9-Day Northern Spain Luxury Adventure

Travel to Spain. Bilbao airport (BIO). Option to fly to Madrid and transfer to the Basque Country (upon request). Met upon arrival. Transfer to our accommodation. Briefing. Explanation of the trip. Depending on the time of arrival you can visit the city either by cycling or walking. Tour of the historic center and typical "pintxos" dinner to get a taste for the famous Basque cuisine.

Accommodation in San Sebastian.

Meals included: Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Luxury Hotel

Transfer to Zarautz, one of the most famous coastal towns in the Basque Country, and even the entire Cantabrian coast. Its beach has been the home to many great surfing champions, and its waters are a frequent scene for international surfing competitions, thanks to the generous waves that roll in here.

CHOOSE BETWEEN (Additional Cost):

1. SURFING: Today we will have a surfing class with the teachers of the Shelter Surf school, run by Aritz Aranburu, the only Spanish -natural Zarautz- who has participated in the world professional league at the highest level.
2. ROWING: Today we will have the chance to row out on the sea in a Trainera, one of the most typical sports in the Basque Country, where there are several famous Trainera rowing clubs and the most coveted competition is the Concha Regatta in San Sebastian. Today we will have the opportunity to head out in a Trainera from the Olympic Rowing Club Orio Arraunketa Elkartea, one of the most reputed in the Basque Country, and receive a lesson in teamwork while enjoying the landscapes of the Orio estuary. This is an exciting adventure out on the open sea!
3. WINE: In the afternoon we will combine a visit to the Txakoli wine cellar (a wine specialty of the Basque Country) of Talai Berri, a small and family-run business located on the sunniest slopes of Zarauta. We will also visit the small old town of Zarautz itself, where there is quaint historic architecture and pintxos bars abound!

Meals included: Breakfast
Mid-Range Accommodations: Luxury Hotel

In Basque mythology Murrumendi is a kingdom of devils, witches and goblins. A pagan refuge of old legends, myths and fascinating landscapes for mountain hiking. Today we will move to the port town of Mandubia, in Astigarreta-Beasáin, where this light excursion begins along a path that goes up to the Pagota camps and the Larrarte huts, where the ruins of an old dolmen tomb can be found, and passes near the summit of Murumendi (868 m). The tour is a pleasant stroll among beech, pine and American cedar trees through the mountains and villages of Astigarreta. The final section leaves the long path to the left to climb the summit of the mountain. The steep rocks of the eastern slope house the Muru cave, one of the entrances to the mythological universe that inhabits the underground regions of the Basque Mountains.

Distance 10 km Elevation + 500 m. Elevation - 500 m (option to modify the itinerary making it more demanding or less).

In the afternoon, we visit the historic town of Tolosa, on the banks of the river Oria, a point of great importance on the route between the Navarre Kingdom, the Kingdom of Castile and France with the ports of the Cantabrian Sea. Tolosa, was for centuries, the great stronghold of the north. It presents a bustling urban center where the historic buildings and monuments make clear the marked character and importance that it had in a bygone era.

Accommodation in San Sebastián.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Mid-Range Accommodations: Luxury Hotel

Today we step up the hiking difficulty a bit to a more moderate level to ascend one of the most famous mountains in the Basque range- known as beginner milestone for mountaineers. Txindoki (1,343 m) is an attractive and seductive mountain, a sculpture of sharp and energetic lines isolated in the Sierra de Aralar, where magic and legend sink their roots among megaliths, menhirs, caves, beech trees and pyramidal peaks. We will follow the normal route on the southern face starting in Larraitz and then continue through Egurral and return through the Muitze circus and the Mallaki forests. The summit offers a magnificent panoramic view of the Goierri or "high country", as the upper Oria river basin is called.

Total Distance 11 km Elevation + 900 m. Elevation - 900 m (option to modify the itinerary making it more demanding or less).

After the hike we will visit a traditional farmhouse and have a guided tour to see the production of Idiazabal cheese, one of the most famous cheeses in the Basque Country, winner on numerous occasions of European and world awards.

Accommodation in Vitoria.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Luxury Hotel

Today, watch as the landscape changes and we enter the rolling vineyards of the most famous wine region in Spain: La Rioja. We will start the morning with a hiking trail in the Natural Park of the Montes Obarenes, one of the last foothills of the Cantabrian Mountains, with landscapes boasting forests and canyons carved out by the Ebro and Oca rivers. A unique place where we can see raptor birds such as: griffon vulture, vulture, golden eagle, azor and more. A rich landscape accompanied by cultural wealth, passing through municipalities with great history, such as Frías, a place that seems to transport us back to centuries ago.

Later we will visit the Baltracones Vineyard, one of the vineyards of Bodegas Muga: with fantastic views and located on the slopes of the Obarenes Mountains. The perfect place to immerse yourself in an interesting journey to learn about the different aspects of viticulture and of course, enjoy two of its wines outdoors while surrounded by vineyards. Once the experience is over we will return to the winery to take a guided tour of the winemaking process. The visit allows a segway tour option, as well as hot-air ballooning (available upon request).

Accommodation in Vitoria

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Luxury Hotel

Today we will visit the Natural Park of Urbasa and Andía, an area that constitutes a transition zone between the Mountain and Middle Zones of Navarra, dominated by forests, peaks and rocky vegetation. We will start our tour at the visitor center and then enjoy a peaceful hike through tranquil and colorful beech tree forests up to our cozy refuge for the night.

Distance 7 km Slope + 60 m. Elevation - 60 m (option to modify the itinerary making it more demanding or less).

Transfer to the Valle de Hecho, and accommodation at Hotel Uson, a rural mountain accommodation, built according to the regulations of the valley (stone and wood) that is located on a farm dedicated to grazing, at an altitude of 1000 meters.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Luxury Hotel

Hike up to Ibón de Acherito. We will take the normal route from the bottom of the valley following the course of the Foyas ravine and then crossing west under the Mallos de las Foyas. We will return going west to the head of the valley and down the right bank of the river.

Distance 11.4 km Unevenness + 743 m Unevenness - 734 m.

Afternoon visit to the hotel's craft brewery.

​Overnight at Hotel Uson.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Luxury Hotel

At 2446 meters, the Mesa de los Tres Reyes is the roof of Navarra. It owes its name to being located at a border crossroads in the Pyrenees between France and the borders of the communities of Navarra and Huesca (Aragon). Starting from the edge of Belagua we will head out on a beautiful hiking circuit excursion in a unique landscape.

Distance 18 km Unevenness + 500 m Unevenness - 500 m.

If we would like, we can even continue on to the summit. While getting to the summit is not technical, everyone must be sufficiently accustomed to walking on stony terrain with some slight exposure, in addition to small and easy scrambles.

Distance 18 km Elevation + 1,263 m Elevation - 1,263 m

After the excursion we will stop at the Kortariko Gasna cheese factory, where we will take a guided tour of the livestock farm and the cheese factory, with a sheepdog demonstration and a tasting of its cheeses. Finally we will transfer to Pamplona. Afternoon city visit and accommodation in town.

Accommodation in Pamplona.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Luxury Hotel

Transfer to the arrival airport. End of services.

Meals included: Breakfast