Mountain biking in Spain, Sierra Nevada and Alpujarras
Experience the thrill of mountain biking in the heart of rural southern Spain
On this mountain bike adventure tour you’ll experience the real Spain. In the Sierra Nevada and Alpujarras region of southern Spain you’ll ride the dry, rocky, singletrack trails that have connected the collection of white-washed mountain villages for centuries, and you’ll be welcomed as a long-lost friend, with the offer of excellent local food and drink.
Your accommodation will be a fantastic mountain lodge, complete with your own private pool, perfect for relaxing tired muscles after a big day in the saddle!
This seven day guided mountain bike tour offers you some of the best mountain biking in Europe. You’ll be in the safe hands of our local guides who have nearly 20 years’ experience of guiding riders around this part of southern Spain.
You’ll take in the impressive mountain ranges of the Sierra Nevada, and valleys of the Alpujarras, including the highest village on the mainland, which is renowned for its mouth-watering cured ham – jamón Serrano – second only to its mouth-watering singletrack!
The Sierra Nevada and Alpujarras provide all-year-round mountain biking in Spain and boast the cleanest and driest climate in Europe, with around 320 days of sunshine annually. Ideal conditions for world-class mountain biking in Spain.
Tour dates 2013
- 16 – 23 March 2013
Please contact our expert tour team if you have different dates in mind for mountain biking in Spain and we will do our best to accommodate your requirements.
Want to know more? Ask us a question about our Spanish mountain bike tour, and read more about why you should choose H&I Adventures for your next adventure tour.
Mountain biking in Spain itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival day and bike preparation
Our driver will meet you at Granada or Màlaga airport then transfer you to your home for the week in a beautiful Spanish mountain lodge in the village of Fondales, in the Alpujarras. On arrival, we will build our bikes then relax with a beer by the pool, enjoying the last of the afternoon sun and dreaming of the best mountain biking in Spain.
6 days of sweet mountain biking in Spain!
With 20 years’ experience of mountain biking in the Sierra Nevada, our guides prefer not to run a fixed itinerary, instead planning your daily routes by choosing from our vast route portfolio, taking into account the mood of the group, weather conditions, etc.
Most of our rides will be lift-assisted with some climbing necessary to link more remote sections of trail.
An important part of all of our mountain bike adventure tours, and this trip is no exception, is the opportunity to absorb and be part of the local culture. In the mountain villages of the Sierra Nevada the way of life remains largely unchanged since first settlement, and you’ll be treated to excellent local food and drink, and the warmest hospitality in our lunchtime village retreats. Once your batteries are fully recharged, we set off on the afternoon leg of the tour.
Daily rides average somewhere in the region of 300m to 900m of ascending, 1000m to 2000m of descending over 30km to 45km. Then we have our full day of gravity-assisted riding; five separate descents of approx. 2500m accumulating in over 25km of singletrack!
Day 8 – Departure day
We’ll pack away the bikes and our driver will transfer you back to your departure airport where we’ll say our farewells, after an amazing week of mountain biking in Spain.
£570 / $910 USD per person (ex. flights, based on two people sharing a room)
A single supplement of £220/$352 USD will be payable should a single room be requested.
Price includes:
- Breakfast and evening meals starting with dinner on day one and ending with breakfast on departure day
- Lodge accommodation for seven nights (with private pool)
- Airport transfers
- The services of a qualified and experienced mountain bike guide for the duration of the trip
- Uplift services
- All group safety equipment
Price excludes:
- Flights to and from Spain
- Travel and activity insurance
- Personal safety and cycling equipment
- Bike hire
- Alcoholic/ non-alcoholic beverages
- Any other items not listed as included
Arrival and departure details
Your mountain bike adventure in the Sierra Nevada of Spain will start and end at Málaga airport. We would ask you to arrive no later than 14.00 on the first day of your trip, and book your return flights for no earlier than midday. Your guide and/or driver will meet you in the arrivals area of Málaga airport and he/she will be holding an H&I Adventures sign. Please contact us if you require pick-up from another airport in southern Spain.
If you anticipate arriving much later than 14.00 we recommend that you arrive a day early and book a night’s stay in an airport hotel. You’ll then have the advantage of being bright and fresh, and fully recovered from your travel by the time the others arrive!
We will transfer you by private shuttle (included in holiday price) to your fabulous mountain lodge accommodation, complete with its own pool, high in the Alpujarras.
Travelling to Spain
Málaga airport is well-served by major and budget airlines from all over the world. For up-to-date timetables and booking visit: www.ba.com; www.easyjet.com; www.ryanair.com; www.aa.com; www.iberia.com; www.continental.com; and www.flybe.com.
You must book your bike on to your flight in advance, otherwise you could face a heavy charge at the airport. Here are some handy hints and tips on travelling by air with your bike.
Preparing yourself and your bike for the trip
Our mountain bike tour in the Sierra Nevada of Spain is for advanced-level mountain bikers, which means that the terrain you will be riding consists mostly of singletrack, some Landrover tracks, steep technical climbs and descents, frequent rocks, slabs and roots.
You should have advanced bike handling skills such as, bunny-hop, drops, rock gardens, hairpins and loose rock, and be comfortable with sustained, challenging riding including long periods of anaerobic exercise for six or more days in a row. The ideal bike for mountain biking in Spain is a good quality full-suspension mountain bike with around 150mm of travel front and rear.
To get the most out of your mountain bike holiday in Spain you should plan some training in advance of your tour, and it is essential that you ensure that your bike has been properly serviced before the trip.
For more information on our Spanish mountain bike tour, and travelling in Spain in general, read the full trip brochure.
Sierra Nevada, Spain
Fantastic trails, from nice and flowy to technical and rocky with switch backs to die for. Beautiful scenery, sunny skys, amazing white mountain villages. Accommodation and food just supurb. An uplift service is provided but a fair amount of your own steam is required to access the trails however well worth the effort. Afterall this is a real mountain bike holiday, (no chair lifts). There was six in our group excluding the guide, just perfect for keeping everything moving along nicely. I can see myself returning time and time again. I'm heading back out with my mates early in the new year. I just can't wait.
Mountain bike adventure in Spain
Excellent riding with guides who know the terrain intimately, each day just got better and better with a good selection of ups and downs coupled with superb weather and good banter from a mix of riding collegues from the Surgeon who picked his lines with clincal precision to High Tower the Destroyer who tried very hard to re-shape the geology of the Spanish trails on his hard tail (respect).
From the excellent transfer from the airport and the good food provided, many thanks for catering for my special diet requirements, and excellent riding. I will be back in the spring.
Sierra Nevada, Spain
Fantastic trails, from nice and flowy to technical and rocky with switch backs to die for. Beautiful ...
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