If you’re travelling a long way or across several time zones to Spain then we recommend arriving a day or two early to allow your body to adjust and to make sure any flight or luggage days don’t spoil your trip.
We have a handy guide to spending 24 hours in Málaga, with recommended accommodation and things to do.
Your guide will meet you at Málaga airport or, if you’ve arrived early, at your H+I recommended hotel in Málaga, around lunchtime (between 12:00 and 13:00). We will then head to a small village outside Granada where we will build and set up bikes at a beautiful country house and have some lunch, before we move on to Dilar, a village in the heart of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. When we arrive at your fabulous small hotel we’ll build bikes, allocate hire bikes, then get together for some tea, coffee and cake and our welcome tour briefing.
You’ll then have time to relax and unwind, before this evening’s dinner, which will be a feast of delicious local food and wine in the hotel, which will immerse you immediately into the very sociable and relaxed way of life here, in the southern Spanish mountains.
On your first full day on our mountain bike tour Spain, you will have a big day of riding, from last night’s accommodation and along the southern most portion of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
During your ride you will experience the full compliment of what southern Spain has to offer: flowing singletrack, doubletrack, climbing and descending, and an optional technical descent to round things off (your guide will make the call on the group’s ability); not to mention amazing mountain cuisine, hospitality and views…
Your accommodation this evening is in another lovely family-run hotel, which will be a welcome sight after this big day (with around 900m of climbing) in the saddle! We’ll get the bikes cleaned up, stowed away and grab a quick siesta, before enjoying a typical Spanish dinner in the hotel restaurant.
After breakfast we’ll ride straight from our hotel. A narrow and challenging singletrack (including some hike-a-bike) takes us to our first descent, leading down to the valley. Once at the bottom we’ll stop to catch our breath, then we have some altitude to gain back. We’ll ride along the Jabali Trail, a mixture of lovely, flowing sections and some rocky and technical stages where you’ll need to keep your wits about you! After this challenging climb, we can stretch our legs along a quiet stretch of the Venta de la Cebada Road, or a fun but technical descent – the choice is yours!
We’ll stop for a picnic lunch and admire the views over the Sierra as we re-charge our batteries and take plenty of photos.
With the Spanish sun warming our backs we’ll re-commence our ride through typical mediterranean agricultural landscapes of almond trees, vineyards and olive groves, which will then take us through some recovered forests of pine and holm oak trees.
This will drop us out onto the final stages of our route, on some of the trails used for the Mamut race, a very popular local mountain bike race.
Your accommodation is in a beautiful hotel in the heart of the village of Capileira and in the evening, if we’ve made good time on our ride, we’ll enjoy wandering around the village, doing a spot of shopping and having another fantastic dinner in a local restaurant.
From Capileira we’ll venture even higher and deeper into the Sierra Nevada mountains. With a selection of breath-taking singletrack that leads us to the dizzying heights of 2000m, before dropping us down through high mountain meadows to lunch in the highest village on mainland Spain, Trevelez.
This remote village is famous across Spain and the world for its ‘Jamones’. You’ll have the chance to visit a small family factory and, of course, taste some of this delicious ham – a real highlight of the day.
After lunch we’ll climb out of the village on the GR-7 (mountain walking route) to a height of 1765m, where, on a good day, you can enjoy views as far as Morocco. Once you have your breath back we’ll set off on what will be more than 13km of descending, all the way to your hotel for the evening.
Your accommodation for the next two nights is quintessentially Andalucían: an organic farm where they grow their own olives, grapes, almonds, etc. You can take a walk around the hotel grounds to learn all about the ecosystem and where the food on your dinner plate has come from.
Today you have the option of a day off to relax, explore the local village, read books… whatever you wish.
Alternatively, your guide will take you on a great four hour ride in the local area. You’ll climb to a height of 2000m, to the head of a trail that will lead onto the lovely flowing section from the previous afternoon. This will give you the chance to ride this fantastic trail again with the benefit of experience! Then you will peel off onto a new trail that weaves through mountain villages all the way down to 650m at the bottom of the valley leads you to your accommodation..
On returning to your lovely farm stay accommodation, if you like, your hosts will take you around their olive and vine yards, before giving you a tastes of their exceptional home-grown produce.
From the high snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains, where you were riding on trails that interlinked whitewashed villages, you are now going to cut across to the northern side and into the ‘desert land’.
We will start with a transfer of about an hour from our accommodation in Cádiar, followed by a full day on the bike that will have you wondering if you have landed in another country, or world! A large part of today will be doubletrack, punctuated by flowing singletrack sections.
As a result of the natural topography of this area, many people in this part of the Sierra Nevada built caves to keep warm in the winter and cool in the summer, thus effectively living underground. As you ride through this area you will see these structures and be in awe at how grand they can look.
It would certainly be remiss of us to bring you here and not stay in a cave! Tonight you will be sleeping in unique cave accommodation, and enjoying more mouth-watering local delicacies in your subterranean dining room!
After a fantastic night’s sleep in your comfortable cave, we’ll load up the van for a 30-minute transfer to the start of the trails.
Today we’ll be riding an ancient trade path, that will be enough to give any singletrack addict their fix!
As you snake along singletrack-strewn hillsides, completely engrossed in these spectacular trails, you will suddenly be hit by a surreal view of the Alhambra in the distance, which signals the start of your descent into Granada, via a much less ventured path…
Your local guide will lead you through the old gypsy quarter, on to some old-school street riding through the Albaicín, down steps and onto cobbled alleys in the heart of the old town to your final hotel.
After much high-fiving and laughing we’ll drop our kit off and you can explore this beautiful city, and if there is availability, you can enjoy the best post-ride experience ever: a visit to the Hammam (Arab baths) for a soak in the warm pools, a massage and stretch out on the hot stone slabs. Utter bliss. We can also arrange a visit to the beautiful Alhambra so you can explore this historical site.
When you’re feeling refreshed from your pampering we’ll hit the town on a tapas tour of Granada city, where the good food, wine and chat will flow late into the early hours on your last night together on this amazing adventure around the Sierra Nevada of Spain.
Sadly, today we must bid our farewells. We’ll pack up all our belongings and transfer you (app. two hours) back to Málaga airport for your flight back to reality.
You should book your return flight no earlier than 2pm, if possible.