Sierra Nevada: Hiking in Blossom

Spain
5 Days
4B 3L 4D
From€535 EUR

A walking holiday amongst the stunning almond blossoms of the Sierra Nevada and Las Alpujarras region in Spain. Enjoy three days of guided walking in this ancient landscape full of cultural history and glorious views while staying in comfort at a great hotel.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival day

Meet at Malaga airport at 2:00 PM for the transfer to the Sierra Nevada (approx 2 hours). You'll have a chance to settle into the beautiful Alquería De Morayma hotel before we meet at 7:00 PM to review the week's plan and answer any questions. Enjoy a three-course evening meal.

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Day 2: Almond groves, vineyards, white villages, and tapas

At 9:30 AM, after breakfast, we take a short 10-minute transfer to the top of the Contraviesa mountain range. Here we start our walk down through the almond blossom and vineyards, all with the snow-capped Sierra Nevada as the backdrop. We stop regularly to hear about the history and culture of this fascinating land.

After about 9km, we reach the small town of Cadiar, where we stop for a tapas lunch. After lunch, it's an easy one-hour walk along the Rio Guadalfeo River to the hotel. Later in the evening, we enjoy our dinner meal.

Hiking distance: 13km - 5/6hours (4 hours walking) | Ascent: 150m | Descent: 450m

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Day 3: Juviles - El Fuerte Citadel - Timar - Lobras

After breakfast, we take a 25-minute drive to the small village of Juviles at 1,300m. We start our hike by the Juviles Secadero (ham curing factory) before descending into the valley. Here, we spot our first target of the day - El Fuerte - the site of the 11th-century siege in the Moorish reign.

We climb for some stunning views of the Alpujarran valley, before a steady descent to the village of Timar. Here, we follow a water canal (Acequia) to the next village of Lobras. At Lobras, we stop for a traditional local lunch. Then it's about a 90-minute walk back to the hotel.

Hiking distance: 10 km, 5/6hours (4 hours walking) | Ascent: 150m | Descent: 450m

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Day 4: The walk of Gerald Brennan

Starting the hike from the hotel, we follow the GR140 along a dry river bed (Rio seco). Enjoy the rock formations and blossoms as we take a fairly gentle path to the small village of Yator.

At Yator, we stop for a drink before making our way through the village and ascending to the Monte Negro and then to Yegen.

In Yegen, a tapas lunch awaits. Afterwards, we get the keys to the Gerald Brennan Museum - a small makeup of where he lived in the 1920s with a great photograph exhibition from the 1960s to the 1990s. (Gerald Brennan wrote the book South from Granada, an account of his time in Yegen). Then we take a 30-minute transfer back to the hotel.

Hiking distance: 15km, 5/6hrs | Ascent: 300m | Descent: 300m

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Day 5: Transfer day

On our final day, we take a transfer back to Malaga airport at 8:00 AM.

What's Included

Included
  • Return airport transfers to & from Malaga (Granada can be arranged).
  • All breakfasts.
  • All evening meals.
  • Lunches on walk days.
  • Transfers to/from trails.
  • 3 professionally guided walks.
  • 4 nights en-suite hotel accommodation.
Not Included
  • Flights.
  • Drinks with meals.
  • Travel insurance.
Have a question?

If you have any questions about this trip or want to speak with an expert, get in touch.

We're ready to help.

Team Images
Team Images
Team Images

Rated 5.0

2 verified reviews

Larry
Larry

(May 2023)

Dan organised an excellent trip, the walks were ideal for the group taking in a variety of areas of the beautiful Alpujarras . Good company, great hotel, food and transport. Definitely recommend. Dan is a good guide with a grand sense of humour. He allows the group to walk at their own pace and provides insight to locality. The accommodation was first class.

Ann
Ann

(May 2023)

A wonderful experience from beginning to end. Spectacular scenery, interesting little villages, excellent accommodation and meals. The terrain was varied and, at times, challenging but Dan was always there with a helping hand if needed and his local knowledge of the area, its vegetation, wildlife and history is extensive. Dan was a kind, thoughtful and fun host/well informed guide in a stunningly beautiful part of Spain. A week wasn’t long enough!

FAQs

Before you go

You should be able to walk for 4 hours a day and have a fair level of fitness There are some uphill sections, and the paths can be uneven and rocky.

If you would prefer to have your own room, there is a single room supplement of EUR80 available for this trip.

1. A good pair of walking boots/shoes, preferably not brand new 2. Walking poles, if you are not confident on loose ground (we have several pairs you can use or you can buy a cheap pair in most villages) 3. Waterproofs 4. Warm jacket, fleece etc 5. Sun hat 6. Sun cream 7. Sun glasses 8. Comfortable backpack 9. Water bottle/ camel pack 10. Travel insurance 11. Health card 12. Blister plasters 13. Shorts/t-shirts

We usually allow anyone over the age of 16 years to join. If you have younger children that you want to bring along, please contact us beforehand, as we can usually arrange a private trip.

Spain's currency is the Euro. Cards are accepted in most restaurants, bars, and hotels. There is a cash machine in Cadiar and Lobras that we will pass and can stop at.

There are no specific requirements for a visa into Spain. Please check with your own consulate to be sure travel requirements are met.

On your trip

No, you only need your daypack to carry what you need for the hike - waterproofs, suncream, hats, personal belongings, etc.

In January/February the weather is usually quite settled. It's dry with daytime temps of around 14 - 16°C and nighttime 0°C - 5°C - in the sun it will feel about 20°C. There is the possibility of rain and sometimes strong winds.

The accommodation is set in the stunning Alpujarras countryside. The rooms are all underfloor heated with en-suite bathrooms. All rooms are either doubles or twins, but you can reserve a room for single use.

We like to keep the groups personable so 12 people is the maximum. If you're a walking club or group we can take more people. Drop us a message for large group enquiries.

The relevant information is under the itinerary.

All the meals are included in the trip (four evening meals, four breakfasts & three lunches are provided). The evening meal is a three-course menu. Lunches are in bars/restaurants. Breakfasts are traditionally Spanish, consisting of toast, coffee, fruit, eggs, and fresh juice. All diets can be catered for.

There are no steep drop-offs. However, there is a section of 5m with an exposed bit on one side.

Start/ pick-up point: Malaga airport - Malaga Central(train station - on request) at 2:00 PM End/ drop-off point: Return to Malaga airport for 10:00 AM

There is no real tipping policy in Spain. But as with everything if you feel the service was good and you want to tip, the usual is 10% of the amount.

Water bottles can be refilled from the taps or bottled water can be bought at the hotel.

Generally, the almond trees are in blossom from January-February which is why we release dates over this time when the landscape is at its most spectacular. However, weather and annual changes affect the flowering season so we cannot guarantee this. Depending on demand, we sometimes open dates over March. If you are looking to book at this time, please note that there's a good chance that you miss the blossom season.

Other FAQs

If you would like to hike some more or extend your stay in Spain to visit Granada, Ronda, Cordoba or Sevilla, let us know. We've been guiding and organising holidays for 20 years in the Andalucian province.

We can cater to all dietary requirements. Just let us know in advance before you arrive of any allergies (gluten, nuts, lactose, etc). Please indicate this on your Guest trip form after booking.

Your head guide is Dan

All trips on Skyhook are run by small, hand-picked local guiding companies. For this trip your guides run Ibex Trex Walking Holidays, based in Otley.

By booking through Skyhook you'll be joining a small-group trip. This can make it nice and sociable (you'll be added to a group chat after booking), and guarantees great value for money!

Dan