White Villages Tour

Summary and Technical information

Type of tour:

Bike-self guided

Price FROM:

795 euros

Duration days/nights:

8 days/ 7 nights

Difficulty:

Facil

Departure/arrival:

Ronda-Puerto de Santa Mar�a

Minimal group size:

2 travellers

White Villages Tour

Between the provinces of Malaga and Cadiz, set in dreamy landscapes of interwoven peaks and valleys, you will find the "Pueblos Blancos" (White Villages) of the Ronda and Grazalema Mountains. These villages constitute gems of popular Andalusian architecture, lodged between the deep green of their valleys and the rocky grey of the mountains. Discover a region and a people forged over the ages in these idyllic, hidden spots.

This gentle Pueblos Blancos route (mainly on quiet country roads) will lead us to the heart of the region, dropping down from the lofty heights of the Ronda Mountains towards the plains of Cadiz to come to rest on the coast, in Puerto de Santa Mar�a.

We set out from the ancient city of Ronda (one-time home to writers like Cervantes or the Czech poet Rainer Mar�a Rilke) with its gorge, mountains, and famous bullring (Spain's oldest). From here we will discover many of the "Pueblos Blancos": Arriate, Setenil de las Bodegas, Torre Alhaquime, Olvera. From there we take the old "V�a Verde" (disused mountain railway - now reconditioned for cycling) to Puerto Serrano. Then to Villamart�n, Bornos and finally Arcos de la Frontera, a whitewashed farmstead set into an impenetrable peak above the Guadalete River, a splendid viewpoint over the Jerez countryside. Jerez de la Frontera and Puerto de Santa Mar�a provide the perfect epilogue to a journey packed with pleasures including famous wines and bright sunshine on the beaches of Cadiz Bay.

Photos of this tour

Bell tower of Santa Mar�a's Church in Arcos

Good breakfast at the Old Railway Station of Villamart�n

Leaving Ronda with its New Bridge as an impressive backdrop

An old railway station now converted into a nice hotel

Riding on a cycle path alongside the Cadiz Bay

Travel services

ACCOMMODATION WITH BREAKFAST	7 d�as	Incluided €
Accommodation in double room with en-suite facilities in quality and charming hotels, country lodges or guesthouses, including breakfast with: fruit juice, coffee, tea or hot chocolate, toast, fresh fruit or yoghurt.
MOUNTAIN BIKE HIRE	1 units.	Incluided €
Rental of GIANT TERRAGO ALUXX F/S 3 mountain bike. Includes delivery of bike within Granada. Does not include insurance against theft, loss or damage, which are the renter's responsibility.
INFORMATION ON THE TRIP	1 units.	Incluided €
Full information on cycling or hiking with us will be provided (cultural and useful details). For self-guided tours, maps & terrain guides or descriptions are also included.
TELEPHONE HELPLINE	8 d�as	Incluided €
This is comprised of one or more telephone numbers that the traveller may call between 9 am and 7 pm to obtain complementary information or to request help of any type that may be available en route at that time. This telephone number will be operated by employees or collaborators of the company, with sufficient knowledge of the route in question and who are capacitated to organise support for the traveller(s). In the case of requiring said support, the traveller will be responsible for the cost implied by organising such support (4X4 vehicle or taxi to pick up traveller(s), etc.)
LUGGAGE TRANSPORT	1 units.	Incluided €
Optional service for self-guided tours. This service consists of transport of the traveller's luggage between the accommodation at the end of one stage to that of the next, within an itinerary offered by Otros Caminos S.L.. The traveller should have his/her luggage ready for collection before 9 am at the accommodation (reception area) from where the stage begins, and Otros Caminos will have the luggage ready in the following accommodation as specified in the itinerary by 4 pm of the same day.
SUPPLEMENT FOR SINGLE OCCUPATION	7 night	Optional
Supplementary charge for reservation of single rooms or double rooms for single occupation at accommodation included on Otros Caminos tours.
TRANSFER TO OR FROM AIRPORT	2 units.	Optional
Optional transfer organised from airport to departure point of tour or from finishing point to airport. Price depends on amount of people using this transfer.

Map of the route

Itinerary

Stage1	Begin	end	Lenght(km)
lot:	Ronda	Ronda	0
Arrive Ronda: Whether you come by bus, train or car, you should try to get to this fabulous town as early as possible

Stage2	Begin	end	Lenght(km)
lot:	Ronda	Ronda	18
Ronda, circular route:To try out the bikes and enjoy Ronda's beautiful surroundings we do a short route to the small village Benaoj�n. We arrive at the Cueva de Gato, a beautiful spot to have a picnic, and continue to the train station of Benaoj�n where we can take a drink in the bar STOP before taking the train back to Ronda.

Stage3	Begin	end	Lenght(km)
lot:	Ronda	Olvera	36
Ronda-Olvera: We leave Ronda heading northwards and make for Setenil de las Bodegas, one of Andalusia's most surprising villages, a focal point of the C�diz mountains white villages route. The people here made use of the gorge to build their houses. It is one of the finest examples of this type of architecture, which instead of excavating into the rock simply makes use of natural overhang, with the houses developed laterally along the rock face. Lose yourself in the village's intimate corners and tapas bars... We then follow the Trejo River and soon see the village of Olvera in the distance, with its typical church and 12th Century castle atop a hill.

Stage4	Begin	end	Lenght(km)
lot:	Olvera	Villamart�n	53
Olvera-Villamart�n: Olvera was originally to have been a stop on the Jerez-Malaga train line, but the line was never completed and the village went back to its business of producing olive oil. Eventually, new roads removed the need for a railway; now the railway has been given a new lease of life as one of the first V�as Verdes, or greenways (old re-conditioned railway lines), in Spain. We cycle for 36 km along this greenway (no cars), passing the Pe�on de Zaframag�n (Nature reserve with one of Europes' largest colonies of vultures). We pass through many tunnels (up to 30) - some up to 1 km in length - where lights come on automatically as soon as we enter! We follow the Guadalete River as far as Puerto Serrano, where the greenway finishes and from there we take quiet country roads through sunflower fields to the white village of Villamart�n. There we sleep in an old railway station, now a nice 3-star hotel, just outside Villamart�n.

Stage5	Begin	end	Lenght(km)
lot:	Villamart�n	Arcos de la Frontera	39
Villamart�n-Arcos de la Frontera: We leave the hotel and follow a narrow country lane, almost a cycle lane, surrounded by gentle rolling hills covered in sunflowers to get to the village of Bornos, nestled beside the reservoir that shares its name. After a short stop in the village, we continue along a country lane beside a canal (prohibited to cars, so no traffic) to get to Arcos de la Frontera. This town is situated on cliffs high above a meander in the River Guadalete. This is a typical defensive hill village with cobbled streets leading up to a castle, built in the 15th Century on Moorish foundations. The view from the castle and village is staggering.

Stage6	Begin	end	Lenght(km)
lot:	Arcos de la Frontera	el Puerto de Santa Mar�a	24
Arcos de la Frontera-Jerez-El Puerto de Santa Mar�a:Today we go by bus to Jerez de la Frontera, where we first can visit one of the many sherry bodegas, before getting on our bikes for a short tour between the sherry-vineyards to El Puerto de Santa Mar�a, where we will be able discover an authentic Andalusia, enjoy its beaches and promenades, taste its wines, tapas and famous seafood�

Stage7	Begin	end	Lenght(km)
lot:	el Puerto de Santa Mar�a	el Puerto de Santa Mar�a	28
El Puerto de Santa Mar�a- El Puerto de Santa Mar�a: The last route is a short and almost flat route through the Bah�a de C�diz: we cycle around 28 km, completely on the flat, passing marshes, salt-flats and Mediterranean pine forests to end up on a beach with the finest of sands� You still have time to enjoy some of the many delights of El Puerto de Santa Mar�a. Or, if you wish you can go to C�diz and discover this delightful city.

Stage8	Begin	end	Lenght(km)
lot:	el Puerto de Santa Mar�a	el Puerto de Santa Mar�a	0
End of the trip.

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