Badlands Epic: Granada to Cabo de Gata

Custom tours

6 nights

Advanced

464 km

8300 m

badlands-eat-sleep-cycle-gravel-bike-adventure-andalucia

Summary

This itinerary is for private groups looking for a serious gravel challenge. We can run the trip all year round (excluding July & August) for groups of a minimum size of 6.

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.

Enjoy the full support, care and attention of our guide team along the way. The support van will meet the group along the route with welcome refreshments and be on hand to provide mechanical assistance and a ride if required. Our guides will keep the group on the route and will share stories of the Badlands race and the history and traditions of the route.

DURATION

7 days / 6 nights

DISTANCE

464 km

HOTELS
★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★
REGION

Andalucia

Terrain

Gravel

LEVEL

Advanced

Average Distance X DAY

77 km

Average Time X DAY

5 h 0 min

PRICE PER PERSON FROM€ 3.799
Book now with a 30% DEPOSITfrom € 1140

TOUR highlights

The city of Granada and the opportunity to visit the Alhambra palace

Ride through the Sierra de Huétor

Sleep in a traditional cave-house

Badlands of the Tabernas desert

Cabo de Gata nature reserve and the mediterranean sea

Exclusive Badlands x Eat Sleep Cycle Welcome pack

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. Arrive early and book to see the incredible Alhambra palace.

EAT

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

SLEEP

Villa Oniria

CYCLE

Short warm-up ride around the city, 16 km, 300 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. Tonight sleep in the Cave houses of Chumbera.

EAT

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

SLEEP

Cuevas La Chumbera

CYCLE

Point to point from Granada to Gorafe, 94 km, 2,100 m

Day 1

The Gorafe Desert

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.

EAT

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

SLEEP

Cuevas El Atochal

CYCLE

Gorafe Desert loop, 74 km, 1,300 m

Day 1

Gorafe to Bacares

Climb from the caves into the Sierra de Los Filabres, the largest mountain range in Almería Province. It's a remote area, frequently over 2.000 m height. This mountain range was a historic crossroads of cultures, and its legacy includes remains of Roman aqueducts or Arab castles. Climb the Puerto de Escúllar en route to the highest point of the day, the observatory at Calar Alto. The rides ends in the small village of Bacares where we stay in a rural guesthouse in the heart of the Sierra de los Filabres.

EAT

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

SLEEP

Rural Ecofilabres

CYCLE

Sierra de los Filabres, 87 km, 2,000 m

Day 1

Badlands: The Tabernas Desert

The day starts with a climb to the Puerto de La Venta Luisa before a welcome descent to the village of Gérgal. From here we ride 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. 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, 97 km, 1,400 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, 96 km, 940 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

full support

Enjoy full ride support from our professional guide team & support vehicle.

The ride support vehicle is stocked with natural ride nutrition, electrolytes and water, as well as a full set of tools to resolve any mechanicals. On selected days the support crew will serve a delicious picnic lunch in a scenic location en route. Enjoy local foods chosen to keep you feeling energized and healthy.

Eat Sleep Cycle guides are experienced riders from all walks of life united by a love of cycling who’ll help to keep the group safe, motivated and savouring the trip of a lifetime.

All guests will receive access to our digital Road Book and routes, giving everyone the flexibility to ride at their own pace.

HOTELS

Hotels shown are examples and are subject to change

BIKE HIRE

Not included
Bike hire is not included in the tour. Add bike rental to the trip from €40 per day

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.

Premium Upgrade

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 nooon

DEPARTURE

Retamar

WHAT THE TOUR INCLUDES

CYCLING

Full Support

ACCOMMODATION

2* to 5*

FOOD

Full board

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 30% deposit will secure your place on the tour

/2
FINAL BALANCE

The final balance is due 90 days before the tour departs

Single Occupancy:  PLUS €499
Start

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Finish

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€3.799Book now

Any Questions?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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