Spain | Colours of Andalucia
Andalucia's rich and fascinating culture is one of the most exciting and distinctive in all of Spain. This area was deeply influenced by more than half a millennium of Muslim rule during the Middle Ages, and this special walking tour takes you through a magnificent tapestry of people, architecture, landscape and cuisine. This is where bullfighters, beaches, flamenco, white towns, ancient palaces, tiny villages, religious processions, Picasso, tapas and sherry converge in a colourful procession of culture that is both charming and somewhat addictive.
| Duration: | 15 Days |
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| Tour Code: | ITW642 |
| Trip Style: | Superior - 4 star |
| Departure Dates: | 17 Apr 2012, 13 Oct 2012 |
| Price: | $6,980 |
| Places you'll visit: |
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| Highlights: |
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Ideal for Solo Travellers
This small-group tour combines active travel with fabulous food and wine - and is suitable for solo travellers. You have the chance to slow down and acquaint yourself with the people, culture and natural beauty of the area you are travelling in, and you will be travelling with like minded people.
Trip Details
GROUP SIZE: 12 max.
We explore the heart of southern Spain, getting a taste for its important cities such as its capital Seville and the Moorish cities of Córdoba and Granada. We spend time walking through some of its smaller villages and ‘white towns' to meet the locals and experience its natural beauty, such as the Grazalema Natural Park declared Reserve of the Biosphere by the UNESCO. The Muslims rulers established universities and brought together the greatest achievements of all of the civilisations they had encountered. We see their stunning legacies, such as the amazing Alhambra in Granada, the Mezquita in Córdoba and the Reales Alcázares in Seville.
We savour authentic Andalusian cuisine, such as gazpacho, pescaito frito (fried fish), jamón from Trevélez, and some of the best tapas in Spain . And of course, indulge in the wines and sherries of the Jerez region and take a guided tour of the famous Hidalgo La Gitana in Sanlucar to taste the distinctive and famous Manzanilla sherry. We stay in a range of beautiful accommodation from converted palaces to a stunning Andalucian Cortijo (farmhouse).
If you're up for a special cultural experience and haven't yet caught your first glimpse of the Sierra Nevada or wandered through the splendour of the magnificent Alhambra, then this tour is waiting for you to kick your walking boots and flamenco heels up high.
DETAILED ITINERARY
Key: (B) Breakfast (L) Lunch (D) Dinner (W) Wine
Day 1
Meet in Madrid and transfer by fast train to Seville or meet in Seville. All the romantic images of Andalucía with its fiestas, flamenco, bullfights, brightly coloured houses and stunning Moorish architecture spring vividly to life in Seville. It is Spain's 4th largest city and the capital of Andalucía and is considered to be the perfect synthesis of the Christian and Islamic cultures. Seville is a city that has perfected the art of enjoyment and one can't help but be part of this.
After settling into our beautiful hotel in the Barrio de Santa Cruz, Seville's old Jewish Quarter, we take a guided tour of the city with Fran our local guide. We will visit the Gothic Cathedral famous for its beautiful 12th century minaret -La Giralda- symbol of the city; the Alcazar - royal residence of both Muslim and Christian monarchs since the 12th century; the Moorish Tower of Gold by the famous Guadalquivir River, through which all the gold and riches from the Americas came to the Old World; and the Moorish and Jewish quarters of Santa Cruz, a true oasis of white-washed houses in narrow winding cobblestone streets linked by small quaint plazas with their trickling fountains and orange trees: a quiet medieval village in the middle of this large lively city.
We experience our first taste of the spirited atmosphere of this fun-loving city at a favourite bar where we enjoy tapas and a glass of wine. Dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight Hotel Las Casa de la Juderia (4-star), Seville (DW)
Day 2
Seville. Free day to visit and enjoy the city. We meet at a local restaurant for dinner followed by a late night flamenco performances at a small bar in the Santa Cruz district. Overnight Hotel Las Casa de la Juderia (4-star), Seville. (BD)
Day 3
Today we depart Seville by our private bus for the beautiful seaside fishing village of Sanlucar de Barrameda. Columbus sailed from Sanlucar in 1498 on his third voyage to the Americas and twenty year later Magellan began his circumnavigation of the world from here. This unspoilt fishing town is also the home of the world renowned Manzanilla sherry and is the jumping off point for the Donana National Park a UNESCO world heritage site and ranked among Europe's greatest wetlands. We take a boat ride up the Rio Guadalquivir to visit the National Park and hopefully catch a glimpse of the deer, flamingo, Imperial Eagle or rare Spanish lynx that inhabit this unique park.
In the late afternoon we are privileged to take a private guided tour of the impressive Hidalgo La Gitana Bodega where the Hidalgo family have made their celebrated sherries for the world market since the 18th century. Overnight Hotel Posada de Palacio (3-star), Sanlucar de Barrameda. (B)
Day 4 - Walking 12 km, 4hours.
We depart Sanlucar and head for the magnificent Sierra de Grazalemas. But first we make a detour to the quintessential Andalucía white town of Arcos de la Frontera. Situated on top of a promontory dominating the large Andalucían plains, Arcos is the archetype of the white towns with its labyrinth old quarter climbing dramatically up to its medieval castle. We take a coffee break and have time to explore this stunning town.
From Arcos we drive west towards the spectacular Sierra de Grazalema. This 517 square kilometre Natural Park is one of Andalucía's most beautiful and greenest sierras. The landscape ranges from pastoral river valleys and whites washed villages to precipitous gorges, dense Mediterranean woodlands and rocky summits. It is one of the last habitats for the rare fir tree Abies pinsapo and also home to ibex, griffon vultures and many other birds of prey. In the Middle Ages this area was part of the borderland between the Muslim Kingdom of Granada and the Christian Kingdom of Castile and is therefore steeped in history and legend.
The township of Grazalema where we make our base for the next two nights is the prettiest pueblo's blancos in the region. Its steep cobbled streets are lined with whitewashed houses with black wrought iron window grills and colourful flower boxes.
Our walk today is from Grazalema to Benaocaz via what is known as the Goatherd's Leap. This is a very beautiful walk which offers wonderful views all along the route. Through forests of holm and gall oaks and valleys dotted with wild olive trees, we head towards a huge solitary rock cut in half by an ancient fault, where vultures nest and are observed hovering above us. Overnight Hotel Puerta de la Villa (4-star), Grazalema. (BLD)
Day 5 - Walking 11 kms, 4 hours.
Today we walk the beautiful Pinsapar route. This is the classic route of the Grazalema Sierra, as it takes you through the heart of the Pinsapo forest, one of the few remaining stands of these beautiful pine trees. The walk starts with a steep climb but it soon reaches its highest point offering marvellous views over the pinsapo forest, and over villages, valleys and farmlands and various mountain formations.
In the afternoon we drive to Zahara de la Sierra. The views of this white town as one approaches it from the winding country road are stunning. Zahara de la Sierra, perched on a hilltop and dating back to Moorish times, was once described by Richard Ford, the romantic British traveller, as a "Moorish eagle's nest". Overnight Hotel Puerta de la Villa (4-star), Grazalema. (BL)
Day 6 - Walking 20 kms, 6 hours.
This morning we leave Grazalema and transfer to the start of our walk which will take us along a "Via Verde" or Green Line, which is a path that runs along what used to be an old train line and has now been converted to a beautiful track for walkers and cyclists. The track runs along river banks and passes one of the main vulture reserves in Europe. This a delightful and peaceful walk with rolling hills, the occasional illuminated tunnel and quaint old stations now converted to restaurants, hotels or visitors' centres.
At the end of our walk we transfer to the town of Ronda which will be our base for the next 2 nights. Ronda is one of the most spectacularly located cities in Spain sitting on a massive rocky outcrop straddling a precipitous limestone gorge, El Tajo. It is also one of Spain's oldest towns with its old centre dating back to Islamic times when it was an important cultural and trading centre of Al Andalus. Because of its impregnable position it was one of the last Moorish bastions finally falling to the Christians in 1485. Ronda's Plaza de Toros is one of the oldest and most famous bullrings in Spain dating back to 1785. Overnight Hotel Montelirio (4-star), Ronda. (BL)
Day 7 - Walking 11km, 4 hours.
This morning we have time to wander around this beautiful town, visit its impressive Bullring and relax with a coffee in one of the squares.
After an early lunch we walk a route in the Serrania de Ronda linking the villages of Igualeja, Parauta, Cartajima and ending in Juzcar. This walk take us through one of Spain's largest chestnut forests, large patches of holm oaks and walnuts, and also willows and poplars along the streams and meandering paths. We catch a glimpse of Spanish country life, in its most peaceful and idyllic form, as we cross several small farms where we can see people working the fields or harvesting the chestnuts or the walnuts depending on the season. Overnight Hotel Montelirio (4-star), Ronda. (BLD)
Day 8 - Walking 5 km, 2 hours.
Transfer to El Torcal de Antequera. This is one of Europe's most impressive and spectacular
karstic landscapes. The whole area is a collection of calcareous boulders of irregular and capricious shapes, like huge mushrooms or petrified stacks of flying saucers, that can reach a height of 1300 metres. It's very unique landscape has been the stage of many a science fiction film. We enjoy a short walk in this mosaic type landscape before settling into our stunning Cortijo, which is now a lovely hotel, almost adjacent to El Torcal.
Our Cortijo was once a typical Andalucían farmhouse, comprising both the homes of the landowners and the farmers, as well as the farming premises, all grouped around a large inner courtyard. They typically have whitewashed walls with a large entrance door, windows with wrought iron bars and ceramic detailing. Overnight at La Posada del Torcal (3-star), Torcal (BD)
Day 9
Today we head to Sierra de las Alpujarras at the foot of the Sierra Nevada via the beautiful white towns of Frigiliana and Salobreña on the Costa del Sol. Both Frigiliana and Salobreña are the perfect picture postcard Andalucían villages of narrow cobblestone streets and typical whitewashed houses, their balconies and terraces overflowing with colourful flowers. There are intriguing little niches and archways, and breathtaking vistas of hillsides covered with orchards and olive trees. The village of Salobreña, crowned by its Arab fortress, enjoys stunning vistas across the Mediterranean.
Although the Costa del Sol is Europe's number one "Sun and Beach" tourism destination, it surprisingly still gives shelter to a number of small secluded beaches named "calas" or coves. So, weather permitting, since the Costa del Sol boasts of having the greatest number of sunny days per year in all of Europe, we may have a chance to take a dip in one of these solitary beaches.
We arrive to the Alpujarras late in the afternoon. The Alpujarras is a very mountainous region situated on the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The uniqueness of this area is its geographical position at the foot of the Mulhacen (over 3,400 metres) where a continuous range of peaks oriented towards the South, protects an immense variety of vegetation in typical terrace formation along the mountain slopes. Its sheltered position, defended by the bulwarks of Sierra Nevada has, historically, made this region Andalucía's last bastion against invasions. For this reason the area has managed to retain its distinctive and authentic culture despite the passing of time. Overnight in Hotel Finca Los Llanos (3-star), Capileira. (BLD)
Day 10 - Walking 12 km, 4 hours.
Today we walk the Route of the White villages. This circuit takes in three exceptionally pretty villages and one of the loveliest reaches of the mighty Poqueira Gorge. The European Council has declared this an area of historical and artistic interest and a fine example of popular architecture. The three whitewashed villages are set in a splendid landscape of terraced slopes, sprinkled with poplar, chestnut, oak and holm oak groves, with the mighty Sierra Nevada looming above.
Late afternoon we transfer to Granada. Overnight Hotel Palacio de los Navas (3-star), Granada. (BL)
Day 11
Granada was founded before the Romans, but it was the Nazari king, Mohammed I, who in 1241, transformed it into a great city and the capital of his kingdom. His successors promoted culture and built fortresses and palaces, the first Muslim western university, mosques and other monuments. After its conquest in 1492, the Catholic monarchs and Charles I built great palaces, churches and civil buildings, superimposing the Christian culture of the day onto the Arabic one, creating a unique city admired today as the great synthesis or meeting of the Eastern and Western civilizations. To all of this, we have to add the beauty of its landscape, with the almost perpetual snows covering Spain's highest peaks as the backdrop, and the cultivated plains at its feet.
The most visible and famous monument is undoubtedly the Alhambra, a fortress containing palaces and gardens, built in the 13th and 14th centuries by the Nazari kings. It is situated on a hill and surrounded by forests. Another area well worth exploring is the Moorish Quarter of the Albaicin, situated on the slopes of the hill opposite the Alhambra. As we reach the high point of this fascinating area. The views across to the Alhambra are simply stunning.
In the centre of the city stands the great Cathedral and adjacent church where the Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand are buried together with their daughter Juana la Loca (Joan the Mad) and her husband Philip the Fair. The Moroccan market with its very narrow streets cramped with all kinds of Moorish goods from clothes to beautiful carpets and brick-a-brack is another of the cities highlights.
Our local guide will take us on a fantastic walking tour of the highlights of this magnificent city. Tonight we dine in a beautiful restaurant overlooking the Alhambra and for those who are ready to party on we wander through the old Islamic quarter to seek out a late night bar to take in some authentic flamenco. Overnight Hotel Palacio de los Navas (3-star), Granada. (BD)
Day 12 - Walking 10 km, 4 hours.
After breakfast we transfer to Zuheros in the Subbetica Natural Park. Zuheros is a white village, in the province of Cordoba, surrounded by mountains and immersed in a sea of olive trees and hollowed rocks. It is above all, a village of Islamic past; a labyrinth of streets arranged almost in a circular fashion. And away from this network of streets and alleys, our attention is driven towards its Arabic castle, standing sentinel on top of a high sturdy crag on one edge of the village.
Our walk today is in the small gorge of the Subbetica Park: the canyon of the Bailon River. Our route leaves from the village as we ascend to a "Mirador", or lookout where we can see the river canyon we will be traversing below us. We continue our walk among olive and almond trees where it is hard to imagine the great difficulty of cultivating in such an abrupt and steep terrain. We may encounter the occasional farmer with his donkey still faithful to a trade one would think long gone.
After crossing the river, we walk among oleanders, and fig trees before reaching a number of caves, many of them bearing evidence of having been inhabited in prehistoric times; but the most famous one is the so called Friar's Cave, guarded by a stone friar. Towards the end of our walk, we come to the impressive view of Zuheros looming in the distance between the two huge rocky massifs which make up the walls of the canyon. Overnight Zuheros. (BD)
Day 13
Cordoba's was an important Roman city and hence the Roman bridge - which was part of the Via Augusta - still spans the Guadalquivir River. But today Cordoba is more famous for its fabulous Arabic past, when the Muslims established the capital of the Spanish caliphate - the caliphate of Cordoba in 756 AD.
The great Mosque is the most characteristic and outstanding monument of this period. It was founded in the 8th century and then successive additions were built over the years, as the city grew and more space was needed. It is now in fact the second largest Mosque in the world after the Kaaba in Meca. As all mosques, it contains a large courtyard or sahn with a fountain in the middle, today called the "Orange Tree Patio". The beauty of the construction is harmonized by its graceful "forest" of columns, with their splendid capitals and double horseshoe and half pointed arches, conferring the building a very unique character.
Other important monuments in Cordoba are the Alcazar of the Christian monarchs, a 14th century fortressed palace, the 15th century Calahorra towers, and its Mozarabic and Romanesque-Gothic churches. But the best way to savour this city is to wander the streets of the old Jewish quarter, lingering in its cosy plazas with their peaceful fountains, and along the white narrow streets with their balconies filled with carnations, and peeking into the beautiful inner courtyards of the houses, with their fountain and colourful tiles and flowers.
We visit the Mezquita (mosque) followed by free time for people to explore the city or relax at the arab baths, Hammam Banos Arabes for a few hours. Overnight NH Amistad de Cordoba (4-star), Cordoba. (B)
Day 14
Today we make an early start for our return trip to Madrid via Toledo where we break our return journey to explore this magnificent city - once considered the spiritual capital of Spain.
Perched on the top of a rocky outcrop with steep ochre coloured hills on either side, Toledo still retains some of this mysticism. Inhabited since pre historic times, as a Roman city settlement in 192 BC and later capital for the Visigoth, the city was developed even further as a great centre of religion and learning by the Muslims. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986 for its extensive cultural and monumental heritage as one of the former capitals of the Spanish Empire and place of coexistence of Christian, Jewish and Moorish cultures.
Many famous people and artists were born or lived in this city, including Garcilaso de la Vega, Alfonso X and El Greco, and it was the place of important historic events such as the Visigothic Councils of Toledo. Overnight Hostal del Cardenal (3-star), Toledo. (BLD)
Day 15
Transfer to Madrid (B) End of tour.
ACTIVITY LEVEL: MODERATE
These walks involve up to 5 hours walking per day at an easy to moderate pace with some ascents and descents. You will need a good level of fitness for these walks.
Inclusions
- All land and water travel from Madrid and return
- Exclusive and handpicked hotel accommodation with breakfast for 14 nights
- Lunch and dinner at authentic bars and restaurants where indicated (L) (D)
- Entrance and tour fees for galleries and city tours
- Guided walks ranging from 1-6 hours per day
Terms & Conditions
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For more information, availability and pricing and options, please contact our expert travel specialists at Inspired Travel Worldwide on (02) 9449 8598 or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.
