After making your way to the beautiful mountain town of Ronda, we’ll provide you with your hire bikes (or help you build your own) and make sure you‘re all set for the week ahead.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,315 Metres Approx.

Today you set out of historical town of Ronda for the first of many rides, passing through its beautifully preserved Moorish quarters towards the Puente Nuevo. This is the most recent and highest of Ronda’s 3 bridges that span the awesome El Tajo Gorge.

You’ll cruise down some way before a steady climb up to the Puerto de la Calerilla. From here a terrific undulating back lane will take you through holm oak and wild olive groves towards the majestic limestone peaks of Tavizna and El Hacho that sit like 2 guardians at the entrance to the massive Hundidero cave system.

The road twists and descends to Montejaque village, squeezed in between a mass of magnificent limestone, reaching into the Sierra de Grazalema above. The village square is a perfect spot for a mid morning coffee, so it would be rude not to.

A descent out of the village leads you to a beautifully undulating road that clings high on the side of the Guadiaro Valley, often with vertiginous drops down to the river way below. You’ll sweep past the entrance to the Pileta cave, housing beautifully preserved cave paintings giving indications of what life was like over 25,000 years ago.

Another descent drops you into the fertile valley bottom. Of course once you’re down there, the only way is up! You’ll begin the main climb of the route, passing almond and olive groves as the road twists its way up past the perfect white village of Jimera de Libar, from where the valley narrows and the road switches back, ascending steadily. At the top of the climb you’ll reach the hilltop village of Atajate. The views are beautiful looking across the Serrania de Ronda, an area of deep twisted valleys cloaked in chestnut and oak.

Atajate is a perfect spot for a relaxing lunch with a view so here you can choose to stop for lunch if you wish.

Re-fuelled you can set off again along the ridge road as it climbs into a desolate landscape of shattered limestone and dramatic views across hillsides dotted with isolated white villages. On reaching the Encinas Borrachas pass it’s a smooth, fast descent down to your hotel for a cold beer or maybe even a cup of tea!

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,700 Metres Approx.

This route includes one of the most iconic cycling passes in Andalucia, Puerto de las Palomas (the Pass of the Doves).

If you have opted for this ride you will ride out of Ronda as the rising sun illuminates the dramatic orange sandstone cliffs and after a long switchback descent take on your first climb, the steady Puerto de Montejaque. From the pass the splendour of the Grazalema mountain range comes into view for the first time, a mass of complex limestone towering above pastures and pine.

The road ahead is as smooth as silk as you drop down to the bright turquoise waters of the Zahara reservoir. The road hugs the bank as it winds its way, undulating upwards to the impressive hilltop town of Zahara de la Sierra topped by its dramatic 12th century Nazari castle. Zahara has a clutch of inviting bars with terraces for a quick coffee before you begin your climb up the imposing Palomas Pass standing at 1,347m. It’s a challenging ride up through memorable switchbacks on the flanks of El Torreon, the highest mountain in the range, clad in the rare pinsapo or Spanish fir. It’s an interesting climb, which twists and winds giving ever changing views and perspectives from this fantastic road.

The view from the summit is sublime, looking north and west to the lowlands. The ride from the pass down to the town of Grazalema is one that should stay with you for a long time. As you drop from the immense limestone massif, the pan-tile roofs of the town come into view nestled in a valley below the iconic Penon Grande peak.

Grazalema is an idyllic ‘pueblo blancos’ (white village) and has long been a haunt for nature lovers and artists. There’s an ideal picnic spot above the village to contemplate the beauty of the area and to give those well worked legs a rest.

After a wander through the winding lanes head out of the village on a curving lane that passes under huge cliffs to the Alamillos Pass. The road then dips in and out of a vast cork oak forest as it descends back towards Ronda.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,015 Metres Approx.

Today you can ride this route which takes an easy road that climbs up into the Parque Natural Sierra de las Nieves. As you climb over the Puerto de la Ventilla a whole new world is opened up to you. Down to your right you’ll see the immense Alto Genal, the head of the Genal valley. The higher reaches of the valley are cloaked in a vast chestnut forest, and gives way to steep sided ravines with precipitous terracing for olive, almond and citrus groves.

Above on your left is a vastly different landscape of huge pine forests reaching up to shattered limestone and bulging peaks. As the road levels out you are offered views of the Med, Gibraltar and even Morocco’s Rif mountains!

Now you will take a twisting narrow descent which will lead you to the inviting village of Pujerra, a hidden, whitewashed mountain village of Moorish origin, seemingly lost in time. The village square offers you a chance to meet the local people whilst grabbing morning refreshments.

Winding out of the village past flower filled patios you will cruise onto Igualeja, sat at the source of the Rio Genal.

A stiff climb on a narrow lane drops you onto a fantastic descent with some undulations and numerous corners. It’s a fun ride that will take you down past the village of Cartajima where weird and wonderful limestone shapes sit on the hillside. The lane continues to descend, twist and curve around the mountainside until you arrive at the next village of Juzcar.

Traversing the valley side, an undulating road takes you through more chestnut orchards to the beautiful village of Alpandeire, sitting with open views of the entire Alto Genal region, with its magnificent 16th century church protruding from the whitewash.

From the village it’s a good 300m climb to the Perdigones Pass from where a fast descent out of the Serrania takes you to the door of your hotel for some well earned refreshments.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 1,470 or 2,050 Metres Approx.

The first few kms today will put you onto the first climb, the beautiful Puerto del Viento (Pass of the Wind), and it’s a smooth 12km up to the 1,100m pass where olive groves give way to the open mountainscapes of the Sierra de las Nieves. In this wilderness it’s possible to see wild goats leaping effortlessly over the rocks and golden and booted eagles soaring high above.

From the pass the view back down to Ronda and into the Grazalema mountains beyond is awesome. As you roll on, the road begins to drop through a moonscape of scattered rock before entering a pine tree spotted landscape on a brilliant narrow descent that winds you down to the village of El Burgo. The views into the Turron valley are fantastic with the deep blue river meandering in the distance.

The Sierra de las Nieves are the highest peaks in the Malaga province reaching a height of a little under 2,000m with la Torrecilla. The range is rugged and complicated with twisting barrancos, deep ravines, caves, and hidden valleys, which have offered many a refuge in days gone by.

Next up is the Puerto de la Vibora (Viper Pass) starting straight out of El Burgo. It’s a stiff 400m climb that snakes its way up through pine and undulates along a ridge before a sharp drop down to the village of Serrato for a well earned lunch stop by the picturesque river. Here you have the option to take the shorter route back to Ronda or if you‘re not ready for the day to end just yet, you can continue onto the longer route.

After a siestita you can press on through a series of back lanes, through wheat fields and past villages topped by dramatic castles. It’s a delightful ride to Canete la Real, where you can watch griffon vultures soaring effortlessly over the 11th century castle of Hins Canit.

You then cruise onwards in the shadow of the limestone cliffs of Padrastro before a beautiful descent on a narrow lane to the villages of Alcala del Valle and Cuevas del Becerro.

The last leg to Ronda takes you over the steady Saltillo Pass and through an area of majestic dehesa (sparsely forested pasture land) before dropping gently down to the city.

• Meals: Breakfast
• Ascent: 950 Metres Approx.

You begin your journey along a route that winds through breathtaking landscapes, with awe-inspiring views. The road follows the mountain ridge, passing through pine forests, along steep cliffs, and over hills covered in olive and almond trees in bloom. Every turn brings a new outlook on the landscape, keeping the journey visually rewarding throughout.

As you progress, the road dramatically descends through the Serranía, a mountainous region that seems untouched by time. This area, rich in wild nature, blesses you with spectacular views of limestone cliffs that rise majestically, creating an impressive contrast with the peaceful and picturesque white villages that dot the hillsides. These villages, with their whitewashed houses, appear to float in the air, as if they were taken from a living postcard.

The magnificent and challenging road unfolds before you as it weaves through the terrain, rising and falling, offering twists and turns that make this stretch an exhilarating experience. In the distance, the horizon fills with mountains and green valleys, while the sun illuminates the fields, casting shadows that dance across the rocks. After a few exciting kilometers, you’ll arrive at the picturesque village of Gaucín, famous for its natural beauty and privileged location. This charming white village, perched on a high point, offers breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding mountains, the Mediterranean Sea, and, in the distance, the imposing Rock of Gibraltar, which seems to watch over the coast with its majestic presence. On clear days, the view extends to the Rif Mountains in North Africa, creating a sense of vastness and connection to another continent.

After leaving Gaucín, one of the most exciting moments of the day awaits you: a spectacular descent towards El Colmenar (also known as the Gaucín train station). This descent, surrounded by landscapes of great beauty, is the perfect reward for the effort made so far. As you descend, the vegetation changes, moving from mountain shrubs to dense cork oak forests, and the view opens up, revealing deep valleys, imposing rock formations, and small streams that wind through the landscape, their crystal-clear waters reflecting the sunlight. Every kilometer of this descent is a celebration of nature in its purest and wildest form.

At El Colmenar (Estacion de tren Gaucin), you’ll board a train back to Ronda, so be sure to check the schedule in advance to ensure a smooth and timely return.

• Meals: Breakfast

Time to pack up your bags and start the journey home. What a week!