Name: 8 Day Sierra Circuit Hiking Tour in Huelva, Spain
Brand: Posada San Marcos
Price: 1175 EUR
Availability: InStock

Hiking Tour in Spain

This listing has one of the 10 most popular offers available in in Spain

The Sierra Circuit holiday starts and finishes in Alájar walking around the Sierra de Aracena natural park in an anticlockwise direction. The character of the villages has changed little over the centuries, their history reflected in their architecture and the landscape surrounding them. You walk along Roman cobbled tracks, glimpsing abandoned watermills, and ancient hill forts left by the Moors.

Highlights

Guided walks
Meet and greet session
Full walking notes, maps, and GPS routes
Transfer from Seville
7 nights accommodation
Luggage transfers

Skill level

Beginner

7 days with instruction

Group size: 1-12 participants

Airport transfer included: Seville Airport

Accommodation

Posada San Marcos has 6 en-suite rooms all with large south-facing terraces overlooking the garden and cork oak woods. They have a 12-meter-long outdoor pool with sundeck, sunbeds, and hammocks for a lazy afternoon.

Other facilities include a two-level exterior dining terrace with lemon trees, a trampoline for kids, an interior dining room equipped with solid wooden tables and chairs, and an upstairs lounge with soft and cozy armchairs and sofas near the fireplace. They also have an honesty bar, with a selection of alcohol and hot drinks, games, a library, and reference books.

1 room is fully equipped for wheelchair access
3 rooms are double bedded
The other 3 twins bedded
A double and a twin bedded room can be converted into a private family suite by means of a well-placed sliding door

Program

You will see villagers working on their small allotments, hear the ringing of goat bells among the oaks and chestnuts, and the bubbling of the many streams and springs which abound in these hills. Many of these tracks are alongside the ancient Arabian water system “acequia” which were frequently used during the Spanish Civil War and after to smuggle goods into Spain from Portugal.

Herds of the black Iberian pig grazing among the groves of cork and holm (Quercus Suber and Ilex) oak are a common sight, where in autumn they feast on the falling acorns. The area is rich in visible bird life with an important population of black vultures.

Other birds of prey are common and include the Golden, Short-toed, and Bonelli’s eagles. You can see stork’s nests on almost every village church as well as the endangered black stork, and as you wander along the streams, sightings of heron and egrets are common.

Itinerary

Day 1: Posada San Marcos

Meet at Sevilla airport and you will be brought to Alájar where you will meet your hosts Lucy and Ángel who have designed this walking route. They will run through the week with you describing the walks and the possible dining opportunities in each village.

Day 2: 8 kilometers, Posada San Marcos

Enjoy a guided walk with Ángel to introduce you to the area and get to know first-hand the flora, fauna, history, and socio-economics. In the afternoon, there is a choice of circular walks straight from the hotel door.

Today, they also offer you the opportunity to discover the Iberian Ham. Experience first-hand the sustainable Iberian farming model based on this indigenous breed that roams free in its natural habitat. The Dehesa, is a spectacular Mediterranean forest filled with evergreen oaks, is a true natural paradise, and possibly the best living example of the slow food philosophy.

The tour revolves around their local producer in Alájar and the small secadero where the Iberian hams and charcuterie are cured. You’ll practice the art of Iberian ham carving paired with 3 types of sherry.

Not included in the overall price of the tour, you can book their Slice and Savour Experience separately (120 EUR for up to 2 people, approximately 3 hours).

Day 3: 13 kilometers, Aracena

First day on the move, one of the prettiest routes on the tour you will be following the country path, once cobbled, to the almost abandoned Madroñeros a tiny hamlet that throws you back in time.

On to Linares de La Sierra, another fine example of a sierra village almost stopped in time with the narrow cobbled streets and the intricate stone “door mats” outside the front door.

The second half of the walk to Aracena is mainly on well-used tracks but one section along a pretty narrow path before a climb up to the outskirts of Aracena and through the town.

Day 4: 13 kilometers, Aracena

An easy to moderate morning walk taking in a good example of the area with tracks meandering through small holdings and then the pretty countryside until Corteconcepción following white arrow waymarks. A good place to stop for a breather is up at the church with memorable views across to the reservoir.

The return journey begins on a lovely ancient cobbled path which converts into a wide vehicle track for a couple of kilometers, which makes walking easy.

However, there is a last steep stretch before dropping down to Aracena on a footpath skirting allotments and magnificent views of the town of Aracena and the fortified church. You can spend the rest of the day visiting Aracena and the caves.

Day 5: 19 kilometers, Galaroza

A great day’s walk taking you through the thoroughly varied countryside. The route mainly follows the GR43.1 with red and white waymarks but originally these were the paths that everybody used to connect village to village.

You begin through well-kept chestnut plantations which change into cork oak woods and olive groves. There are even vineyards before you reach Los Marines, which hosts a wine festival in August. You walk through 2 villages, Los Marines and Fuenteheridos which both have bars for refreshments, before reaching your destination Galaroza.

Day 6: 13.5 kilometers. Galaroza

Today’s walk provides a very varied scenery, passing through small holdings, cork oak forest, mixed woodland, and the small town of Valedelarco. The barranco Navahermoso is a glorious river walk where there is plenty of bird life to enjoy.

Valdelarco has a couple of bars for refreshments for a lunch break before heading back to Galaroza through a change of the landscape of rocky paths through cork oak groves.

Day 7: 16 kilometers, Posada San Marcos

Back to Alájar and San Marcos today, you walk to the highest village of the Sierra, Castaño del Robledo which boasts two large churches. One was never consecrated and is now called “el monumento” and is used as a civic center. Here, you have the option to do a slightly shorter (12 kilometers) walk or a longer version (16 kilometers).

The first stage of the walk takes you up the valley to Castaño del Robledo along the waymarked Rivera de Jabugo, an area of special interest due to the flora and fauna found along the walk. The shorter option brings you to Alájar vía La Peña de Arias Montano, with wonderful views south as you descend.

The longer option takes you to the outskirts of Santa Ana before heading east to Alájar. It’s one of their favorites, along the valley amongst ancient cork and holm oaks, well worth the extra few kilometers!

Day 8

After breakfast, they will transfer you to Aracena where you will board a comfortable air-conditioned coach to Sevilla.

Food

Picnic lunches and evening meals can be booked at the hotels with prior notice.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast

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

Vegetarian
Lacto-ovo Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Organic
Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
Pescatarian
Lactose Free
Other dietary requirements on request

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

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