Join our MTB weekend adventure to the beautiful coastal village of La Herradura, close to Málaga. 3 days of guided mountain biking in the beautiful area of Costa Tropical where the mountains run straight down to the beach. And with the most temperate climate in Europe, there’s every chance you’ll get blue skies and sunshine too.
Our experienced guide will guide you through his best rides during 3 adventurous days. The views will be stunning! Cruise through fruit valleys, ride down exhilarated descents to beautiful rivers, and enjoy spectacular mountain sceneries, all with the Mediterranean in the background.
Mountain biking in this part of Andalucía is mostly cross-country that offers a lot of challenging endurance climbs with stunning views as a reward. The numerous dirt tracks and adventurous single trails mixed with some technical descents help to keep the adrenaline level topped up. Costa Tropical is a popular destination for cycling with varied terrain including mountains, rolling hills, a beautiful coastline, and year-round sunny weather.
You will be staying 3 nights in a small beachfront hotel in the charming village of La Herradura, a hidden gem that is situated around a beautiful bay. The village lies in the stunning coastal area called Costa Tropical, a relatively unknown stretch of Spain’s southern coastline.
After an action-packed day in the saddle, you can enjoy a rest on the beach or even take a refreshing swim. All this in the best climate in Europe. Both the sun and the mountains will energize your body and soul and we promise the views will be stunning!
Day 1: Arrival to La Herradura
We will meet you at Malaga Airport. After pick-up, we’ll hop in our transport and start our 50 min drive to our hotel in the beautiful small coastal town of La Herradura. Depending on when you're arriving, you will have some time to get to know the village.
Day 2: La Herradura - Río Seco - Río Verde - Otívar - Almuñécar
After a nice breakfast buffet by the beach, we'll set out on a relatively challenging ride. You will discover the beauties of the mountains of Costa Tropical. It’s a combination of bad steep gravel roads and a few tarmac patches with a focus on climbing. This tour takes you through two different riverbeds; Río Seco and Río Verde. There is an option to have a quick refreshing dip at the pools of Río Verde and for a food or coffee stop in Otívar.
Elevation gain: 2 000 m
Distance: 60 km
Moving time: approx. 5 hours Day 3: Lentegí - Guájar Alto After another beautiful breakfast buffet in the sun, a new awesome riding day awaits you. We’ll take our transport to let us explore further afield and head to the village of Lentegí. We will ride on gravel roads with stunning views of the valley of Los Guájares. Spectacular sceneries with the Sierra Nevada in the background and a landscape consisting of limestone peaks and ridges and plenty of pine trees. The tour takes you through the beautiful and yet largely undiscovered “pueblo blanco” - Guájar Alto. Guájar Alto is a beautiful stop for a very traditional “Menú del día” before we are heading back to Lentegí and our transport. Elevation gain: 1 600 m
Distance: 42 km
Moving time: approx. 4 hours Day 4: La Herradura After your final breakfast at the hotel, we will go for a ride that takes you through the valley above La Herradura with a nice combination of gravel and tarmac roads. The valley is full of various kinds of fruit trees such as avocado, mango, cherimoya, orange, almond trees etc. A nice day you can see the top of Sierra Nevada. You will be back in time to enjoy some food by the beach and then head back to Malaga airport and fly back in the evening. If you wish to stay another night and fly back on Monday instead we can arrange an extra night in the hotel. Elevation gain: 900 m
Distance: 33 km
Moving time: approx. 3 hours
Distance: 60 km
Moving time: approx. 5 hours Day 3: Lentegí - Guájar Alto After another beautiful breakfast buffet in the sun, a new awesome riding day awaits you. We’ll take our transport to let us explore further afield and head to the village of Lentegí. We will ride on gravel roads with stunning views of the valley of Los Guájares. Spectacular sceneries with the Sierra Nevada in the background and a landscape consisting of limestone peaks and ridges and plenty of pine trees. The tour takes you through the beautiful and yet largely undiscovered “pueblo blanco” - Guájar Alto. Guájar Alto is a beautiful stop for a very traditional “Menú del día” before we are heading back to Lentegí and our transport. Elevation gain: 1 600 m
Distance: 42 km
Moving time: approx. 4 hours Day 4: La Herradura After your final breakfast at the hotel, we will go for a ride that takes you through the valley above La Herradura with a nice combination of gravel and tarmac roads. The valley is full of various kinds of fruit trees such as avocado, mango, cherimoya, orange, almond trees etc. A nice day you can see the top of Sierra Nevada. You will be back in time to enjoy some food by the beach and then head back to Malaga airport and fly back in the evening. If you wish to stay another night and fly back on Monday instead we can arrange an extra night in the hotel. Elevation gain: 900 m
Distance: 33 km
Moving time: approx. 3 hours
Itinerary disclaimer: While it is our intention to adhere to the itinerary described below, adventure travel can be unpredictable and may result in necessary or desirable alterations to the trails we ride, accommodation we stay in and destinations we visit.
- 3 nights accommodation in a shared double/twin room
- 3 days guided cycling
- 3 days mountain bike rental
- 3 breakfast buffets
- Airport transfers from and to Málaga Airport (AGP)
- Experienced English speaking guide
- Transport to and from rides when needed
- Secure bike storage
- Access to our bike workshop and helpful mechanic
- Water and snacks provided each cycling day
- Online photo album
Flights are not included
The village
The hidden gem La Herradura lies in the beautiful coastal area called Costa Tropical, a relatively unknown stretch of Spain’s southern coastline. La Herradura is one of the few remaining unspoilt villages on the southern coast of Spain and offers a truly Spanish experience. The village is situated around one of the most beautiful bays along the south coast of Spain and enjoys over 2 kilometres of beach. The stunning bay is sprinkled with charming Spanish restaurants and small friendly bars that will make you feel at home.
Accommodation
After an action-packed day filled with impressions, you need the perfect place to relax and recover. This place is a small boutique hotel situated next to the beach in La Herradura. This is a cosy and modern accommodation that will take care of every little detail to ensure your stay will be perfect. It has a beautiful location right on the beach front and with the village within walking distance. Next to the hotel are a number of renowned restaurants and bars so if you are tired after a long day in the saddle you don't need to walk very far to find great food. A breakfast buffet is served every morning for you.
Level
Medium + plus: 3,5 - 5 h moving time and 900-2 000 m elevation gain per day. In average you train cycling 3-6 hours/week .
Ride type
Cross-country (XC) with challenging endurance climbs.
About the rides We are always trying to keep the groups small, maximum of eight riders. Usually, we cycle from the front door, but one day there will be a short transfer to let us explore further afield. Riding days are usually from 10 am to around 4 pm.
Stops during the rides
Our guide has found some of the best places to stop and take in the fantastic views; and, as part of each ride, we always find the time to fit in a quick coffee stop or/and a stop for lunch or some local tapas. So remember to bring a few euros with you on each ride, especially if you fancy a slice of some well-earned cake along the way!
Bikes
We have high-quality mountain bikes in various sizes. All our bikes are highly maintained and checked before and after every ride making sure nothing goes wrong.
Our bikes come with a helmet, flat pedals and a saddle pack with one inner tube, a set of tyre levers and pump. You are welcome to bring along your own pedals and we will gladly help you to fit them correctly to your bike. If you want to travel light we also have Shimano SPD pedals.
We recommend you to bring your own helmet, pedals and corresponding shoes and possibly your own saddle.
Getting Here
Several international flight carriers access Málaga airport (AGP). We will pick you up at Málaga Airport and take you to La Herradura and your hotel, a transfer that takes around 50 min.
Your guide
Our experienced guide has put in endless hours searching those awesome trails for you to enjoy. The guide speaks excellent English and has a lot of local knowledge.
Prices
The price above is based on 2 sharing a double/twin room with the lowest price in low season.
Booking
Send us an e-mail or complete the “Booking request form” on the “Contact Us” page or on the link below with the dates you want to travel. We will check the availability of your chosen dates and respond via e-mail, normally within 24hrs, with prices of the accommodation that is available to you. If you continue with the reservation, once we have received your deposit, which should be paid within 5 days of making the reservation, we will send you a Booking Confirmation.
Contact us now and book a cycling holiday