THE ALPUJARRAS - MOORISH SPLENDOUR
07 Day Self Guided Walking Tour
Departs any day at your request.
On the south-western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, a mountainous area known as the Alpujarras recalls times when groups of Moors inhabited these hills resisting the Christian Reconquest. Until the 17th century, the Moors lived here in Al-Busherat (the grasslands). Within this fascinating historical context, the Alpujarras' high elevation makes for an ideal alpine experience with the snowy peaks of Sierra Nevada as a backdrop. You will enjoy dramatic views from the enchanting whitewashed villages as you walk among terraced fields, passing olive orchards, orange, lemon and almond groves and along the irrigation channels which survive from Moorish times.
DAY 01: GRANADA - CAPILEIRA
Arrival at Granada airport where you will be met and transferred to Capileira. Capileira situated at an elevation of 1436 metres is the main village of the Alpujarras. The town still displays its charming history as a former Moorish settlement: white-washed houses clinging to the hillside, tiny squares with fountains, and a mysterious network of steep, narrow lanes. Accommodation: Meson Poqueira.
DAY 2: THROUGH RÍO POQUEIRA VALLEY
5 hours circular walk. Villages Ascent 560m / Descent 560 m
along the way: Valle del Rio Poqueira, Bubion, Pampaneira
Circular walk through the Río Poqueira Valley from Capileira via Bubion to Pampaneira, passing ancient threshing circles as you walk among fields. Some steep ascents and descents. Accommodation: Meson Porqueira.
DAY 3: FROM CAPILEIRA TO PÓRTUGOS
5-hour village to village walk. Villages Ascent 510m / Descent 640 m
Villages along the way: Bubión, Pitres, Mencina, Altabéitar, Pórtugos
Enjoy the scenery from Capileira through the villages of Bubion, Pitres, Mencina-Fondales and Atalbéitar to Pórtugos. Among woodlands, including an ancient Mediterranean Holm oak forest, as well as pine plantations. Passing fields, you reach the Tahade Pitres, ancient Moorish water council centre Accommodation: Hotel Nuevo Malageño.
DAY 4: TREVÉLEZ RIVER VALLEY
6 to 7 hour walking. Ascent 713m / Descent 645m
Villages along the way: Busquistar, Trevélez
Route through the Trevélez river valley with fantastic vista points. A long but not too difficult and quite entertaining walk along a long-distance path to the highest village in the Alpujarras, and as they claim, in all of Spain. Accommodation: Hotel La Fragua.
DAY 5: CHOICE OF WALKS FROM TREVÉLEZ
3,5 hours to 6,5 hours walking. Ascent 300 to 650 m / Descent 300 to
700 m Villages along the way: Tiny villages of the Sierra Nevada
3 walks to choose from, including a spectacular longer walk high into the Sierra Nevada, a circular route in the beautiful area around Trevélez and a shorter walk along the Camino de Granada. Accommodation: Hotel La Fragua.
DAY 6: ASCENT TO EL PORTICHUELO
5,5 hours walking. Ascent 600m / Descent 840m
Villages along the way: Bérchules
A pleasant route through a shady wood along narrow paths. The last section has sweeping views. In clear weather, the African continent is visible from the highest point, El Portichuelo. Accommodation: Hotel El Berchules.
DAY 7: ACEQUIA WALK IN RÍO GRANDE VALLEY
3 hours walking. Ascent 150m / Descent 150m
Villages along the way: Bérchules
Through the Río Grande valley, north of Bérchules, following an acequia or irrigation channel, past the ruins of a 13th century Moorish silk-washing house. Your arrangements end after a transfer back to Granada. END OF TOUR
IMPORTANT NOTE: On a scale of four, we have defined this trip as level 2. Although sometimes the ascents are several kilometres long, they are gradual and technically easy. The walks follow wide unsurfaced tracks, footpaths or animal trails, with the occasional section on surfaced tracks or tarmac roads.
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Land of Contrasts
Appropriately called the 'Bull's Hide' by Roman geographer Strabo in 29-27BC, the landmass of Spain with its 505,000 sq. km, provides the traveller with an opportunity to experience the great diversity within its borders, bounded by sea, except for Portugal to the west and France to the north-east.
Iberia has charmed travellers for centuries, but it was not until the early19th century that the first romantics brought Spain into world recognition. Richard Ford along with many others of his time, describing the country as a 'land of miracles, anomalies and contradictions'.
Spain today embodies all of the contrasts of yesteryear. With its rich and varied culture and language, Spain's 17 autonomous regions offer many unexpected architectural, geographical, cultural, gastronomic and climatic differences; all contributing to the many delights and pleasures of the visitor.
Once Spain was one of the most powerful nations on earth with far flung dominions wielding great influence on world political and commercial affairs. The Spain of today is an energetic member of the European Community with a population of 45 million and a universally appreciated culture, individuality and language.
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Tours
Ranging from short Fully Escorted coach tours to Private itineraries with your own driver, we have a tour to suit your time frame and budget. Here are a few examples of some of our most popular touring options...
| Self Drive Tours: | A GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE IN NORTHERN SPAIN -- ROMANTIC ANDALUCIA -- WORLD HERITAGE ENCOUNTER |
| Fully Escorted Tours: | ANDALUCIA AND MEDITERRANEAN COAST -- ANDALUCIA AND MOROCCO -- ANDALUCIA AND TOLEDO -- CASTILLA, PORTUGAL AND ANDALUCIA -- GREEN SPAIN -- NORTH OF SPAIN -- SALAMANCA AND PORTUGAL |
| Small Group Tours: | GOURMET SPAIN |
| Tours with Private driver: | SEVILLA AND THE WHITE VILLAGES OF ANDALUCIA -- SEVILLA, CORDOBA AND GRANADA |
| Walking Tours: | EL CAMINO DEL NORTE -- EL CAMINO PRIMITIVO -- SHORT BREAK PICOS DE EUROPA -- THE ALPUJARRAS - MOORISH SPLENDOUR -- WALKING THE PICOS DE EUROPA |
| Unique Spain: | BARCELONA AND ORGANIC WINE IN THE PENEDÈS -- BARCELONA AND THE MEDIEVAL VILLAGES OF CATALONIA -- A GOURMET'S GRANADA -- BARCELONA AND THE GENIUS OF DALI -- GRANADA -ORIGINS OF FLAMENCO -- SEVILLA AND THE PUEBLOS BLANCOS - A CULINARY ENCOUNTER -- THE MOORISH LEGACY IN GRANADA |
The Great Train Journeys of Spain
IBERTOURS is the sole GSA in Australia and New Zealand for the Great Train Journeys of Spain. These marvellous journeys attend to the needs of the traveller who is keen to savour the travel delights of yesteryear and who is enticed by the notion of a special journey by rail.
"El Transcantabrico" explores the rugged mountains and seascape of the northern coast in an 08 day gastronomic adventure. There are 2 very special and itineraries to select.
The "Espreso de la Robla" takes one on an enjoyable 4 day regional rail experience between Bilbao and Leon, as well as Gijon and Santiago de Compostela.
The legendary "Al Andalus" returns in 2012 in a luxurious 6 day adventure through historical Andalucia, from Sevilla to Sevilla, visiting Cordoba, Granada and Jerez along the way.
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EL EXPRESO DE LA ROBLA | EL TRANSCANTABRICO - 8 DAY JOURNEY AL ANDALUS
Unique Historic Accommodation
IBERTOURS TRAVEL is the Official Representative of Paradores in Australia and New Zealand.
The concept of utilising these unique establishments as selected accommodation for tourism goes back to 1926, when the royal tourist commissioner, the Marques of Vega-Inclan, sought Royal Approval for the extraordinarily far sighted idea of setting up State run Paradores as lodgings for nature lovers and hunters around the country.
Rustic and Rural Spain with Rusticae
Rusticae is a network of boutique properties and guesthouses that are often old farms, mills and homes, transformed into small hotels. Rusticae has currently has over 160 hotels spread across Spain, Portugal, France and Argentina divided into two main types of accommodation, Metropoli and Tradition.
The Metropoli range incorporates a selection of small, boutique hotels inside major cities including Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba, Palma de Mallorca and Bilbao.
The Tradition range is the most extensive and has a wide selection of hotels and manor houses located in small villages in the countryside.
There are around 140 of these properties in Spain alone and each possesses its own individual charm and style, reflecting the history and traditions of the region and its people.
Spanish Hotels
Stopovers can include 2 and 3 night packages in all major cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and San Sebastian, plus many other smaller regional cities such as Granada, Toledo, Segovia, Salamanca, Santiago de Compostela and so on... In fact, with our extensive experience and contacts we can develop stopover packages for almost any city or town in the Iberian Triangle, for any length of time, to suit your requirements. Here are some examples...
View a selection of hotels by region:
Northern Spain and the Pyrenees / Madrid and Surrounds / Extremadura and Castilla La Mancha / Valencia / Andalucia / Balearic Islands /Canary Islands
Apartments
If you are planning a stay of 3 nights or more, why not consider an apartment? Live like the locals do in the centre of one of Spain's vibrant and emblematic cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, and others. Ideal for an extended stay, an apartment gives you the freedom and choice to shop with the locals at the market and cook up your own Spanish fusion! All we need to know is how many people, what city and when and we can find one perfect for you! Just ask us to add an apartment to your creative itinerary.