Walking South from Granada

This vast view of mountains, valleys, villages and distant sea lay spread out like an illustration of the features of the world in a child's geography book
The English writer Gerald Brenan was perhaps Andalusia's last romantic traveller, and 'South from Granada' is one of his best known works. It deals with the landscapes and way of life in and around the Alpujarra village that was his home: Yegen. In the spirit of the writer, and with the unmistakable backdrop of one of the region's most emblematic villages, you will make a thoroughly active visit to this part of the Alpujarra. Located on the southeastern foothills of Sierra Nevada, below the San Juan peak (2,786m) and flanked by the Mecina and Valor rivers, Yegen is a high, peaceful village (at 1,000m) with mild weather. It lies between the provinces of Granada and Almería, enjoying spectacular views and allowing us to imagine the sea that lies hidden behind the Contraviesa mountains to the south. Here you will experience two or three days of true communion with the landscapes, peoples and trails of the Alpujarra.
Live the Journey: Alone, with family or friends, you will do two hikes on this tour: One is long, with wonderful views of the high Sierra, and the other is shorter, but packed with delightful spots amidst cultivated land and untouched landscapes that will let you get to know this village from every angle. Furthermore, your accommodation there will make you feel truly at home and you will sample delicious cooking. There is also the chance to visit a ham curer in Mecina Bombarón, peruse the photographs of 'El Dinamarca', a devoted lover of this village for the last 50 years, and visit the house where Brenan slept when he first came to Yegen.

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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 María.

We set out from the ancient city of Ronda (one-time home to writers like Cervantes or the Czech poet Rainer María 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 "Vía Verde" (disused mountain railway - now reconditioned for cycling) to Puerto Serrano. Then to Villamartín, 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 María provide the perfect epilogue to a journey packed with pleasures including famous wines and bright sunshine on the beaches of Cadiz Bay.

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Trekking through the Alpujarras; from Busquístar to Yegen

The Alpujarra is a region of mountain villages to the south of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, which nestle in sheltered valleys and gorges running down towards the Mediterranean Sea. Its terraced farmlands have a year-round supply of water from melting snow above, giving the area the appearance of a high-altitude oasis. Its strategic location close to the Mediterranean beside the high mountains, which are declared National Park (at high elevations) and Nature Reserve (villages were settled here) makes this region home to an authentic treasure of flora and fauna; in short, the perfect place for walking and hiking.

Culturally the area is fascinating because its fifty or so villages were the last strongholds of the Spanish Muslims. Those Moriscos (Muslim-Christian converts) who still practiced their original religion and customs in private after the fall of Granada and in 1492 took to the hills in the face of increasing pressure from the Catholics, settling in this remote, inaccessible area. These unique villages have held on to their past. You can still see traditional architecture similar to that used by the Berber tribes of North Africa: terraced clusters of square houses with flat clay and slate roofs, like those to be found in the Rif and Atlas mountains of Morocco.

Here we invite you to enjoy a week of intermediate level hiking staying in peaceful family run hotels in different villages. You will spend your first night in Granada, with its old Moorish quarter of Albayzín (UNESCO World Heritage Site). If you visit Granada, then you must visit the Alhambra (included in the tour) and the many highlights of this city: the cathedral, royal chapel, ancient streets, tapas bars, tea and coffee shops... Then you travel with public transport to the Alpujarra, you start hiking in the village Busquístar, which means hidden Moorish paradise. It is one of the best examples of typical Alpujarra architecture, especially in the use of launa (a special type of clay found in this area) in roof construction. Then you walk towards the highest village, Trevélez (1,470m), which is famous for its ham-curing. The ham acquires its unique and fine taste of clean and fresh air in the high altitude and the area's own special bio-climate during the curing process (at least one year). This ham is exported all over northern Europe and even to Japan. During your stay in the Alpujarra you will see this ham in almost every bar and you certainly will have to try it. You continue your hike giving you panoramic views over the valleys towards the village Berchules, supposedly derived from the ancient Arabic "vergel" or pasture. From there on you go to Mecina Bombarón by the ancient path through the gorge between both villages. The landscapes and colours changes as you continue walking passing the small villages El Golco and Montenegro to Yegen, with its literary heritage as the former home of the British author of "South from Granada", Gerald Brenan. Here you will spend two nights in a beautiful restored village house and have the chance to hike the Brenan Trail (the favourite stroll of the writer) and the Trail "Walk of the Health" through a beautiful gorge bordered by huge chestnut trees on your last day of hiking, before your return to Granada.

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