You’ll be met on arrival at Malaga Airport (AGP) and transferred to the starting destination of Tolox (1 hour). This typical hillside white village is a little way inland right on the edge of the awesome Sierra de las Nieves mountain range, which reaches some 2000m/6500ft above the village and is the ideal place to start this Southern Spanish adventure. Bike building and fitting can be done in the gardens at the hotel with splendid views back down to the Mediterranean. The evening meal will be taken at a village restaurant, giving you your first chance to try the tasty local cuisine, while we discuss the week ahead.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,270 Metres Approx.

On well rested legs we'll pedal north up onto a ridge with great views across the park and surrounding area, then descend on a series of fantastic fast trails dipping and twisting into the deep valley of the Rio Grande. Past ancient water mills, the trail follows the river before the testing climb up through the orange groves to the white village of Yunquera, perched beneath the impressive Cabrilla Mountain. When we reach the village you'll understand why the Moorish founders chose the location. The village has a terrific commanding position and is the perfect place to take a snack with a view.

A track climbing steady heads straight into the mountains and then drops on some sexy riverside singletrack through tall pines and boulders. Another swooping descent down 'dust hill' will bring us to the enchanting picnic area at Fuensanta. A late (Spanish style) lunch is just the ticket to re-energise us for the last climb of the day to Puerto de la Mujer (Pass of the Woman). It's a truly beautiful area of towering limestone and huge pines.

The slice of singletrack to come is one of the highlights of the week and will have you buzzing all the way to our hotel in El Burgo. This village feels like the 21st century has passed it by and it offers excellent old fashioned hospitality. The hotel is a converted 18th century house. The home cooking is delicious, traditional mountain food.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1000 Metres Approx.

After a re-fuelling breakfast we will head out on what could be the toughest day of the week! We pick up a lovely trail from the village that heads up alongside the picturesque El Burgo River, passing smallholdings and dams in the shade of thick forest. We’ll pick up some tricky twisty singletrack down through forest and along the riverbed. This excellent path climbs, dips and traverses along the valley side before it begins to climb for real.

The climb is a great test of technical skill! There is no rush to get to the top so we can enjoy the open vista of terrific views. The path leads into a 4×4 track and the going becomes a little easier as we head for the Lifa pass, our summit. From the pass we look down onto the white town of Ronda and beyond to the Grazalema Mountains. It’s a great place for lunch.

Fast thrilling downhill will speed us towards the Ancient city of Ronda. Our route through the town will pass the oldest bullring in Spain and the Puente Nuevo over the impressive Tajo Gorge. We’ll head onto the excellent flowing singletrack that the local bikers have created and then drop down fast trails to the Guadiaro River. One last climb into the beautiful limestone of the Grazalema Park concludes in a fun switchback descent to Montejaque. The village is in a stunning setting nestled between huge craggy peaks with the hotel right on the lively village square.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,185 Metres Approx.

We set off in the morning sunlight, through the bright whitewashed lanes, with a day of truly fantastic mountain biking ahead. A short stiff climb to awaken our lungs and legs will give us great views back to the village and the Guadiaro valley, the main stage of our riding today. The track joins up with an ancient trader’s route, a perfect singletrack with a few rocky sections to test the skills and nerves.

We follow the river downstream, past the Cueva de la Gata to the village of Benoajan, a perfect stop for a morning coffee. The trail to come has to be one of the best stretches of singletrack in Spain. Firstly an 8km stretch of mainly smooth singletrack twists along the riverbank to the village of Jimera de Libar, followed by 10km/6miles of fast flowing trails and singletrack to the next village of Estacion de Cortes!

A steady climb to the beautiful hilltop village of Cortes de la Frontera will bring us to a deserving lunch stop. In the afternoon we head into the Alcornocales Natural Park, the continent’s largest cork oak forest, described by well known British botanist David Bellamy as 'perhaps Europe’s last real wilderness area.

The trails weave in and out of thick forest eventually picking up the GR-7, a long distance footpath stretching from Tarifa all the way to Athens. To end the days ride a mixture of singletrack and sweeping trails will drop us down to the Jimena de la Frontera, a village topped by its wonderful 13th century castle. The restaurant here is superb and the local game stews are definitely a must try; though there are veggie options available.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 735 Metres Approx.

To warm the legs up we'll climb back into the forest park past smallholdings towards the Lomas de Camara peak where the views of the trail ahead are magnificent. We'll ride through ancient oak forests, on contouring tracks, dropping down to streambeds before climbing to the next viewpoint. As we ride alongside the picturesque Guadarranque Reservoir we'll catch glimpses of Castillo de Castellar, a classic Moorish fortress village perched on the hillside across the water. This is a great place for a lazy picnic lunch, with possibly a siesta under one of the huge oaks.

After some lovely twisting tracks we will begin a testing climb on afternoon legs to the summit of the Sierras de Montecoche. A terrific switchback path will take us down to the shores of the Charco Redondo Reservoir. A fast trail will take us around the water before a last descent to the small town of Los Barrios and our beds for the night.

This is a terrific day of wilderness biking where we will hardly meet a soul, let alone see a building. We wish to keep traffic in the forest to a minimum enabling us to appreciate the peace of the area. Therefore we will be taking our own supplies for snacks and lunch. However the support vehicle will never be too far away should we need it in case of an emergency.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 700 Metres Approx.

Our final day mountain biking of this superb Andaluz adventure is an absolute classic! After a short morning transfer we set off on a switchback climb leading us onto a high ridge overlooking the Mediterranean with spectacular view across the Straits of Gibraltar. Once we reach the ridge we have a panoramic view of the entire route we have travelled since the start of the week.

After the challenging climb it is now time for some fun. We have a choice of trails that local riders have opened up and built through the hills above Tarifa. These are the trails that our guides ride on their days off so they have unrivalled knowledge of the area and will select the routes that best suit the experience of the group. The exhilarating descents tackle excellent flowing singletrack with the odd rocky steep section to test our mettle.

Next off we head into the Straits of Gibraltar Natural Park. This is a beautiful stretch of wild, mountainous coastline that has fantastic views across to the majestic Rif Mountains in Morocco. The fast trail heads in a south westerly direction towards our destination, then takes a swooping descent to the shores of the historical channel to the fishing hamlet of Guadalmesi. A delicious beachside lunch will be ready and waiting our arrival and maybe a revitalising dip will fit the bill for some of us.

Re-energised we pick up a great trail that undulates close to the shores. Long stretches of brilliant singletrack flow around the headlands until we meet the eastern old town wall of Tarifa. Our final piece of riding will take us to the Isla de las Palomas. This is the most southerly point of mainland Europe as well as the natural divide between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Yeah, you’ve made it. Congratulations!! A ‘couple’ of celebratory drinks while we watch the sun set over the Atlantic is a memorable way to finish this tour. Back for a shower at the hotel in the heart of the old town and then out for some tasty tapas and drinks in the exciting bars that Tarifa has to offer.

• Meals: Breakfast

Time to pack those bags for the last time after a relaxing breakfast, before transferring to the airport (1 hour 40 mins approx).

The route described in this tour is an example of the day to day riding. Certainly being a place to place trip some of the route will be obligatory, however the local guides will add and take some parts out to suit the groups abilities, weather and other variables throughout the week, to ensure the group has an fun packed and enjoyable trip.