HIKING IN HIDDEN ANDALUCIA
Discovering the Mountains & Valleys of the Alpujarras
This walking holiday takes you to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and to the range of mountains and valleys known as the Alpujarras. The area is of outstanding natural beauty and ecological diversity, and it is not hard to imagine that seven hundred years ago this was the fabled promised land of the Moors.
When the Moors settled here, they brought their engineering skills with them. 500 years after their departure, we can still admire, and walk along, the elaborate systems of acequias (aqueducts). These bring water from the high mountain torrents to irrigate the terraced fields of the Alpujarras. The Moorish heritage is also evident in the narrow winding streets and Moroccan style flat roofs with protruding chimneys, reminiscent of the villages in the High Atlas. Typically Andalucian, are the dazzling whitewashed walls and flower-bedecked balconies, often in autumn festooned with drying red peppers. Tiny villages are linked by a network of ancient Camino Reales, centuries old pathways kept open by royal decree and which are still used to this day by the mules taking farmers to their work. The Mediterranean glistens only 20 miles to the south whilst the magnificent towering and often snow-capped heights of the Sierra Nevada peer down on the astonishingly fertile terraces from almost 8,000 feet above. You will stay in a beautifully restored village house with gardens and
dip pool Your hosts David and Emma have lived in the village for many years
now and provide delicious local food cooked by their chef Sole. They will
be happy to show you round their own organic finca as well as take you for
an impromptu visit to the village olive mill or the beautifully restored
local church of Jubar. As you trek from inn to inn en-route you stay in
family run hotels chosen for their atmosphere and views before returning to
Mairena for either another walk or a chance to join in the activity on
offer that day such as impromptu cookery demonstration, visit to the local
bodega or to the house of the local weaver/silk producer.
Whatever your expectations, this tour will enchant anyone who enjoys outdoor life and wishes to holiday in an area still virtually untouched by tourism and to experience the magic of real Spain. The tour begins and ends at Mairena, the ‘Balcony of the Alpujarras’, one of the many typical whitewashed villages, set high up at the eastern end of the Sierra Nevada, with spectacular views down to the Mediterranean. Meanwhile for the ambitious walker there are opportunities to ascend subsidiary peaks of the Sierra Nevada range such as Penabon (2200m) and Morron (2730m).
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Your Accommodation
7
nights/8 days - In Mairena you stay for 3 nights in a restored village house with gardens and pool. The house is furnished throughout with local antiques, each bedroom enjoys spectacular views from its balcony. Dinner is served on a candlelit terrace or by an olive wood fire in winter.
At Yegen you stay in an atmospheric unclassified rustic hotel typical of the region with a small pool. At
Berchules (2 nights) your accommodation is a small family run
2* hotel which also boasts a swimming pool and is renowned for its restaurant and local specialities, such as partridge in picante sauce. At
Trevelez, which claims to be the highest village in Spain and is famous for its cured hams and spring waters, you stay at a small but comfortable pension which is family run, nestled in the back streets of the upper part of the village.
Sherpa Notes
Waymarking
Apart from some sections along the GR7 trail which is waymarked, much of the route is not well marked.
It is often necessary to pay close attention to the detailed maps and to our route notes.
Accommodation
and Meals
3 nights full board, 1 night dinner, bed and breakfast and 3 nights bed and breakfast. All rooms are ensuite
Travel
via Air: British Airways flights Heathrow to Malaga. from there take the
airport shuttle bus to Malaga then bus to Granada. Approx 2 hours
and Euros 12 per person each way (approx). Alternatively you can use
low cost airlines to Almeria and private transfer through to Mairena.
The tour ends at Mairena. Transfers between Mairena and Granada or
Almeria, included in tour cost.
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vacations
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