Andalucia Adventure Holiday

First we rendezvous with our tour leader and bus at Seville Airport and drive deep into rural Andalucia, to our first base in Castaño del Robledo village (approx. 1.5 hrs drive). After check-in we’ll enjoy a short orientation walk of the village (if the flight arrival is too late this may be offered the following day). Castaño del Robledo has around only 200 permanent inhabitants and boasts a lovely square with two tiny bars serving coffee and delicious tapas. Amidst twisting cobbled streets the whitewashed houses exhibit the typical 'serrano' architecture of the area. From Castaño there are several delightful tracks and footpaths to which at least five other nearby villages can be walked in under two hours. The hillsides around are covered with extensive forests of sweet chestnut – the main source of income for the villagers.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) in Posada Del Castaño

Today we plan to walk to the market town of Aracena. Our walk follows delightful tracks through the picturesque ‘pueblos blancos’, or white villages, of Alájar and Linares. Set in a deep valley, Alájar village is famous for the imposing 17th century shrine of Arias Montano that stands on a rocky promontory high above. An annual pilgrimage here attracts thousands of people – many on horseback or in horsedrawn carts. We continue past fields with grazing mules and horses, enjoying the smells and sounds of the countryside. From Linares we have the option to continue the last 7km to Aracena by local bus thereby allowing ourselves more time to visit the caves and explore the town. Aracena is the largest town in the region and is overlooked by an impressive 13th century Knights Templar church and ruined castle. The views from this vantage point are breathtaking. However, it is most famous for the stunning 'Cave of the Wonders' – huge underground caverns, subterranean lakes and many, many chambers exquisitely adorned with all manner of stalagmites and stalactites. It is one of the largest cave systems in Spain with 12 caverns, 6 underground lakes and a length of over 2 km. The town also has a popular Saturday market and a number of restaurants. The rest of the day is free to explore the town and visit the sights before we return to Castaño by minibus after dinner.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

To the northwest of Seville and close to Spain's border with Portugal, lies the Sierra de Aracena. The range is a remote, western outlier of the extensive Sierra Morena and the quiet, easy paced way of life here remains definitively Andalucian. The pretty, wooded hillsides support a smattering of tiny whitewashed villages with rural economies still reliant on the production of quality-cured hams, chestnuts and cork. In springtime there's an incredible profusion of wildflowers and the woodlands play host to over 85 species of birds who reside or migrate through the sierra. In summertime people take to the streets and plazas of the villages in exuberant fiestas, while in autumn the chestnut trees are ablaze with colour, the orchards are laden with fruit and the forests provide a rich harvest of delicious, wild mushrooms. We start this morning with a scenic drive to the village of Hinojales where we begin today’s cycle excursion. The drive takes us through some of the more remote areas of the Sierra and is a pleasure in itself. In Hinojales we mount our 21 speed mountain bikes and, after a safety briefing, set off for the 20km ride to the pretty village of Cortelazor. The route is almost never used by motor vehicles and crosses some of the prettiest countryside in the park. Although there are two uphill sections of approximately 3.5km each, the majority of the route is downhill on gently curving asphalt. With motorised support throughout there is the option for a limited number of participants to ride in the support vehicle on the uphill sections and, for the final uphill section to Cortelazor, there is also the option to leave your bike with the support vehicle and walk the old cobbled trail up to the village. The more energetic also have the exciting option of a further 10km on dirt tracks back to Castaño del Robledo. Those wishing to end the excursion in Cortelazor must take a taxi back to the hotel.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

Depending on your interests there is a choice of activities available today. From nearby Fuenteheridos public buses provide a regular transport service to Seville – an ideal day trip. The capital of Andalucía brims full with life and variety. It has a popular quarter in Triana and a highborn area in Santa Cruz. Ramparts dating back to the 13th century, the Alcázar, the Gold Tower and the Giralda, all remind us of earlier Moorish occupation. While the famous Alhambra Palace was being built in Granada, the Christians occupied Seville, so many buildings reflect the Mudejar style, a mixture of Moorish and Christian. Seville’s cathedral is the largest (in cubic capacity) in the world. Built in Gothic style, it also shows obvious Renaissance influences and its interior is striking in size and richness. The Alcázar is a marvellous example of Mudejar architecture. Queen Isabella constructed an extra wing here from where she controlled Spain’s expansion into the New World of the Americas. There is simply a wealth of things to see and do in Seville, from museums and the Expo (92) complex to the splendid view from the Giralda tower. Alternatively you may choose to stay in the sierra and participate in some optional horse riding – still the preferred method of travel for Andalucian farmers. The Sierra de Aracena's diverse landscape of narrow valleys and broad vistas, splashing streams, rocky mountain paths and quiet cork groves lends itself perfectly to exploration on horseback on healthy Andalucian crossbreds (all highly accustomed to the terrain and with easy-going temperaments which permit handling by riders of varying experience). The horses are fit, surefooted and responsive and are individually chosen to suit their riders. You could also revisit Aracena or perhaps enjoy a 4-hour walk to Almonaster to visit the village’s exquisite 9th century hilltop mosque – the second oldest in the entire Iberian peninsula.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we enjoy a scenic drive into Portugal via Serpa to our second centre at Mértola. We’ll keep an eye out for storks en route – many nests have been constructed atop high posts lining the road close to our border crossing. Serpa is an interesting town –ringed by an impressive 14th-century wall. We’ll enjoy a stroll through its picturesque narrow streets. Situated on the right bank of the Guadiana River, Mértola is a picturesque town set in the heart of the Natural Park of the Vale do Guadiana. A gentle stroll through the town this afternoon makes it possible to visit all of the three areas into which it has been divided (Roman, Visigothic and Islamic) and thus get to understand a little more about its past. The núcleo Romano is based at an excavation beneath the town hall, where the remains of a Roman house have been found. One of the clearest testimonies to this time is to be found in the name of the town itself, which derives from the Roman name "Myrtilis". The núcleo Visigótico is housed inside the space of an early Christian basilica and the exhibits to be found here allow us to appreciate more about Mértola during the early days of the spread of Christianity. The núcleo Islâmico contains an interesting collection of ceramic objects. Also of interest in the town is a weaver's centre, a co-operative whose main aim is to promote and preserve this activity whilst, at the same time, respecting its traditional methods and techniques. The mediaeval castle is definitely worth a visit – it stands above the town with two dominant towers. The first master-builder of the Order of Santiago built the keep in 1292.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) in Residencial Beira Rio Included meals: Breakfast

We have two full days in Mértola for activities in the Natural Park of the Vale do Guadiana. Covering an area of 69,773 hectares, the Natural Park follows the course of the Guadiana River – sometimes flowing between narrow banks on which age-old tidal mills stand; or along numerous gorges between steep slopes covered by Mediterranean scrubland. With a maximum altitude of 370m and a minimum altitude of 9m, the park has a typically Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and cold winters with little rainfall. The park has a remarkable heritage – both natural and man-made. It displays a great diversity of habitats, ranging from the tidal river, with its mud and sand banks, to rocky formations, woodland, holm-oak groves, pine groves, farmland planted with field crops and cereals, and pastureland. The diversity of flora and fauna is quite remarkable and includes some rare and endangered species. For many centuries, the Guadiana River has been an important means of communication, helping to develop the town’s commercial activity and to preserve its strategic position for the defence of the territory. On our first full day here we’ll take to the water on a canoe excursion (suitable for beginners, but you must be able to swim). Paddling double-seater fibreglass canoes we’ll spend around 3 hours (approx. 7 km) making our way downstream into Mértola. Our second day is left flexible for optional walking in the Natural Park. There is also the possibility of an optional 4x4 excursion to other places of interest around the Natural Park such as the colourful and bizarre landscape of the historical mine site at Sao Domingos and the spectacular waterfall of Pulo de Lobo (literally Wolf’s Leap) where the entire flow of the Guadiana river is constricted into 2m gap before tumbling over impressive rock formations.

Overnight Standard Hotel (H+) Included meals: Breakfast

A final bus transfer (approx. 3.5hrs) takes us back to Seville Airport, where our trip ends.

Included meals: Breakfast