Walking Holidays in Spain - Frontier Holidays

Type: Guided Walking in Spain's Nature Parks
Price: £730 per week half board

Undoubtably the jewel in Spain's Nature Park crown and probably the best area in Spain for seeing wildlife at close quarters.

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THE CAZORLA AREA

When you couple the abundance of wildlife with the breathtaking never ending scenery of Spain’s largest Nature Park, you’ll understand why our walkers keep coming back.  Towering Black Pines clad the limestone mountains and border the impressive gorges and pinnacles.  Water is everywhere and the River Guadalquivir rises within the park.  These are Andalucia’s green lungs, and you’ll certainly feel refreshed and healthier by the end of the week.

The Nature Park of ‘Sierras de Segura, Cazorla y las Villas’ is the largest in Spain (214.000 Ha.) and contains some of its wildest scenery.  Our base is the small busy town of Cazorla (pop. 8000) at the South-eastern corner of the park.  This area has long supported mankind from Palaeolithic times right through to the Romans and Moors.  Today the land continues to provide abundant farming, hunting and fuel sources as well as environmental tourism.

Amongst the many rivers that rise here, perhaps the best known is the mighty Guadalquivir that flows to the Atlantic.  Before leaving the park the river drops by half its original height forming cascades through the many steep sided valleys.  In bygone times the mountains were logged extensively, first for oaks to build the Armada fleet and latterly for pines, monopolised by RENFE (Spain’s national railway company). 

Today, little wood is removed from the towering forests of Black pines and certainly no oak.  These pine forests provide the principle shelter for a variety of animals and birds including Red and Roe deer, Ibex, Mouflon, Wild boar, Genet, Griffon vulture, Golden, Short-toed, and Booted eagles.  The Lammergeier is being re-introduced.  Riverside woods support a varied mix of oak, alder, ash, whitebeam, and willow.  Here, otters fish for trout and barble and Dippers patrol their stretches of water. Much of the wildlife can be readily seen thanks to the lack of human intrusion into the park.

THE ITINERARY
Day 1    Rendezvous Malaga airport & transfer to Cazorla (aprox.3 hours)

Day 2        A circuit out from Cazorla past the Templar castle of La Iruela and up through pastures into mixed woodland, with stunning cliff top views over the olive strewn plains towards the provincial capital of Jaen.  The descent passes a hermitage and so back into the town.  4 hrs.

Day 3          A vehicle drop off for a circuit walk using old logging tracks and paths to reach a large plateau with 360 degree views of the surrounding jagged peaks.  Usually a good place for finding Mouflon, Red Deer and Ibex.   5 hrs.   

Day 4       A downhill linear route starting with two-hour tour by 4x4 through some of the most picturesque landscapes the Sierra of Cazorla has to offer.  On foot, we follow the Rio Barosa from its headwaters, past a couple of crystal clear lagoons, through a short tunnel before continuing down past the many superb waterfalls in the area.    5 hrs.

Day 5       A chance to visit the nearby town of Ubeda with a guided tour of the Renaissance and baroque monuments.  Alternatively you can take time to explore the streets and cafes of Cazorla as well as the nearby countryside.

Day 6                A vehicle drop off by a campsite where we follow a forestry track on foot, climbing gently.  We strike off climbing more steeply via an old logging path past pines that still show the scars of having been tapped for their sap.  The path traverses along an escarpment before dropping down to a series of clearings.  We pass abandoned farms till the path stops abruptly at a cliff edge with great views down into the valley where Peregrines glide.  Retracing our steps a short way, the circuit then continues up to the original forestry track and down to our start point.     4 hrs.

Day 7               Walk out from Cazorla towards the peak of Gilillo to the south.  A steady climb past a small monastery to a col rewards us with views over the surrounding mountains.  The descent is through scrub landscape to the tree line, passing through a mix of pines, hawthorn and whitebeam until reaching the river Gazas and back into Cazorla.   5 hrs.

Day 8        Transfer to Malaga airport.  

THE ACCOMMODATION
The friendly family run 2 star Hotel Guadalquivir in the centre of Cazorla.  Pedro, formerly the head chef at the nearby Parador Nacional is ably helped by his three daughters.  All rooms with en suite facilities and spotlessly clean.

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When to go: Spring time has to be recommended for the variety of endemic flowers.
Transfer Options: Malaga Airport
Grade of Difficulty: Medium - Mountainous terrain
What's included.: 6 day's guided walking, Free airport transfers, 7 nights half board Hotel Guadalquivir, meals at a variety of local restauarants.
Date: May 2nd - May 9th
Centre Based: 2* Hotel Guadalquivir