Itinerary Details
MT Sobek: Best of Southern Spain Hiking
Day 1 Arrive in Granada
Welcome to Spain! Arrive in Granada and meet your guides at the train station or airport. Transfer to your hotel, and enjoy some down time before meeting the group for an orientation and welcome dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel Alhambra Palace
(D)
Day 2 Visit the Enchanting Alhambra
3.5 hours walking tours
Rise for an unforgettable half-day tour of the magnificent UNESCO-listed Alhambra palace complex, towering over Granada. Originally constructed as a fortress in 889 AD and converted into a palace in 1333 by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada, the Alhambra ("red or crimson castle") exhibits Spain's most remarkable Islamic architecture. Explore the beautiful Generalife gardens and take in the stunning panoramic views before a sumptuous lunch at a traditional restaurant nearby. Later, take an early evening stroll around the splendid medieval streets of Granada's Albayzin to the Sacromonte, where we enjoy dinner and end the day with a vibrant flamenco performance.
Accommodation: Hotel Alhambra Palace
(B, L, D)
Day 3 Head to Las Alpujarras & Hike in the Sierra Mecina
2-hour private van transfer
5 hours/4.5 miles hiking with 2,450'-820' elevation gain and loss
Depart from Granada this morning and transfer to the picturesque region of Las Alpujarras, located in the Sierra Nevada — Spain's highest mountain chain and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Check into your hotel in the charming white stone mountain town of Capileira and then set out for an afternoon hike. Follow scenic trails in the area's lush valleys, passing delightful villages along the way, and warm up those legs for tomorrow's summit challenge.
Accommodation: Hotel Rural Finca Los Llanos
(B, L, D)
Day 4 Hike the Sierra Nevada & Summit Mulhacen
6-10 hours/9-13 miles hiking with 2,600'-4,300' elevation gain and loss depending on conditions
It's summit bid day and your chance to hike to the top of Mulhacen (11,420') — the highest peak on the Iberian Peninsula! Follow rugged trails on a steady uphill hike that is well worth the effort. The reward? Epic views of the Sierra Nevada massif, Granada to the north, and the Mediterranean and Africa's coast to the south. For those not wanting to hike to Mulhacen there will be an option of a somewhat less strenuous hike to the Poqueira mountain refuge (6-7 hours/9.5 miles hiking with 1,150'-5,250' elevation gain and loss.)
Accommodation: Hotel Rural Finca Los Llanos
(B, L, D)
Day 5 Drive to Cazorla & Stay in a Parador
4-hour private van transfer
4.5 hours/5 miles hiking with 1,800'-650' elevation gain and loss
After breakfast, travel north to the region of Jaen and Parque Natural de las Sierras de Segura y Cazorla, the largest protected area in Spain and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Enjoy a picnic lunch before setting off on an afternoon hike in the little-visited eastern part of the park where wildlife abounds. Keep an eye out for ibex, fallow and red deer, wild boar, mouflon (wild sheep), and raptors soaring overhead in the 6,000-foot peaks.
Accommodation: Parador de Cazorla
(B, L, D)
Day 6 Spectacular Rio Borosa Hike
6 hours/8 miles hiking with 400'-2,300' elevation gain and loss
Today you'll enjoy a classic hike in the Sierra de Cazorla's hauntingly beautiful karst mountain landscape. The trail follows the Rio Borosa upstream through exquisite valley and mountain scenery, via a narrow gorge, and past two deep-blue mountain lakes. Eventually you'll reach the source of the Borosa River, welling out from under a rock! Be awed by Cazorla's dramatic scenery and limestone pinnacles.
Accommodation: Parador de Cazorla
(B, L, D)
Day 7 Journey to Cordoba
2 private van transfer
Leave Cazorla in the morning and travel west towards Cordoba, once the largest city in Roman Spain and the heart of the Western Islamic Empire for three centuries. Cordoba offers a wealth of fine buildings, churches and monuments, but the highlight of your walk through the city is La Mezquita. Founded in 785, this Great Mosque is the grandest and most beautiful mosque ever constructed by the Moors in Spain. After a walk through the Old Quarter and the Jewish Quarter, have some free time before a festive farewell dinner tonight. After dinner, perhaps take a stroll along the Cordoba Roman Bridge.
Accommodation: NH Collection Amistad Cordoba
(B, L, D)
Day 8 Depart from Cordoba
10-minutes private van transfer
Bid farewell to Spain. After breakfast, transfer to Cordoba's train station for your onward journey.
Accommodation: NH Collection Amistad Cordoba
(B)
