7 Day Sierra de Gata Walking Tour in Spain

Spain Walking Tour

Ants on Track welcomes you to join this exciting tour in Extremadura, Spain. Walking mountain trails have something of a mystery, magic, and some sort of connection with your inner being.

Highlights

6 days of walking
Well-marked hiking trails
Traditional villages, small family vineyards, ancient olive groves
Excursion to Robledillo de Gata, museum, and almazara
Wine and oil tastings
7 nights accommodation
Transportation as per itinerary
Daily healthy breakfast

Skill level

Intermediate

6 days with instruction

Airport transfer available:
Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (US$ 327 per person)

Program

One seems to blend with the surroundings and feels a tight bond with nature. The aroma of damp earth, the sound of the breeze through the leaves of the trees, or the sudden passage of birds keep all your senses constantly alert. The arrival in a small town, with its countrymen slowly going to their daily chores, keeps you in that calm rhythm of the things of other times. And what to say about the sweet fragrance coming from some kitchen? There can be nothing more invigorating than the smell of freshly cooked bread, or those dishes made with love.

The Sierra de Gata also brings you old stories of people passing la Raya (the line), which is how people in Spain refer to the border with Portugal. Those were times of hardship. Times when the Spaniards illegally brought coffee and tobacco from Portugal while in turn passing the bread, beef, and milk to the Portuguese. The punishment, in case of being apprehended by the border police, went from the loss of the merchandise to a prison sentence going through beatings at the hands of the Guarda Republicana in Portugal or the Guardia Civil in Spain.

The footprints of those smugglers rest in the slopes of Sierra de Gata in the shape of paths and sidewalks, as well as in a cultural exchange between the peoples on both sides of the Raya. Ants on Track will provide you with GPS Tracks and detailed information to upload the tracks to your mobile phone or GPS device. You can also hire a GPS device from them for 35 EUR.

General information

Type: Walking
Levels: Moderate
Total distance: 101.6 kilometers
Paved rural ways: 16 percent
Forest tracks: 19 percent
Rural paths: 65 percent

Daily itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival at Plasencia

Situated on the bank of the Jerte River, Plasencia has a historic quarter that is a consequence of the city's strategic location along the Silver Route, or Ruta de la Plata. Since the 15th century, the noblemen of the region began to move to Plasencia, defining its current appearance.

Day 2 - Robledillo de Gata

After a transfer, you will reach this small village, located at the foot of the Sierra de la Bolla, which will be your first accommodation. The urban nucleus of Robledillo preserves the charm of the old mountain villages, with its stepped houses, stone facades, and old Arabic tile roofs. The town is inserted in an idyllic setting of pine forests, through which you can enjoy delicious walks by the river Arrago.

Day 3 - Return walk to Ovejuela (16 kilometers / 9 miles)

On your first walking day, you will be visiting Ovejuela, a small hamlet in the neighboring natural region of Las Hurdes. Its natural wild beauty of abrupt sierras, water cascades, and Mediterranean landscapes took international repercussion with the awarded documentary “Las Hurdes, land without bread,” by Luis Buñuel. This surrealist filmmaker, a close friend of Salvador Dalí, portrayed the harshness of life in this, by then, impoverished region of northern Extremadura.

Day 4 - Robledillo de Gata to Gata (30.3 kilometers / 18 miles)

Today’s journey will take you mostly through mid-mountain forest areas. Large pine groves and forest tracks will give way to areas of cork oak and holm oak and when closer to the urban areas, small orchards, and olive groves. A beautiful watchtower Arab tower observes you from above. The streams and natural pools provide you with bathing opportunities on the hottest days of spring and summer.

Day 5 - Gata to Acebo (26.7 kilometers / 16 miles)

Today’s walk will take you from the lower ground of Villasbuenas to the slopes of the highest peak in the Sierra de Gata, namely Jálama or Xálima, in the local dialect. Along the longest walk of the week, you will visit the northernmost cork oaks in Extremadura located in a delicious as well as an unusual environment for this type of tree. You will finish the day walking down towards Acebo, a small town which is named after the common holly tree.

Day 6 - Optional transfer from Acebo to Hoyos | Hoyos - San Martín de Trevejo (15 kilometers / 9 miles)

You start the day with a visit to Hoyos, the administrative capital of the Sierra de Gata. Its noble stone buildings are well worth a quiet walk through its historic center, before continuing the march to San Martín de Trevejo, your final destination for today. On the way, you will enjoy passing through small and bucolic «Callejas» alleys, which are what people in Extremadura call the small country paths that run between stone walls. You will visit the hamlet of Trevejo, with its imposing castle perched on a steep hill. And you will cross Villamiel, to finally reach one of the «most beautiful towns in Spain».

Day 7 - San Martín de Trevejo to Valverde del Fresno (16.5 kilometers / 10 miles)

The Jálama valley is occupied by the municipalities of San Martín de Trevejo, Eljas, and Valverde del Fresno. It runs from the foothills of the Sistema Central, of which the Sierra de Gata is an integral part, to the border with Portugal. Its approximately five thousand inhabitants distributed among «os tres Lugares» - the three places - speak a curious dialect of Asturian-Portuguese origin that is known as a Fala. You will often walk alongside small family farms of cattle or vines. The highest peak of this bordering region, namely Jálama - or Xálima in Fala dialect - will be looking upon you from its 1,492 meters altitude.

Day 8

End of the trip. Transfer to Plasencia.

Food

You will be served daily breakfast and two picnics during two walking days included in the price. Vegetarian food is on request.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Vegetarian

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

What's included

Hikes
Guided visit of Robledillo de Gata as well as the museum and almazara (oil factory), with wine and oil tasting
7 nights accommodation
Breakfasts
2 picnics during walking days
Transfers from and to Robledillo de Gata on days 2 and 8
Welcome and tour information meeting on day 2
Luggage transfer between hotels
2 transfers within Sierra de Gata
Tourist information
GPS tracks
Emergency transportation if needed (fatigue, injury, and inclement weather)
24/7 emergency phone assistance

How to get there

Recommended Airports

MAD

Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport

219 km

Transfer available for additional US$ 327 per person

Arrival by train

The airport train station is on the first floor of Terminal 4. There is a bus service that connects all the terminals. From the airport, train travel will entail a couple of transfers along the way, with the final travel time to Plasencia approximately three and a half hours.

Airport: Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport Airport transfer available: Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport (US$ 327 per person) Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.

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