Badlands: Granada to Cabo de Gata Bikepacking Trip

7 Days, Multiple Departures

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Badlands: Granada to Cabo de Gata Bikepacking Trip
  • About
  • Gallery
  • Itinerary
  • Location
  • Things to keep in mind
  • FAQ

Journey east to the town of Gorafe and the desert that gives Badlands its name. Head to Tabernas Desert and the Mediterranean wild coast of Cabo de Gata.

A tour designed in colaboration with the Badlands team, we aim to share the best of the riding, food & culture of this incredibly varied region. Stay in carefully selected, unique accommodations, rated for the warmth of welcome & cultural experience instead of the number of stars. Enjoy a wealth of traditional food along the way and indluge in life, Andalucia style.

This is a bikepacking challenge. Riders must approach the ride with a sense of adventure and equipped with good mechanical & navigational skills.

About

CYCLING

Bikepacking

ACCOMMODATION

2* to 5*

FOOD

Breakfast only

TRANSFERS

Optional

BIKE RENTAL

Optional

ACCOMMODATION

Villa Oniria

Villa Oniria is a charming hotel in the heart of Granada, located in an old Nineteenth-century mansion that was renovated following the architectural guidelines of old Andalusian palaces.

Cueva Solano

Spend two nights in a cave-turned guesthouse. The caves here have been inhabited for 2,000 years!

Casa Mimi

Enjoy a warm welcome at Casa Mini, a guest house just outside the village of Gérgal. A rural retreat that guarantees a good night of rest.

Hotel Montesion

Stay in the pretty village of Lucainena in this lovely family-run 3* hotel.

Cabogata Beach Hotel

Finish in style at the 5* Cabogata Beach Hotel. Enjoy a room with a sea view, relax by the pool, and celebrate a fabulous adventure completed!


FOOD

Full-board - breakfast, lunch & evening meals

The tour was an incredible experience from start to finish. They prepare you very well for this trip. They are extremely attentive to all questions before the trip begins. The booking process was simple and they helped with hotel upgrades and accommodated my wife who was not cycling. Having the cafe and bike shop in a central location in Girona was perfect. The bikes were great. The food, drinks and camaraderie at the Cafe were a nice bonus. From the moment we met the team they made us feel welcome, safe, and fully supported. The guides were kind, friendly, funny, and encouraged us to seek new heights (literally) on the bike. They were all perfect gentlemen to my wife and made her feel included on the trip despite her not cycling with us. They were all so attentive to everyone's needs during the trip whether they be dietary or road safety or anything in between. Josep, Chris, Zippy, and Chris were class act guys, incredible cyclists and just a blast to be around. Lunch set ups during our rides were superb - ice cold drinks, nourishing, delicious and healthy food. Coffee stops were thoughtful and a nice bonus. They put on fantastic meal spreads at the most scenic spots when our tanks were empty and ready to be refilled. Ride support before and during the rides was exceptional. The hotel we stayed at (Nord - an upgrade) was a lovely spot in town with excellent breakfasts, small soaking pool, bike storage, friendly english speaking staff and clean comfortable rooms. Lastly each night we were guided to a different restaurant with the team and our whole group. Many of us became friends and still communicate on Strava now. The restaurant selections were wonderful as each restaurant was different than the other in terms of cuisine, ambience, and level of formality - it was honestly a great mix and high quality food which was important given that it was included in the package. A nice perk during the trip was that a media team traveled with us for video and photos to help with their promotion. They were a nice crew and made us feel like superstars. In summary I cannot say enough about this company and about their people - this trip was incredible. The value was excellent also. My friend and our wives who accompanied us reminisce about this trip often. I recommend them to everyone now . . . and we are planning our next trip with them already for next year. Thank you so much!

Louis, Lynnfield, MA (As seen in TripAdvisor, Oct 2022)

Gallery
About The Host

As the host, it’s our pedal-powered mission to share our love of cycling with anyone who likes to ride a bike.

We run unique cycling tours across Europe and beyond. Enjoy the company of our exceptional local guides, stay in the best hotels a region has to offer & discover your chosen destination at the best time of year to ride.

Our Cycling Hubs are located in the heart of two of Europe's most popular cycling destinations, Girona & Málaga. Shop a handpicked range of bikes, accessories & apparel, hire a high-quality rental bike, book your bike into the workshop, settle down on the terrace with a chilled beer, or join one of our regular rides.

We put sustainability at the heart of our operations & seek to embed environmentally friendly practices in everything that we do. We believe that it's time to give back to, & protect, the amazing landscapes that give us so much joy as cyclists.

Itinerary

Day 1

Meet & greet, warm-up ride in Granada city. Test your bike & equipment ahead of tomorrow’s big ride.

Day 2

The ride starts from Granada City Center with a steep climb up into the Sierra de Huétor Natural Park, a mountain range over the valley of Granada covered in pine, cedar, and fir forests, with amazing views of Sierra Nevada. Enjoy one of the most diverse areas in Europe when the route heads into La Hoya de Guadix, a natural plain with plenty of gullies and badlands, the natural transition between the forest and the desert. This landscape deeply marked by the erosion of the basins of the Rivers Fardes and Guadix, contains the largest concentration of cave dwellings and dolmens in Europe.

Day 3

Today we ride into Gorafe Desert, one of the most stunning landscapes in Europe. The route starts from the picturesque village of Gorafe, at the bottom of the Gor Canyon, and is considered the entrance to the desert. Los Colores is one of the most popular areas of the desert, owing its name to the predominant red color and its similarity to the Grand Canyon. The ride continues to the gravel climb to Los Altos de Alicún, before turning back and closing the loop at the village of Gorafe.

Day 4

The ride heads into Sierra de Los Filabres, the largest mountain range in Almería Province. This remote area, frequently over 2.000m in height, is the most isolated and remote area of the route with more than 70 km without villages or resupplies. This mountain range was a historic crossroads of cultures, and its legacy includes remains of Roman aqueducts or Arab castles. The rides finish at the village of Gérgal, considered the North gate of the Tabernas Desert.

Day 5

From the village of Gérgal, the route goes into the Tabernas Desert, officially considered to be the only real desert on the whole European continent. The track goes through some dry and sandy river basins known as Ramblas: Rambla de Lanujar (14km), Rambla de Tabernas (7km), and Rambla del Búho (3km) before the village of Tabernas, and Rambla de los Molinos (3km) just before the climb to Collado Colativí. These omnipresent sand-covered gullies known as Badlands have been widely used as a set for films such as A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Conan the Barbarian, or Game of Thrones.

Day 6

The route starts with a long and soft descent from Lucainena de las Torres into the Cabo de Gata Natural Park, the largest protected area on the European coast. This unique landscape, shaped by the erosion of the rocks solidified magma that flowed from the volcanic formations into the sea, is considered the ecological boundary with Africa. The ride continues in a mixture of terrain with secondary roads, gravel, and sandy sections along the coast until the final destination, the village of Retamar.

Day 7

It’s time to say goodbye! Plan your onward travel from Almeria. We can arrange your transfers for you. Ask us if you’d like to extend your stay in Andalucia - it’s no problem!

Location
Things to keep in mind

More than 90 days - No Cancellation Fee 

61 – 90 Days - 50% of Tour Price

31 – 60 days - 75% of Tour Price

0 – 30 days - 100% of Tour Price

The parties agree to this combined travel contract, which is subject to the following PARTICULAR CONDITIONS.

TOUR NAME. As established in the Trip Notes, sent to the guest.

DATE OF TOUR. As established in the Trip Notes, sent to the guest.

PRICE. As established in the Trip Notes.

PLACE OF DEPARTURE AND RETURN. As established in the Trip Notes.

PLACE, METHOD, AND CALENDAR OF PAYMENT. As established in the Trip Notes

SCHEDULE. As established in the Trip Notes.

ITINERARY AND PREVIOUS SERVICES. As established in the Trip Notes and supplemented with the documentation that will be delivered to the guest before departure in the Tour Itinerary.

ACCOMMODATIONS AND MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED, CATEGORY, CHARACTERISTICS, AND SITUATION. As established in the Trip Notes. The guest expressly acknowledges being informed of this, giving his/her agreement to the categories, characteristics, and situation of the hotels and means of transport that will be used in the contracted trip. Hotels may vary depending on their occupancy.

MINIMUM NUMBER OF PEOPLE. The completion of this trip requires the minimum number of people that the Trip Notes expressly indicate (if a minimum is not required, this clause is not applicable). The Agency may cancel the trip if a minimum number of people is required and this minimum is not reached. See Trip Notes for the specific conditions of your tour.

EXECUTION OF THE TOUR. The Agency is responsible for the correct execution of all travel services included in the contract (by article 161 of Bill no. RD 1/2007). The Agency shall provide adequate assistance without undue delay to the traveler in need of assistance. The Agency may invoice a reasonable surcharge for such assistance if the need for assistance has been caused intentionally or due to the negligence of the guest. Said surcharge will in no case exceed the actual costs incurred by the Agency. The guest must inform the Agency without undue delay of any lack of compliance observed during the execution of a travel service included in the contract.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR FOREIGN GUESTS. Visas, passports, fees, and other necessary documentation may be required, as established in the Trip Notes.

INSURANCE

Assistance Insurance. The contracted trip includes the option to obtain travel assistance

Cancellation Insurance. The consumer declares that he/she has been informed by the Agency of the possibility of contracting insurance, paid by the guest, which covers the costs of cancellation and to have assistance covering the cost of repatriation or transfer to the place of origin, in case of accident, illness or death as well as other eventualities.

Insurance in case of insolvency. The purpose of the insurance is to respond to the fulfillment of the obligations arising from the provision of services to the contractors of a combined trip and, especially, to the reimbursement of the funds deposited in the event of insolvency or bankruptcy of the Agency. By European, Spanish, and Catalan legislation, The host has contracted insurance with the following company:

TERRAIN

Gravel

LEVEL

Advanced

AVERAGE DISTANCE X DAY

83 km

AVERAGE TIME X DAY

3 h 20 min

FAQ