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View Opportunity
Discover the iconic Badlands region with Eat Sleep Cycle. The adventure begins in the historic city of Granada in the shadow of the Alhambra palace. 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 self-guided tour. Riders must approach the ride with a sense of adventure and equipped with mechanical & navigational skills.
Rated 4 out of 4 our Epic tours are designed for people who train 3 or 4 times a week and are looking to push themselves on back to back challenging days on the bike. Riders should be confident riding in a small group, comfortable on extended climbs (at your own pace) and have good bike handling skills on corners and descents. E-bikes are available on all of our tours.
Meet & greet, warm-up ride in Granada city – enjoy spectacular view of the Alhambra palace and the Sierra Nevada mountains. Test your bike & equipment ahead of tomorrow’s big ride.
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 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. Tonight sleep in the Cave houses of Chumbera.
Today ride into Gorafe Desert, one of the most stunning landscapes in Europe. Start by riding north east to the picturesque village of Gorafe, at the bottom of the Gor Canyon and considered the entrance to the desert. Los Coloraos is one of the most popular areas of the desert, owing its name to the predominant red colour 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. We continue to climb south to the village of Gor, and another cave dwelling – the newly renovated caves at El Atochal.
Ride south east today. The ride starts with a climb out of Gor, enjoy views of the Sierra de Baza to the left and Sierra Nevada to the right. Once over the first climb the profile of the route swtiches to downhill to the Tabernas desert. Cross the Tabernas desert and look out for scenes from classic western movies! These omnipresent sand covered gullies known as Badlands has 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.Ride the dry river beds (ramblas) to our resting place tonight in Alhama de Almería.
Enjoy one of the flattest rides of the trip, east to Carboneras and Cabo de Gata. Be sure to stop in the village of Tabernas for coffee and from Lucainena de las Torres enjoy a long and soft descent into the Cabo de Gata Natural Park, the largest protected area of the European coast.
For the grand finale enjoy a spectacular ride west along the coast. The unique landscape of Cabo de Gata has been shaped by the erosion on the rocks and 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.
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!
SELF-GUIDED
We’ll welcome you to the start of your tour, talk you through the week ahead and ensure you have everything you need to enjoy a great ride.
Guests receive a detailled digital Road Book, containing routes, route descriptions, details of hotels and our recommended places to stop along the way and enjoy in the evenings. Guests can choose to navigate from their own phone or GPS devices are available on request.
On a self-guided tour we take care of your luggage and move it from hotel to hotel. We also provide a contact number for support during the trip and will help you out of any situation.
We recommend that guests are able to fix a puncture and perform basic roadside bike repairs to best enjoy a self-guided tour.
Hotels shown are examples and are subject to change
Villa Oniria is a charming hotel in the heart of Granada, located in an old Nineteenth-century mansion which was renovated following the architectural guidelines of old Andalusian palaces.
Between the small villages of Benalúa and Fonelas we find this small and unique cave hotel.
In this rural hotel you will have the opportunity to sleep in a comfortable cave located in the heart of a natural park with unbeatable views. with unbeatable views. Every evening, you will witness a unique sunset.
Relax overlooking Carboneras, enjoy cristal clear waters, glimpses of the island of San Andrés (a Biosphere reserve) and The Castle of San Andrés (a natural monument). Soak up panoramic views of one of the film sites of Lawrence of Arabia, see fascinating desert landscapes where tradition merges with the Moorish past.
The Hotel Carboneras Cabo de Gata is a refuge defined by its tranquility, enjoy a night at this cosy and comfortable hotel where you will discover the simple luxuries of life.
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!
Bike hire is not included in the tour. Add bike rental to the trip from €40 per day
This lightweight carbon gravel e-bike is almost identical to the non e-bike version, with the adition of a 300 W power unit weighing only 3.9 Kg. The Adlar has an autonomy of 1,000-2,000m of elevation, or constant use 1.5-2hrs. A range extender is available to hire for double the range. The bike has a Shimano GRX 1 x groupset.
An evolved race bike ready for the rough and tumble of grass crits, mud ruts or open gravel tracks. Enojy a Lightweight, durable carbon frameset with ample tire clearance and a SRAM Force 1 11-speed groupset.
The Rave is perfect for all-road, perfect for gravel and is desgined for speed. Enjoy a lightweight carbon frame with racey geometry and an electronic SRAM Rival XPLR groupset for full gear range and precision shifting.
Rafa is from Barcelona and has made the city of Granada his home. Alongside guiding Rafa works as a cycling coach. He rides both road and gravel and has probably climbed the Pico de Veleta more times than anyone else!
Fernando lives in the Montes de Málaga! He’s spent a career travelling extensively and working with the UN. A Malagueñan, Fernando rides MTB and road and continues to love to travel.
Home to the Montes de Málaga, the Costa del Sol and the almightly Sierra Nevada, Andalucia has a stunning variety of landscapes and beautiful towns and cities just waiting to be explored. Don't miss cultural gems such as the Alhambra in Granada, flamenco in Seville and el Punte Nuevo in Ronda. The warm Mediterranean climate makes this region the ideal location for year-round cycling.
Discover NowIf you have any questions about our tours, dates, or anything else, contact us here
