Badlands: Granada to Cabo de Gata Self-Guided

Self guided

6 nights

Advanced

500 km

8500 m

Badlands
AndaluciaBadlands: Granada to Cabo de Gata Self-Guided

Summary

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.

DURATION

7 days / 6 nights

DISTANCE

500 km

HOTELS
★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★
REGION

Andalucia

Terrain

Gravel

LEVEL

Advanced

Average Distance X DAY

83 km

Average Time X DAY

3 h 20 min

PRICE PER PERSON FROM€ 1.149

TOUR highlights

The city of Granada

Ride through the Sierra de Huétor

Sleep in a traditional cave-house

Badlands of the Tabernas desert

Cabo de Gata nature reserve

IS THIS TOUR FOR ME?

Advanced

Rated 3 out of 4 our Advanced tours are designed for people who ride regularly and want 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.

ITINERARY

Day 1

Arrival in Granada!

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

EAT

Light lunch on arrival, welcome meal with the group in Granada

SLEEP

Villa Oniria

CYCLE

Short warm-up ride around the city, 20 km, 200 m

Day 1

Granada to Gorafe

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.

EAT

Breakfast at the hotel, lunch en route, evening meal in Gorafe

SLEEP

Cueva Solano

CYCLE

Point to point from Granada to Gorafe, 121 km, 2,284 m

Day 1

The Gorafe Desert

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 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.

EAT

Breakfast at the hotel, lunch en route, evening meal in Gorafe

SLEEP

Cueva Solano

CYCLE

Gorafe Desert loop, 87 km, 1,706 m

Day 1

Gorafe to Gérgal

The ride heads into Sierra de Los Filabres, the largest mountain range in Almería Province. This remote area, frequently over 2.000m 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 finishes at the village of Gérgal, considered the North gate of the Tabernas Desert.

EAT

Breakfast at the hotel, lunch en route, evening meal in Gérgal

SLEEP

Casa Mimi

CYCLE

Sierra de los Filabres, 102 km, 1,995 m

Day 1

Badlands: The Tabernas Desert

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 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.

EAT

Breakfast at the hotel, lunch en route, evening meal in Lucainena

SLEEP

Hotel Montesion

CYCLE

Tabernas Desert, 81 km, 1,260 m

Day 1

Cabo de Gata

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 of the European coast. This unique landscape, shaped by the erosion on 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.

EAT

Breakfast at the hotel, lunch en route, evening meal in Retamar

SLEEP

Cabogata Beach Hotel

CYCLE

Cabo de Gata Natural Park, 105 km, 969 m

Day 1

Departures

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!

EAT

Breakfast at the hotel

SLEEP

CYCLE

THE TOUR
IN DETAIL

RIDE SUPPORT

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

Hotels shown are examples and are subject to change

BIKE HIRE

Wilier Adlar Hybrid Gravel E-Bike

Gravel Electric

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.

Electric

Cannondale Supersix Evo CX

Gravel Race

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.

Wilier Rave SLR

Gravel Race

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.

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THE GUIDES

Rafa

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!

Rafa-eat-sleep-cycle-guide
Fernando

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.

Details

LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION

HOW TO GET HERE

Fly to Granada or Málaga Airport

MEETING POINT

Granada

TIME

12 noon

DEPARTURE

Retamar

WHAT THE TOUR INCLUDES

CYCLING

Self-Guided

ACCOMMODATION

2* to 5*

FOOD

Breakfast only

TRANSFERS

Optional

BIKE RENTAL

Optional

EAT SLEEP CYCLE LOCATION

ESC Andalucia

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.

Ready
to ride?

RESERVATION
& PAYMENT

If you have any questions about our tours, dates, or anything else, contact us here
/1
DEPOSIT

A deposit of €500 will secure your place on the tour.

/2
SECOND PAYMENT

50% is due 6 months before the departure of the tour.

/3
FINAL BALANCE

The final balance is due 2 months before the tour departure.

Single Occupancy:  PLUS €499
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DOUBTS?CONTACT US

FAQs

1

What happens if I need to cancel the trip?

We have a flexible cancelation policy – please take a look at our cancellation policy at the time of booking. If you have any doubts please reach out and we’re happy to help.

1

Is the tour the right level for me?

We rate our tours from Level 1 (Leisure) to Level 4 (Epic). Each tour contains a description of the level, expected daily ride time, distance and elevation. If you have any doubts we’re more that happy to speak to you on the phone and help to find you the perfect trip!

1

What about bikes? Can I hire one or should I bring my own?

We recommend that you hire a bike for your tour and will work with you after you book to help you to choose the best size and model for your ride style. If you prefer to bring your bike, it’s no problem. Please be aware that on some of our epic trips we charge a supplement to transport your bike box to our finishing location. If you have any doubts, please ask!

1

Is insurance included?

Insurance is not included in our tour packages. We highly recommend contracting travel insurance at the time of reservation with a company from where you are from.

Health insurance which covers you for illness or injury whilst cycling in your chosen destination is mandatory, we’ll ask you for details of your insurance providor before you travel.

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