dossier
Hidden Andalucia
Travel Information
Arrival: Flights viaMadrid or Barcelona to Granada; then road transfer (c.2 hours; included in tourprice) to Mairena. Time of this transfer will be confirmed with you on anindividual basis, however the normal pick up time is around 6pm. The transfer from Granada to Mairena takesapprox 1.5 hours by road.
Alternatively, flight to Malaga. Take a taxi to Malaga bus station (bus operates every hour on the hour)to Granada. Journey time is 1.5 hours.
Alternatively, flight to Almeria. Then a bus from Almeria to Berja, whereyou will be met and transferred to Mairena. We can organize a free transfer from Almeria to Mairena, time to beconfirmed on an individual basis, however, normally around 6 pm.
End of Tour: Flights fromGranada via Madrid or Barcelona to North America. For all customers the transfer from Mairena back to Granada orAlmeria airport is included in the tour.
Level of Difficulty
The tour is graded moderate; the terrain is not difficult but thereare some long ascents and descents. This self-guided tour is not available to single travelers.
Fitness: The walking should present no difficulty to anyone in goodgeneral health who is accustomed to hiking.
Waymarks: The itinerary follows well-used footpaths, mule tracks, unsurfacedforest roads and occasional short stretches of tarmac roads. Signposting ispoor and there are few waymarks apart from the GR7 long distance trail. It isnecessary to be able to use a 1:25,000 topographic map (same scale and similardegree of detail as on UK OS Pathfinder maps) in conjunction with our speciallyresearched and written route notes. GPS maps will be available in 2007 from ourlocal agents on arrival.
Accommodation & Meals
7 nights bed and breakfast, together with 4 evening meals (of which3 are at Mairena and 1 in Yegen) and 3 packed/picnic lunches in Mairena. On other days evening meals and picnic lunchmaterials can readily be obtained locally.
Night1: Mairena. A renovated andmodernized village house with a garden and pool. David & Emma your hosts offer a real personal touch toeveryone’s holiday. From bookingtickets for the Alhambra Palace in Granada to even taking clients out on localwalks or to see the olive mill and local watering system etc. The house is furnished throughout with localantiques. Each bedroom has a balconywith a spectacular view and en suite facilities. Lunch and dinner is provided. Dinner is served on a candlelitterrace or in cold weather by an open fireplace with olive wood for fuel. Ifyou arrive late on day 1 and miss lunch, lunch will be provided beforedeparture on day 8.
Night2: Yegen. A typical hotel of this region with a small pool. Rooms haveen-suite facilities. An evening meal is included in the hotels own atmosphericrestaurant.
Nights3 & 4: Berchules. Asmall family-run 2 star hotel, all rooms have en-suite facilities. The hotel isrenowned for its restaurant with local specialities such as partridge inpicante sauce but we do not include dinner here, as there is a selection ofrestaurants in the village to choose from.
Night5. Trevelez. A small family-runpension in the upper part of this prosperous high-mountain village. All therooms are en-suite.
Nights6 and 7: as nights 1 in Mairenawith 2 evening meals and lunches included.
Baggage Transfers
On days thatclients walk on to new accommodation (days 2, 3 and 5) baggage is transferredto the next night's stop. On the afternoon of day 6 clients with their baggageare transferred from Trevelez to Mairena.
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ITINERARY |
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Day 1: Arrive Mairena (1083m). Most flight schedules will not allow arrival before late afternoon, but before dinner there will be time to look around the village: a typically Moorish style cluster of flat-roofed houses with oddly shaped chimneys. The gleaming whitewash is a particularly attractive feature, although it is a said to be a relatively recent addition to the Alpujarras villages. Day 2: Mairena to Yegen (1050m). The walk follows the Camino Real (Royal Way) westwards from Mairena along the southern flank of the mighty Sierra Nevada range. After descending for lunch at Valor you continue to the very attractive village of Yegen (pronounced 'Yeah-hen'), perched on a ledge with an immense view. The British writer and celebrated (at least among the Spanish) historian of Spain, Gerald Brenan lived in Yegen for more than 13 years during the 1920s and 1930s and was visited there by Virginia Woolf and other members of the 'Bloomsbury Group'. Brenan wrote about Yegen and the eastern Alpujarras in South from Granada. 5 to 6 hours walking. Day 3: Yegen to Berchules (1350m). The walk continues along the Camino Real. Beyond the hamlets of Montenegro and Golco you ascend to the larger village of Mecina Bombaron. You cross a ridge before descending to cross the Rio Chico and a final short ascent to Berchules, a beautiful and unspoilt village with a lot of character and fine views. 5.5/6.5 hours walking. Day 4: Out and back walk from Berchules. A walk up the valley from Berchules to Junta de los Rios. You follow a Moorish acequia (aqueduct or waterway) to the meeting point of the Rio Chico and the Rio Grande, where there are the ruins of a Moorish silk mill. 3.5 hours walking (With option of extending the walk). Day 5: Berchules to Trevelez (1550m). Today's walk traverses high grassland typical of the Alpujarras, before descending steeply through pine forest to Trevelez. As you descend the great mass of Mulhacen (at 3479m the highest peak in mainland Spain) looms ahead of you across the valley. Trevelez claims (as do several other villages) to be the highest in Spain; nobody however disputes the superiority of its Serrano hams, which benefit from long curing in the cool mountain air. 6/ 6.5 hours walking. Day 6: Circular or out-and-back walk from Trevelez, followed by afternoon transfer back to Mairena (included in tour price). Possible walks from Trevelez include: (a) in clear weather: Penabon peak; this easy summit, similar to Skiddaw or Blencathra in the English Lake District, lies on a branch ridge leading south from the main Sierra Nevada ridge; about 7 hours walking; or (b) in any weather: a walk up the deep valley of the Rio Trevelez. A good trail leads for many km into the heart of the Sierra Nevada National Park. You can follow the path to a height of 2000m or more with no fear of losing the way; 5 to 6 hours walking; or (c) a shorter intermediate walk following another good trail with fine views on the west side of the Rio Trevelez valley to the Rio Culo de Perro (don't ask what the name means!); 4 to 5 hours walking. In the afternoon you will be met at the hotel in Trevelez and transported with your baggage by road to Mairena for the remaining two nights. This transfer takes about one hour. Day 7: A walk near Mairena. One possibility in good weather is the ascent of one or more of the peaks above Mairena on the main Sierra Nevada ridge: Morron peak (2756m) and possibly also San Juan peak (2730m). In this case use can be made of transport from Mairena to the Puerto de la Ragua (2038m). It is a steep ascent to the summit. During the long more gradual descent back to Mairena it is possible to observe mountain goats, wild boar and deer, which roam freely at these heights. Peak of Morron 5 hours walking, Peak of San Juan 8 hours walking. There are also low-level walks in the vicinity of Mairena. Day 8: Depart Mairena after breakfast. We can arrange extra nights in Granada for those who would prefer a longer stay. |