Caliphs & Knights: Cordoba & Segura
Guided mountain walking — small international group — East Andalusia

We take you back into the Middle Ages: Cordoba, with the fabulous monuments of the Omayyad Caliphs, and the picturesque villages of eastern Andalusia, dominated by the castles of the knights of Santiago.
Discover with us the landscapes and nature of two superb Natural Parks, the Subbética Cordobesa and the Sierras of Cazorla and Segura — the biggest in Spain (2140 km²) and one of Europe's largest. Little known outside Spain, this is an idyllic area for both walkers and naturalists: impressive gorges, high plateaux with vast sheep flocks, forested crags and the crystalline waters of the upper Guadalquivir... There is a great variety of flora and fauna including the very dark 'red' squirrel, symbol of the Sierra de Segura, as well as ibex, mouflon, red and fallow deer.

ONE WEEK Activities: 4 walks of 4-5 hours, 1 of 3 hours; visits to Córdoba, Baeza and Segura de la Sierra. No portage of luggage; no technical difficulty; on (sometimes steep/stony) paths with some 'off path' sections. Denivellations 400-500m a day. Group 10 maximum.
Easy-paced 'Nature rambles' available on all dates: shorter walks with less denivellation. In Spring, accent on the flora of the Natural Park.

FULL BOARD EXCEPT the Monday evening meal at Zuheros, twin rooms (private bathrooms): two nights at Zuheros, one of the most beautiful of the 'white villages' of Andalusia, four at Hornos de Segura where the hotelier, Marí-Carmen, cooks us particularly delicious local dishes, and one at Antequera.

PRICE 755 euros per person; single room supplement 135 euros.

DATES (Sunday-Sunday)
2010 7-14 November, 19-26 December*; 2011 13-20 February, 10-17 April, 15-22 May, 18-25 September, 23-30 October, Monday 19-Monday 26 December*.
*Special Christmas programme, including Andalusia's Christmas confectionery artisans (turrón, anis, and the giant 'Belén de chocolate') at Rute and a delicious festive dinner at Hornos. The last night may be at Granada instead of Antequera.
For two weeks of walking in five Natural Parks of East Andalusia, combine this programme with 'Moorish Kingdom of Granada'. Available 7-21 November 2010, 8-22 May 2011, 11-25 September 2011, 23 Oct-6 Nov 2011.

RENDEZVOUS & DISPERSAL Málaga (airport, station or city centre).

Location of this programme:

DAY-TO-DAY
SUNDAY: Transfer from Málaga to Zuheros, where we stay for two nights.

MONDAY: The Subbética Cordobesa: the gorge of the río Bailón.

TUESDAY: The unique Mosque-Cathedral, the Alcázar and the Judería of Córdoba, as well as the Renaissance city of Baeza. Four nights at the fortified village of Hornos, in a real "eagle's nest" site perched above the Tranco lake in the Sierra de Cazorla-Segura.

WEDNESDAY: The río Madera [wood river] with numerous spring flowers, enormous pine trees and calares (eroded limestone plateaux with spectacular forest-clad cliffs). Squirrels and very interesting flora. In the afternoon we walk (optional) on the narrow path which dominates the río Hornos.

THURSDAY: The Yelmo, views of all the Natural Park, and the Tranco lake with the ancient salt pans of Hornos.

FRIDAY: Walking amid the olive groves, pinewoods and hamlets of the Trujala. Views of the eastern part of the Sierra de Segura and the confines of Andalusia. Visit to Segura de la Sierra, with its walls, Moorish baths and Mudéjar castle.

SATURDAY: The Parque Cinegético and the famous río Borosa gorge, one of the best areas for spotting big game animals. Last evening and night at Antequera.

SUNDAY: Transfer to Málaga.

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2 or 3 weeks' walking? Choose a combination of 'Genal Valley', 'Natural Parks of the Serranía', 'Caliphs & Knights: Cordoba & Segura', 'Moorish Kingdom of Granada', 'Sierras of Extremadura', 'Sierra de Guadalupe', M&C Cuenca–Teruel', 'Alto Maestrazgo', 'Natural Parks of Old Castile' or 'Picos de Europa National Park': all are different and complementary. Reduction for 2 consecutive programmes, 80 euros; for 3, 120 euros.