Cultural Holidays in Spain

I recently completed the Sierra de Aitana trek in Spain with Exodus, and I can confidently say it was an incredible experience. From start to finish, the entire week was filled with breathtaking landscapes, rich history, and a real sense of adventure. The trek itself was challenging but absolutely rewarding, with a variety of terrains that kept things interesting. The views from the top of the Sierra de Aitana were absolutely stunning, with panoramic vistas over the mountains and valleys below.

Gowtham Avula Sierra de Aitana Trek

A perfect blend of gentle walks, amazing views and accommodation that felt like a private house party.

Celia Murray Walking in Andalucia

The majority of the walking days followed the same pattern:
Walk for approx 1.5-2 hours then stop for a coffee
Walk for approx 2 hours then stop for lunch
On the longer days we stopped for a coffee/break in the afternoon too.

The trip notes are reasonably accurate with their description of the route and the activity times – this is the time walking, the days are linger when you factor in stops. On warmer days we took longer, on the rainy/cooler days we tended to be a little quicker. Day 6 of walking (day 7 of the trip) the walk is a bit longer than expected. It is about 30 minutes to the harbour but once you get off the boat it was about another 4km to the hotel via Padron.

Pay attention to the packing list – on the early days of the walk when we were in Portugal the route was flatter and you could probably get away with trainers but from day 3 of walking (day 4 of the trip) walking boots are an advantage due to the terrain. A good waterproof coat is definitely needed as we got rained on alot. I used a single walking pole for support on the downhill sections from day 3 of walking onwards.

You will stay in a mix of hotels – some were very good, others were definitely more on the cheaper side. We also really struggled to get food at a decent time in two of the Spanish hotels as the restaurants weren’t open for hot food until 9pm and there was nothing else open nearby any earlier – after a long day of walking we all wanted an earlier meal and an early night.

Rachael Davey Portuguese Camino Highlights Walk