Itinerary
Pick up from Granada or Malaga airport. You spend the first night in Granada city home of the world famous Alhambra palace and host to the best tapas bars in Andalucia. Tonight we will walk the cobbled streets and ramblas, get to know the barmen and fuel up for the week ahead.
Transfer to Sierra Huetor. Epic loop around Sierra Huetor, north of Granada, with its distinctive flora and hugely varied and seldom ridden singletracks, steeped in history and culture, you will pass front line civil war trenches, gold panning sites and preindustrial lime kilns, just keep your eye on the trail as this route will test even the expert rider. Stay in the sleepy village of Viznar.
Transfer to Tocon. Uplift to 1800m with views stretching out to the canyons and desert lands of Almeria, passing herds of wild horses we climb up to Las Catifas at 2300m where we refuel in the presence of the spectacular north face of Sierra Nevada. We continue flowing down the awesome ridgeline, taking in some stages from the Ride Sierra Nevada Enduro race, to the mountain town of Guejar Sierra at 1000m. Stay in Guejar Sierra under the gaze of Mulhacen, highest peak in the Iberian Peninsula.
Transfer to Hoya de La Mora at 2500m and ride over Spain’s highest mountain pass where we may catch the first glimpses of the shimmering Mediterranean and the Moroccan coastline beyond. We descend the exposed slate strewn trails from 3200m down into the steep sided, oak and chestnut filled valleys of the Alpujarras arriving at Mecina Fondales at about 900m. An epic 2300m descent. Stay in Mecina Fondales.
Transfer to Trevelez for a rest day in Spain’s highest village at 1500m where some of the best serrano ham, cheese and local wine is prepared and served. Relax by the pool or explore the optional short loop ride to Juviles and back. Stay the night in Trevelez.
Climb up out of Trevelez and traverse westword along the flanks of the mountain to pick up a sublime, flowing trail descending to Pitres. Shuttle to a viewpoint above Capileira for more flowing, twisty singletrack down to Pampaneira. Yet another shuttle will take us towards the Cota 2000 and into the rocky, spiralling mule tracks of El Tello and Lanjaron. Transfer to the pretty Moorish village of Pampaneira where we spend the night.
From Pampaneira a short climb will lead us into a barrelling singletrack, through narrow village streets and olive groves into Orgiva, where once again we uplift to the pass at Rubites and commence the climb to the awesome plateau of Sierra de Lujar. This classic mountain crossing takes a furious dive on a boulder strewn straight line which leads us into pine studded switchbacks before hitting the local berms and tabletops into Velez de Benaudalla. Transfer to Salobreña where we spend the last night on a beautiful terrace with wide open views over the Mediterranean.
Transfer to Malaga or Granada airport
