Discover the Sierras

Self-Guided MTB Tour in Spain

MTB Tour in an outstanding area of natural beauty in western Andalucia

Enjoy a self-guided MTB tour through Andalucia's loveliest rural countryside. A fantastic week of cross-country mountain biking on varied tracks and trails, enjoying a stunning variety of mountain, valley, river and forest landscapes.

Great views, quiet trails and characterful “pueblos blancos” offer something special on every day of this week-long self-guided mountain bike tour in Spain. 

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Details

 

START:  Ronda     FINISH:  Ronda

This tour can be started in Malaga, adding 2 to 3 extra days of riding. Price on request.

Price	From €935 p.p. based on 2 people sharing a double or twin room with breakfast
Duration	8 days	7 nights	5 riding days
Distance	224 km total	45 km daily avg     ( max 50km - min 41km )
Difficulty	Moderate - route includes a daily average ascent of 792 metres. Riding is mainly on unsurfaced tracks with some sections of quiet roads and single-track.
Availability	March to November. Choose the dates which suit you. Start on any day of the week. Note: Supplements may apply during Easter week due to inflated accommodation prices.

 

Discover the Sierras MTB Tour Highlights

Riding Highlights Remote Mountain Biking Trails Natural Trails and Single Track Changing landscapes every day Outstanding routes through Natural Parks	Experiences Ronda "City of Dreams" Hilltop Towns and White Villages Grazalema Natural Park

Itinerary

 

Arrival Day in Ronda

Extra sightseeing days can be added on request

Check in to your hotel and enjoy the sights and sounds of the beautiful clifftop town of Ronda. Briefing and bike set-up for your MTB tour of Andalucia will take place on your first evening

 

Riding Day 1 - Ronda to Olvera

45km + 555m

From Ronda, you are quickly riding on small MTB trails past olive groves and holm oak forest, with a long descent down into the village of Setenil de las Bodegas. Take a coffee break or have lunch under huge overhanging limestone cliffs, where ancient "cave houses" built into the rock form the basis of many village houses, shops and cafes. Ascend back into the hills above Setenil via a dramatic limestone gorge, where we catch great views of Olvera's striking skyline of Arab fortress and twin-towered Renaissance church in the distance. Ride through farmland and via Torre Alhaquime village - lots of ups and downs - and a final climb through the olives to your overnight accommodation in the centre of the town. 

Riding Day 2 - Olvera to Montellano

44km +808m

Today you leave Olvera and are immediately back in the olive groves which abound in this area. Miles of rolling hills give a sense of remoteness and freedom, as the trails undulate through the countryside. Optional lunch stop in Coripe village and a final hilly section before heading to your hotel in the village of Montellano. 

Riding Day 3 - Montellano to El Bosque

50km +601m

Ride through easy farmland, passing through olive, sunflower and cotton fields. A steepish climb up to lunch in the small village of Prado del Rey - lots of little tapas bars and cafes close to the picturesque village square. Then a nice descent down to an area of natural inland salt deposits, Las Salinas de Iptuci, managed as salt flats since Roman times and where 300 tonnes of salt are still produced every year. Overnight in El Bosque in a traditional village hotel; an old mill wheel and fountain on the village square provide a lovely spot for dinner.

Riding Day 4 - El Bosque to Montecorto

41km +827

Cycle out of the village on a wide track beside a small stream and then into the oak forests of the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park. Fantastic scenery with dramatic limestone mountains all around. Continue on off-road trails, with a short sharp climb up into the village of Zahara de la Sierra. Lunch up in the village centre or stay down by the beautiful blue lake with views across to the village and its Moorish tower. Continue along an undulating path beside the lake's edge and finish with an undulating section of scenic road along the lake edge and up to your spa cortijo accommodation overlooking the lake. A table will be reserved for you for dinner in the hotel restaurant. Spa treatments can be pre-booked for you on request.

Riding Day 5 - Montecorto to Ronda

45km +1171m

A short sharp road climb to begin the day, quickly gaining height into the hills directly behind the hotel, then follow a beautiful section of quiet road which twists and turns through cork oak forests. Turn off the road to head directly into the forests and valleys of the Grazalema Natural Park. Remote singletrack and doubletrack trails cross remote areas of the park, with a great section through deep forest along a stream towards the village of Montejaque - a good coffee or lunch stop. Exit the village via a steep switchback path then cross a high mountain plateau, eventually gaining views of Ronda in the distance.

A fast descent into the Guadiaro river valley, ready for a final, scenic climb up through pine forest on narrow trails back to the town for the night. 

Day 6 - Sightseeing in Ronda or a ride to the Costa del Sol

Enjoy a day in Ronda - see the famous bridge ("Puente Nuevo") which spans the 120m limestone gorge which divides the town in two. Walk the city wall, visit the oldest bullring in Spain and the Casa del Rey Moro (Moorish king's house) or simply sit at a cafe with some tapas and a chilled beer or glass of local wine and watch the local life go by.

If you prefer instead to have another day's mountain biking, a popular choice is a guided MTB ride down to the Costa del Sol through the mountains of the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park (more ride details) Supplement of €85 p.p. with a choice of the final night back in Ronda or staying on the coast. Let us know your preference at the time of booking.

Departure Day

Extra sightseeing days can be added on request

Check out from your hotel and have a safe trip home or to your next destination.

We can provide transfers to your next destination or airports of Sevilla or Malaga. POA

We hope to see you again in the future.

 

What's Included

 

WHAT'S INCLUDED     7 nights of accommodation on a B&B basis  Luggage transfers Quality Hardtail MTB Helmet & water bottle (or bring your own) Route GPS (phone App with daily routes, profiles and maps, no Data-usage required) or GPX files Annotated route maps  Briefing Pack, incl day-by-day route notes Briefing meeting on arrival   We operate locally to Ronda so support is always close at hand if needed See our suggested KIT LIST for MTB touring in Spain.

ACCOMMODATION Your tour goes through a mix of large and small towns and more rural areas, so the accommodation style and standard will vary greatly. In the larger towns, we usually book 4-star or 3-star hotels; outside of these, you will stay in countryside haciendas, boutique B&Bs or traditional-style village hotels. All rooms have en-suite facilities. Our selections are based on clean and comfortable accommodation (if sometimes quite simple), friendly owners and staff, a warm welcome, bike storage and sometimes a swimming pool too.

ROUTE NAVIGATION For self-guided mountain biking, we provide a GPS application on your mobile phone.  We give free access to the application which can be used in offline mode for each day's ride.  The app. shows maps and the route in great detail. We supply a quality phone holder on the bike to keep your phone safe. We also provide a large-scale, annotated map, designed specifically for your tour by Hike and Bike, giving you a perspective of where you are at all times.

FAQs

 

IS THERE A LOT OF TRAFFIC ON THE ROUTE?

Our Mountain Bike Tours are designed to maximise off-road riding through changing landscapes, on a mixture of single-track paths, double-track, forest tracks, cycleways and occasional linking sections of quiet roads. The single-track is not groomed for mountain biking, so the technical requirements vary through each section. Check the individual tour Itinerary for more details. You will sometimes be riding in remote areas.

 

HOW FIT DO I NEED TO BE?

Our Mountain Bike Tours are graded from ‘Moderate’ to ‘Challenging’, with daily distances of 40-70km, depending on the specific tour. They are designed for cross-country mountain bikers who have reasonable off-road biking skills and good fitness. To ensure the maximum time off-road, there are notable climbs and technical sections in every tour. Check the individual tour Itinerary for a daily breakdown of distance and ascent.

 

WHAT’S THE WEATHER LIKE?

Our cycling tours run from March through to November, with the best cycling weather from March to June and from September to November. Most routes are also possible during the summer months but we recommend an earlier start to beat the main heat of the day, and don’t forget to carry plenty of water.

 

WHAT HAPPENS TO MY LUGGAGE?

We transfer all your main luggage for you. We provide a rear seat trunk bag or small side pannier and a handlebar bag (per couple) to carry a few essential items with you each day e.g. water, snacks, sunscreen, but we recommend you travel light.

 

HOW DO I NAVIGATE EACH DAY?

Navigation on this tour is very easy with our phone app. RidewithGPS. We provide personalised daily routes from door-to-door of each day’s accommodation. The app shows maps and daily routes in great detail, with distances and route profiles, so you always know what is coming up. The app is used in offline mode so you do not need to use Data on your phone and can still navigate in areas where there is no phone signal.

 

WHAT HAPPENS IF I HAVE A PUNCTURE OR PROBLEM WITH MY BIKE?

On this self-guided tour we provide all the necessary kit on your bikes for you to fix your own flat tyres or deal with minor mechanical issues (e.g. broken chain). If you do not know how, ask a bike mechanic at home to show you before your holiday or check our Bike Repair notes at the bottom of every webage. If you need our assistance, you can call us on the number provided and we will help as much as possible on the phone; we may be able to attend minor mechanical issues but this may be subject to a charge. In the case of a more major mechanical issue, we we will come to repair the bike or bring a replacement.

 

WHAT MEALS ARE INCLUDED?

All accommodation includes breakfast (unless specifically stated). Lunch and dinner are not included, so you are free to eat when and where you wish. We mark up your map with suggested lunch locations. Your hosts can recommend dining options, or sometimes they will serve dinner – this information will be included in your daily route notes.

 

IS THIS TOUR AVAILABLE WITH A GUIDE / SUPPORT?

We can offer a guided version of this tour with qualified guides and support vehicles or a semi-supported version with a support vehicle and driver/mechanic. There is a minimum requirement of 6 people to be able to provide this service. Please do not hesitate to enquire about price and availability.

 

WHAT IF I NEED TO CANCEL OR CHANGE MY BOOKING?

If you need to cancel or change the dates of a booking, we have a scaled set of charges based on the work already completed and any costs already incurred which we cannot get back. If you re-book a holiday with us within 12 months of a cancellation which has incurred charges, we will credit up to 50% of the retained amount to the new holiday. Our full cancellation policy can be found here