Days 1 & 2: Sevilla
Afternoon rendezvous at our hotel. After our group introductions we'll enjoy an informal lecture and discussion on the history of Andalucia and the Jewish cultural history of the region. Walking tour of the Barrio Santa Cruz and the Jewish quarter. Horse and carriage ride along the Avenida Palmeras, Plaza de Espana and Parque De Maria Luisa. Welcome dinner overlooking the river and the Tower of Gold.
Morning visit to the Giralda tower, La Catedral de Sevilla, Europe's largest Gothic Cathedral and Reales Alcazares, the royal residence from 1364. Lunch on the Guadalquivir overlooking the 'Paseo Colon.' Afternoon visit to the Triana 'barrio' and a look at the famous ceramics quarter. Late afternoon and evening free to shop, explore and experience one of Seville's many "Tapas Bars." Dine this evening at our restaurant in "La Juderia" area of the barrio Santa Cruz

Day 3: Cordoba
A 90-minute transfer takes us to Cordoba where our first stop will be the Moorish palaces of Medina Azahara. We will have a guided walking tour of these ancient monuments slowly being reconstructed before transferring into central Cordoba to check into our hotel. Lunch.
Cordoba was the Spanish capital from the 8th-11th century and the birthplace of the incomparable Maimonides. Guided tour of the Juderia, where little has changed over the centuries, including it's narrow cobbled streets, secluded niches and tiny workshops. Visit the historic synagogue and statue of Maimonides. In the evening we will explore the Mezquita perhaps Islam's finest religious monument (although no longer a working mosque) an extraordinary combination of art, architecture and science from the 8th century. Dinner in Cordoba & night in our centrally located hotel.

Day 4: Antequera via Montilla
Relax in Cordoba this morning with some free time before we head off cross-country across the great 'campiña' of Cordoba. This vast area of sunburn hills is a sea of olive trees & vine groves. Here you will find the source of the famous Montilla sherry. Dating back to Roman times Montilla is famous not just for the quality of the wine it produces but also legend has it that you will never get a hangover from an excess of it! We visit one of the Montila bodegas & learn about the history & production before a tapas lunch. After lunch we head off cross-country to mediaeval Antequera, regarded as one of Andalucia's showpieces. Our 'Parador' hotel is in the perfect spot from which to visit the town, littered with gothic, baroque and renaissance monasteries and churches.
We spend the early evening wandering through Antequera where from its hilltop Alcazar (fortress) we can spot over 27 different spires of convents, churches, monasteries & a hermitage poking up from the medieval layout of the town. We will also visit the impressive 16th.C. Church of the Encarnción and the Carmelite nunnery of San José where we can sample pastries served through a torno (a small rotary hatch where the nuns place the pastries you have ordered while you place your money on the other side of the hatch. As it spins your pastries arrive & your money disappears. The nun meanwhile maintains her anonymity as you will never see her during the transaction).

Day 5: Torcal & Ardales Nature Reserves & Ronda
Our morning walk takes us up to the Torcal Nature Reserve where we will take a hike through the peculiar limestone formations of this sierra. The thin alkaline soil supports stunted trees & bushes such as elder, maple & hawthorn. There is a huge variety of wild flowers (including over 30 species of orchids, peonies & rock roses) as well as raptors such as the Booted Eagle & Short Toed eagle. The views towards the Mediterranean are spectacular.
From Antequera we make a short journey to the Ardales Nature Reserve. We follow a remote road below the Sierra de Torcal, its towering peaks looming above us home to soaring vultures and eagles. This area is commonly known as little Switzerland by the locals due to the enormous lakes & pine forests. We will stop for a swim on the lakes before lunch overlooking the dramatic scenery. An afternoon walk takes us into El Chorro gorge an amazing valley accessed by a narrow ancient walkway carved out of the rock at the turn of the last century. Below us the river courses its way through the fractures in the limestone carving its way through yet another gorge ahead of us. After the walk we continue on to Ronda a 35min. drive away. Dinner in Ronda & evening at our Parador.

Day 6: Ronda
Rond'a' outstanding position guarding the gorges of the Guadalevin river & the valleys of the Serrania de Ronda have long made this a visitors favorite in Andalucía. Ronda was so well fortified in the middle ages that it took 13,000 cavalry & 25,000 infantrymen to capture the town from the Moors in 1485. The remnants of the old battlements are still standing while the architecture is a fascinating blend of Arab & Christian. The gorge is spanned by a dramatic bridge that we will cross between the old Moorish town & the newer Christian area. версия для печати

Today's walk in the cool of the morning takes us out into the outskirts of the town and down into the Guadalevin valley where the ancient flour mills although abandoned can still be seen. This is the perfect vantage point to see the cliffs & fortifications of the town & a fine nature walk too. Back to Ronda for lunch before an afternoon walk through the old town itself. In the evening take some time off to visit the bullring & its museum that also pays homage to Orson Welles & Ernest Hemingway who both put Ronda on the map as frequent visitors.

Day 7: Grazalema
After breakfast a 30min. drive takes us into the Grazalema Nature Reserve. Bounded by the towns of Grazalema, Ubrique, El Bosque & Zahara the Grazalema Natural Park is an important mountain wilderness, unique to Andalucía. Today we walk through the limestone hills that were formed in the Jurassic & Triassic periods and the close proximity of the range to the sea - which traps many of the clouds drifting in from the Atlantic - has produced a microclimate where many botanical species dating from before the Ice Age have survived. The most famous of these is the rare Pinsapo, native only to this part of Europe it grows at an altitude of between 1,000m. to 1,700m. The high rainfall here plus the wet, cool summers are essential to its survival. We will see an interesting variety of birdlife including the Bonellis, Booted and Golden Eagle plus the Griffon & Egyptian vultures while owls and wood peckers are also common sights. The streams and riverbanks are home to watervoles and otters. On the mountains higher peaks the Spanish Ibex (goat) has been re-introduced and it's numbers are gradually increasing. We have a picnic lunch out on the hills before returning to our hotel, a surprising oasis of comfort in this tiny village, enjoy a sauna or a jacuzzi or a swim in the tiny pool with views into the valley. .

Day 8: Tarifa
Tarifa gets its name form Tariq Ali the great Moroccan warlord who first landed on the Iberian Peninsula in the early 8th.C. Within fifty years the moors reign extended from the south all the way up to northern Spain and an Islamic domination that lasted almost 700 years. Today Tarifa is a small port town & windsurfers paradise that guards the entrance to the Atlantic from the Mediterranean overlooking the Bay of Tangiers just 10km. away across the Straits. We take an exiting historical tour through this typical Spanish/Arab town, visit the Castle where Guzman el Bueno gave away his sons life to defend the town & see the lighthouses that mark the division of the inland Mediterranean & the Atlantic ocean. After lunch we journey out into the Straits of Gibraltar on a Whale Watching excursion & have the chance to see Minke & Pilot whales plus many species of dolphins. This exciting trip also takes us up closer to Djebl Moussa on the Greeks legendary Pillars of Hercules (the other pillar being the rock of Gibraltar).
For those with energy left we'll take a beach walk along the deserted beaches of Tarifa to our beachfront hotel overlooking the North African coastline.

Day 9: Tarifa, Cadiz & Vejer
The city of Cádiz (a 60min. drive from Tarifa) is considered to be the Europe's first city founded by the Phoenecians around 1100BC. An important transit point for minerals carried from the mining areas of Rio Tinto, salt & the ancient commodity of dried tuna (mojama) combined with a huge natural harbor & an easily defendable peninsula made this town very important from then through the Roman period, the Islamic occupation & right up to the great days of Spain's 'new world' era. We explore the old town, visit the museums, the harbor walls, the remains of the roman amphitheatre & the 17th.Century gold domed cathedral. After a café lunch we make a 35min. transfer to Vejer de la Frontera. The maze of narrow white washed streets were designed with defense in mind by the Arab occupiers who lived here for 500 years - the narrower and more winding the streets, the easier they would be to defend. Our guide is essential in enabling us to find our way around. We visit the five medieval gates - still the only means of access to the old town - learn about the history of the castle and enjoy a tour of its turrets with their magnificent views over the town. The town's mudejar church has some important architectural elements including the original minaret from a mosque previously built on the site.
Now on our way back to Tarifa we stop off at the Las Breñas Nature Reserve. Our last walk takes us along the top of the amazing Acantialdo cliffs a marine reserve where we can observe the wheeling gulls & shattered rocks in the shallow waters below from 300ft. up. From here a walk takes us through a pristine forest of Mediterranean pine before dropping down to the small beach resort of Los Caños overlooking Cape Trafalgar scene of Admiral Nelsons famous battle where all the entire Spanish & French fleet was sunk or captured without a single British loss except for Nelsons own life. Return to Tarifa & farewell dinner overlooking the beach.

Day 10: Seville
After a leisurely breakfast we'll transfer back to Seville for a noon arrival and see you off on your next adventure.