In mid-October we headed south for our Spanish Yoga Hiking break in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Southern Spain.
We were staying on a fully organic traditional farm, set high up in the mountains with spectacular views and a wonderful host. The farm has been in Joachim’s family for over 150 years and he feels a real connection with the place and its surroundings. He is also very generous with his locally produced fruit, vegetables and wine and we are continually tempted at each meal.
The break was a fantastic success and we received many lovely reviews of which these were just two:
The grounds of the Cortijo are a pleasure to walk around and there is lots to see, including the fruit and olive trees, aviary pool and yoga studio.
We arrived late afternoon, on Thursday, after flights to Malaga and we organised transfers then to the Cortijo. After arriving and settling in to our rooms we had a introductory yoga class and then dinner.
Spanish Yoga Hiking Break – Friday
We rose early on our second day for yoga and even started before the sun was fully up. It did mean however, we were able to watch the most lovely sunrise over the mountains during our class.
The yoga studio is really spacious and gives us lots of room to spread out as well as enjoy the views.
Then after class we head in for breakfast and are greeted with the most fantastic spread. Joachim is very proud of his local produce so we have lots of fresh cheese, fruit and even locally produced yogurt to choose from.
After breakfast we head out in the beautiful morning sunshine for our first hike. We are doing a tour of some of the famous Pueblos Blanchos (white villages), but there are some steep sections as we first descend to the river.
We return for a late lunch, prepared for us by Joachim, which we are able to eat out on the terrace overlooking the pool.
We then have a break to relax and just enjoy the beautiful surroundings, before our second yoga class of the day.
Dinner is in a converted part of the barn, which Joachim now calls the museum, as its full of a rather eclectic mix of old farming and other implements. Its a fun and interesting place to eat with a lot of local history.
Spanish Yoga Hiking Break – Saturday
After yoga and breakfast, we collected our packed lunch before heading out for our hike. As always it contained plenty of fresh fruit from the farm and a lovely Spanish tortilla freshly made by Joachim. We had a picnic made for us as our hike was slightly longer today and a lovely variety of gorge and river walk, rocky mountain views and pretty villages.
Our hike first took us along the quiet road to the village of Castaras. Like many of the villages, its a beautiful cluster of small white houses around the church and a lovely square, set into the mountainside.
Our hike then took us up through the trees and along a river until we reached our next village of Juviles, where it was time to find a café for a coffee break.
The next stage of our took us through some very dramatic territory with great views down into a deep gorge and across to the mountains of the Sierra.
We found a lovely shady spot with more views down the valley for our Spanish Tortilla lunch.
Our return hike took us through a couple more pretty villages before we reached Castaras again for a welcome and well deserved drink in the square.
Our afternoon yoga class was very much needed to stretch out a few tired and aching muscles after quite a full days hiking.
Spanish Yoga Hiking Break – Sunday
Our final full days hiking took us down a steep section of path to the gorge floor and then to the lovely village of Busquistar for a coffee break.
The walk along the river and valley floor was also spectacular and gave us great views and an amazing ancient bridge crossing.
The climb back up was quite steep, but we took it slowly and the views from the top were definitely worth it.
As was the refreshing swim in the pool when we made it back to the Cortijo.
Spanish Yoga Hiking Break – Monday
Monday was departure day, but not until the afternoon, so we had time to have a final yoga class in the morning and then either relax by the pool or head out for a final short hike. We had arranged a couple of pickups to the airport, so some had a bit more relaxation time than others.
But all were sad to leave when the time came.
“As a ‘frequent flyer’ with Mountain Hikes and Yoga, this was one of the best. Thank you Kevin and Yen, but also the amazing local host and the beautiful group of people who made it very special.”