Andalucía Bike Tour

Meet your guides in Seville, the vibrant capital city of Andalucía. Hop in the van and transfer to the country estate of the late Álvaro Domecq and his influential sherry family, where we’ll watch a demonstration of Andalusian horsemanship and see what life is like for cattle and bull farmers. Shuttle to our hotel for a lunch that introduces local delicacies like cured ham, flavorful olives, and tangy cheese. After a bike fitting and safety talk, it’s time to set off on our first ride. Tonight, we head into the city of Jerez to enjoy a tasting menu paired with several styles of premium sherry.

Meals: Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Medina-Sidonia, La Barca de la Florida, Jerez de la Frontera
Accomplished: 30 miles / 48 km, elevation gain: 1,246 feet / 380 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 at a café beloved by locals. Our destination is the romantic boutique hacienda we’ll call home for the night, owned by our friend Anthony and his family. It feels more like your own country hideaway—especially during a poolside lunch of tapas and an afternoon spent sunning at the pool, decompressing with a massage, or succumbing to a Spanish siesta. This evening, we’ll meet Isabel, a masterful chef who serves us 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 or Finca La Donaira

Today, ride door-to-door or kick it off with a van transfer to the town of Villamartin. 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 Rover 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—all from La Donaira’s farm and winery.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Villamartin, El Gastor
Accomplished: 28 miles / 45 km, elevation gain: 3,592 feet / 1,095 meters
Longer Option: 50 miles / 81 km, elevation gain: 4,808 feet / 1,466 meters
Accommodations: Finca La Donaira

Get a lift 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 evident in its architectural identity. Continue riding to Sentenil de las Bodegas, a funky town full of bright-white bars, restaurants, and homes carved from troglodyte cliffs. Take the van the rest of the way to La Donaira or choose to round out the day riding all the way back. We’ll regroup this evening for an apéritif, followed by a gastronomic feast that celebrates the end of our wonderful week in Andalucía.

Meals: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Destinations: Olvera, Sentenil de las Bodegas
Accomplished: 21 miles / 34 km, elevation gain: 2,355 feet / 718 meters
Longer Option: 33 miles / 53 km, elevation gain: 3,772 feet / 1,150 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