Inn to Inn Walking in the Sierra de Aracena

8 Days & 7 Nights 4.6 Read 7 reviews

Follow ancient Roman tracks linking timeless villages of the Sierra de Aracena
An area rich in gastronomical delights including the famed jamon iberico
Walk past idyllic pastures filled with flowers and grazing Black Iberian Pigs
The undiscovered villages of Aracena, Cortelazor and Alajar
Overnight stays in charming fincas and posadas offering tasty local cuisine

Follow ancient mule tracks and cobbled paths through the rolling hills, woodlands, lush pastures, and orchards of the Sierra de Aracena National Park, with overnight stays in the sleepy and undiscovered whitewashed villages of Los Marines, Cortelazor and Alajar. Your tour begins with two nights in the lovely Finca Buenvino, in its beautiful hilltop location amongst the chestnut and cork forest, offering fine regional cuisine. Walk from Aracena to the nearby village of Corteconcepcion on quiet, easy trails, and past meadows where the Black Iberian pigs graze. Continue to the village of Fuenteheridos with its lively tapas bars lining the square, and then on to the sleepy village of Cortelazor for two nights, where time truly seems to stand still. Your final stopover is one of the prettiest villages in the sierra, Alajar, with its 16th century church and small paseo (square). Enjoy a walk to Linares de Sierra, with its Michelin rated restaurant, and explore the nearby village of Almonaster la Real with its magnificent 10th century hilltop mosque.

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What To Expect

Travel restrictions and resources, to and from any destination

If you are looking to discover a truly authentic part of Andalucia with easier walking, and count yourself as a bit of a foody, this is the trip for you! The walking is easy-moderate with daily walks of between 10 and 16km and up to 500m of ascent. The hills here are rolling and the ascents and descents are mostly very gradual so nothing is too strenuous! Overnight stays are in a traditional finca, rural inn and a charming posada (small hotel) which offer warm Andalucian hospitality and great local cuisine!

Tour Type:

Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.

Activity:

Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&B’s, inns, and guesthouses.

This trip is suitable for:

Solo Travellers

Ideal if you have an interest in:

Off the Beaten Track

Activity Level & Terrain

This walking tour is graded Easy-Moderate. Walks are between 2-5 hours and there is an ascent/descent of between 130m to 500m each day. The paths can become slippy when wet but luckily this area experiences very little rain so that shouldn't happen too often!

Navigation

The routes on this trip are generally way-marked but can be unclear at times so you will need to follow the route notes and maps provided. You will also have access to the Macs Adventure Smartphone App enabling you to follow the route using your phone’s GPS so using this combined with the provided route notes and maps means you should have no problems finding your way.

Accommodations

7 nights accommodation is included in your trip. 2 nights are in a large countryside finca, and the other 5 nights are split between a traditional rural inn and a lovely posada hotel.

Single Rooms & Solo Walkers

This trip is available to solo walkers although there is a supplement applicable. Single rooms are also available and a single room supplement is payable.

Meals

7 breakfasts and 2 dinners (days 1-2) are included. Lunches and evening meals on the other days are not included. You can pick up lunch in the villages you pass by or stop along the trail for a picnic. There are also a small selection of restaurants in both Cortelazor and Alajar offering fantastic regional cuisine. Your route notes have details for each day.

Accommodation Location

We will always try and accommodate you at the locations detailed in your itinerary. Occasionally, because of limited availability, there is the option to be accommodated at an alternative location. In the unlikely event that we have to accommodate you elsewhere we will advise you of this before confirming your booking.

Included

7 Nights in a mixture of stylish fincas, rural inns and posadas
7 Breakfasts
2 Dinners
Olive Oil Tasting in Alajar
Baggage transfers as per itinerary
Transfers as per itinerary
Detailed route notes, maps and pre-departure information pack
GPX tracks and access to our smartphone app
24/7 emergency telephone support

Excluded

Travel insurance (required)
Travel to Aracena and from Alajar
Taxi from Aracena to Los Marines on Day 2 (payable locally)
Taxi from Almonaster la Real to Alajar on Day 7 (payable locally)
Lunches, dinners (other than days 1&2), snacks and drinks
Personal equipment

Extras

Additional nights before, during or after the tour
Optional cheese tasting in Alajar

When To Go

You can start this tour on any day of the week between January and June, and then again between September and December. We do not offer it in July and August as it is simply too hot for enjoyable walking then.

Weather and Climate

The climate in this part of the world makes for perfect walking conditions most of the year round. Winters are very mild although you may experience slightly more rainfall during this time. Springtime is beautiful with a profusion of wild flowers on display.

It starts to heat up in June and by July it is too hot for walking. However, when autumn arrives it is once again perfect conditions with the chestnut trees and orchards filling the countryside with beautiful orange and red colours. This is also when the acorns start to fall, which is what the famous Iberian Black Pigs graze on.

Getting to the Start

By Air: Seville is the easiest airport to fly into, which is easily accessed by flights from across the UK and Europe. Airlines flying from the UK include the low cost carriers such as Easyjet and Ryanair as well as British Airways. Coming from the US you would fly via Europe with airlines such as Vueling, TAP, Lufthansa and Iberia Airlines.

On arriving in Seville, take a bus to Aracena (1h 15m) from where an included transfer will collect you and bring you to Finca Buenvino in Los Marines (10min). Please check the times of buses from Seville to Aracena in advance of arriving as there are sometimes only 1 a day which leaves at 9am, in which case we recommend booking a night in Seville before travelling to Aracena the next day. You can view timetables here - https://damas-sa.es/

Private Transfers: If you prefer we can arrange a private transfer to pick you up in Seville and take you all the way to Los Marines for an additional cost.

Getting from the End

By Air: There is a very early morning bus from Alajar back to Seville, which takes approx 2h15 and gets you into Seville for roughly 9am. Alternatively you can take a taxi to Aracena (approx 20 Euros) and catch the bus from Aracena to Seville. This is another early morning bus. Again, please check the bus times in advance at https://damas-sa.es/. From Seville you can take a shuttle bus to the airport.

Private Transfers: If you prefer a more leisurely start to the day we can arrange a private transfer for an additional cost to take you back to Seville.

Luggage Transfer

Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight stay. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.

Equipment

Your detailed information pack will be sent to you after you book. This has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, waterproof clothes and a day pack.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.

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