Andalucía Bike Tour

Meet your guide in Seville, the vibrant capital city of Andalucía, for an hourlong transfer to the start of our first ride outside Jerez de la Frontera. After a bike fitting and safety briefing, our warm up ride takes us past the Grand Prix racing circuit and out into the rolling countryside east of Jerez. We stop for lunch at a traditional venta before finishing our ride. We’ll finish the last bit of our ride and transfer to our boutique hotel in the city of Jerez. Tonight, enjoy a selection of Spanish dishes local to the region and prepared by Chef Javier Munoz.

Meals: Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: La Barca de la Florida, Jerez de la Frontera
Accomplished: 32 miles / 52 km, elevation gain: 1,404 feet / 428 meters
Longer Option: 39 miles / 62 km, elevation gain: 1,643 feet / 501 meters
Accommodations: Casa Palacio María Luisa

Today’s ride takes us into the plains and rolling hills that lie east of Jerez. Arrive in Arcos de la Frontera, the whitewashed city that was founded by Phoenicians and Romans but flourished in the Moorish period of the Early Middle Ages. We’ll work our way up narrow medieval streets to the Peña Nueva balcony and take a breather to appreciate the dramatic views. Ride the rest of the way or hop in the van for a lift to lunch. Tonight finds us back in Jerez for a private visit at a sherry winery: tour the barrel “cathedral” where decades-old wines continue to age and taste a few glasses of southern Spain’s favorite fortified wine. We’ll stroll through town to a typical tavern called a tabanco for tapas, then finish the evening with a sherry nightcap sipped to the rhythmic sounds of Flamenco.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Arcos de la Frontera, Jerez de la Frontera
Accomplished: 53 miles / 86 km, elevation gain: 2,654 feet / 809 meters
Shorter Option: 40 miles / 64 km, elevation gain: 1,968 feet / 600 meters
Accommodations: Casa Palacio María Luisa

After a hearty breakfast, ride north on rolling car-free roads past white-washed hamlets and the wheat fields that once supplied ancient Rome. In the village of Espera, we’ll stop for coffee before riding on to our destination for the evening: a romantic boutique hacienda owned by our friend Anthony and his family. The property feels more like your own country hideaway—especially during a poolside lunch of fresh salads and tapas while sipping crisp Spanish rosé. This afternoon, unwind with a good book next to the pool, decompress with a restorative massage, or polish off the afternoon with a siesta. This evening, our chef will prepare an intimate dinner lovingly crafted from local ingredients.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Espera, Las Cabezas de San Juan
Accomplished: 38 miles / 61 km, elevation gain: 2,047 feet / 624 meters
Longer Option: 49 miles / 79 km, elevation gain: 2,657 feet / 810 meters
Accommodations: Hacienda San Rafael

Today, ride door-to-door or kick it off with a van transfer to the town of Montellano. Here we’ll begin a scenic climb up the western slopes of the Serranía de Ronda mountains, encountering plunging gorges, white-washed villages peppered across the horizon, and majestic griffon vultures and eagle owls as they swoop playfully across the sky. After lunch at a posada in the village of El Gastor, we’ll give our bikes a break and hop into a Land Cruiser for a safari-style drive to our luxurious eco-retreat, Finca La Donaira. This award-winning property is like nowhere you’ve ever stayed: swim in refreshing mountain water, meander the meadows and organic gardens, or visit the stables of La Donaira’s Lusitanos, the world’s oldest breed of riding horses. Tonight’s dinner is a beautiful spread of organic ingredients and biodynamic wines from La Donaira’s farm and winery.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Montellano, Algodonales, El Gastor
Accomplished: 28 miles / 45 km, elevation gain: 3,592 feet / 1,095 meters
Longer Option: 51 miles / 83 km, elevation gain: 5,500 feet / 1,681 meters
Accommodations: Finca La Donaira

Hop in the van or a short transfer from La Donaira to the village of El Gastor—our bikes are ready and waiting to begin an epic ride north into the hills. We’ll coast downhill, then spin across a rolling landscape interspersed with golden wheat and silver olive groves. Then comes a gradual climb to Olvera, a pueblo blanco historically inhabited by Celts, Romans, Visigoths, and Moors—all influences merging into its current-day architectural identity. Continue riding to Sentenil de las Bodegas, a funky town full of bright-white troglodyte bars, restaurants, and homes built into the town’s overhanging cliffs. Our ride continues to the outskirts of Ronda where we will enjoy an organic lunch and olive-oil tasting at a chic farm. After, bike or transfer to the historic center of Ronda where we can see the magnificent Puente Nuevo bridge over the Tajo gorge. Take the van or bike all the way back to La Donaira where we’ll regroup for an aperitif. Tonight we celebrate the end of our wonderful week in Andalucía over an organic feast.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Olvera, Sentenil de las Bodegas, Ronda
Accomplished: 32 miles / 51 km, elevation gain: 3,720 feet / 1,134 meters
Longer Option: 52 miles / 84 km, elevation gain: 5,777 feet / 1,761 meters Accommodations: Finca La Donaira

One last breakfast of homemade muesli, organic eggs, and robust coffee, and we bid farewell to La Donaira. Transfer by van to the place where it all began in Seville (or we can arrange a drop off in Ronda for a little more time in one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorite cities).

Meals: Breakfast