Food, wine and walkingin Southern Spain

Settle into your accommodation this afternoon before meeting the group and our guide for a welcome drink in the hotel at 6 o'clock. We experience our first taste of the spirited atmosphere of this fun-loving city over dinner together tonight.

All the romantic images of Andalucia, with its fiestas, flamenco, bullfights, brightly coloured houses and stunning Moorish architecture spring vividly to life in Seville. It is a city that has perfected the art of enjoyment and one can’t help but be part of this.

We enjoy a private tour of Seville today before we meet in the early evening for a flamenco performance at Museo de Flamenco.

Today we leave Seville and travel to Sanlúcar. Predominantly known for its gorgeous climate
and as the departure point for explorer Ferdinand Magellan, Sanlúcar also offers impressive agricultural diversity. Its coveted manzanilla sherry and prized king prawns have contributed to the crowning of Sanlúcar as Gastronomy Capital of Spain in 2022. We enjoy a tasting of the local speciality in one of the town’s renowned bodegas, before driving on to the seaside town of Cádiz for the night.

Today we have the whole day set aside to explore and enjoy Cádiz. One of Europe's
oldest continuously inhabited cities, the winding cobbled streets showcase thousands
of years of history. Powerful local families had box seats reserved at Rome's Colosseum and
Spain's first Constitution was written here. Very much a gateway to the Mediterranean,
Cádiz was highly sought after territory, and commemorative statues line the promenades.

Fish forms the base of many innovative dishes in this region. Tonight we share a lovely dinner together.

Walking distance: 5km

Today we depart Cadiz and make our way to the magnificent Sierra de Grazalema, stopping at Arcos de la
Frontera for a wander in the town and lunch enroute.
The quaint town of El Bosque is our next destination, where we commence an easy and picturesque walk along the river to Benamahoma. Along the way, we'll visit a local cheese maker and bread mill to sample their produce.
Sierra de Grazalema is one of Andalucia's greenest and most beautiful Natural Parks. The landscape ranges from pastoral river valleys and white washed villages to precipitous gorges, dense Meditteranean woodlands and rocky summits.
We drive to Zahara de la Sierra where we make our base for the next two nights. This is one of the prettiest pueblos blancos in the region. We visit El Vinculo, a traditional olive oil mill, where we will enjoy a short tasting.
Tonight we dine at the Hotel.

Walking distance: 10km

Located in a high valley in the Sierra del Endrinal, the pretty mountain village of Grazalema is a popular base for walkers visiting the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park.
Here, beautiful walks wend through forests of holm and gall oaks, valleys dotted with wild olive trees and we see wonderful views all along the route. The limestone peaks of 1,500m around Grazalema are the first barriers that clouds from the Atlantic meet, causing plentiful rainfall. A unique microclimate has developed here, encouraging a wide range of plant life to flourish.
Free afternoon.

Walking distance: 8km

Today we walk the beautiful Pinsapar circuit. This is the classic route of the Grazalema Sierra, which takes you through the heart of the Pinsapo forest, one of the few remaining stands of these beautiful pine trees. The walk starts with a steep climb but it soon reaches its highest point offering marvellous views over the pinsapo forest as well as villages, valleys, farmland and various mountain formations.

At the end of our walk we transfer (40 min) to the town of Ronda, which will be our base for the next two nights. We share lunch together before a brief orientation walk in Ronda and a free afternoon.
Ronda is one of the most spectacularly located cities in Spain sitting on a massive rocky outcrop straddling a precipitous limestone gorge, El Tajo. It is also one of Spain’s oldest towns with its old centre dating back to Islamic times when it was an important cultural and trading centre of Al Andalus.

Walking distance: 6km

This morning we transfer just outside the town of Benaojan for a rewarding walk back into the town of Ronda. This is a delightful route though rolling hills and farmland and affords the best view of the El Tajo gorge as we approach the town.
Instead of climbing directly into Ronda we skirt around the base of the town enjoying views of 13th century Moorish walls until we arrive at the Hammam (Moorish baths). We'll enjoy a visit of this spectacular monument before our climb into town.

Today we transfer to Granada, stopping enroute at the dolmens of Antequera, a series
of vast burial chambers dating back 5,000 years.

The most visible and famous monument in Granada is undoubtedly the Alhambra, a fortress
containing palaces and gardens, built in the 13th and 14th centuries by the Nazari kings. It is
situated on a hill and surrounded by forests. Another area well worth exploring is the Moorish
Quarter of the Albaicin, situated on the slopes of the hill opposite the Alhambra.

As we reach the high point of this fascinating area, the views across to the Alhambra are simply stunning.
In the centre of the city stands the great Cathedral, and the Moroccan market with its very narrow
streets cramped with all kinds of Moorish goods from clothes to beautiful carpets and bric-a-brac
is another of the city's highlights.

Later this afternoon we take a walking tour of the Albaicin before dinner at one of the city's
fine restaurants.

Today we visit the magnificent Alhambra with our expert guide before a free afternoon to explore
the city at leisure.
We get together again at 6:00pm for a wine tasting.

Walking distance: 8km

We drive north to Cazorla, an historic town on the western fringe of Spain's largest Natural Park.
With its thickly forested valleys - mostly pine - and jagged dolomite pinnacles, the park is home
to many species of animals and birds. Look out for ibex, red deer, squirrels, eagles, falcons and
vultures, to name a few during our walk today.
We replenish with lunch in the town before we continue on to Úbeda, our home for the next
two nights.

The twin towns of Úbeda & Baeza share a history dating back to hunters and gatherers. Over
centuries Islamic, Christian and Jewish communities co-existed and much of the visible
stonework, architecture and civil planning can be traced to the 9th -13th centuries.
However the biggest influence was the Renaissance of the 16th century, where emerging
ideas from Italy made their way to this region of education and can be seen in a number of beautiful
buildings. We explore the towns before a change of pace, with an olive oil tasting this afternoon.

Walking distance: 9km

After breakfast we drive 1.5 hrs to Zuheros in the Subbetica Natural Park. Zuheros is a 'white village'
surrounded by mountains and immersed in a sea of olive trees and hollowed rocks. It is above all it is a village with an Islamic past; a labyrinth of streets arranged almost in a circular fashion. Our attention is driven towards its Arabic castle, standing sentinel on top of a high sturdy crag on one edge of the village.

Our walk today is in the small gorge of the Subbetica Park: the canyon of the Bailon River. Our route leaves from the village as we ascend to a “Mirador”, or lookout where we can see the river canyon below. We continue our walk among olive and almond trees and ponder the great difficulty of cultivating in such an abrupt and steep terrain.

We may encounter the occasional farmer with his donkey still faithful to a trade one would think long gone. After crossing the river, we walk among oleanders and fig trees before reaching a number of caves, many of them bearing evidence of having been inhabited in prehistoric times.

Towards the end of our walk, we come to the impressive view of Zuheros looming in the distance
between the two huge rocky massifs which make up the walls of the canyon.
We are rewarded with a lovely lunch together before continuing on to Córdoba.

A visit to the Mezquita (mosque) begins our day, followed by free time to explore the city or relax at the Hammam Banos Arabes (Arab baths) for a few hours.

Our farewell dinner is a sumptuous affair at one of the city’s fine restaurants.

We say goodbye after breakfast, when our tour ends. From here guests can make their way back to Madrid via the AVE (fast train) or continue their travels in the south.