maze-like narrow twisting streets roaming among the Moorish-inspired architecture. We finish the weeks ride with a drink on the terrace of the famous Parador with its astounding views across Grazalema & the sierras. We transfer from Arcos to Seville. We celebrate the ending of a wonderful trip with a visit to a few of Seville's many tapas bars and lively night spots. Choice of 2,3,4* Hotels.

Day 8 Tour ends after breakfast. Transfer to airport. Option of extra nights stay in Seville.

For a more detailed itinerary please contact James at discoverAndalucia.