Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

The views on this trek were fantastic.  A world away from Alicante and Benidorm, which you could see from the peaks.  For me I got the biggest buzz from reaching the top of Puig Campana, but simple pleasures like the first beer of the day always brought a smile to my face and the incredibly welcoming hosts made the trip very enjoyable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jose was a wonderful and amusing group leader.  It was good to have someone who knew the area so well.  He could answer any of our questions, as well as sharing the history and modern farming techniques of the area.  He also made the best sandwiches I have ever tasted! 

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't underestimate the temperature of this trip!  It was the heat that really made it challenging.

Most Inspirational Moment

All of it really - two things in particular: reaching the summits each day to have lunch with stunning views and a real sense of achievement; and our guide Jose. Jose was ceaselessly motivational, passionate about the area, extremely knowledgeable, fun, sensitive to the group's needs, always aiming to surprise us with hidden treasures and delights of a view whilst being constantly concerned about our wellbeing. 

Thoughts on Group Leader

As above - Jose was a real star.  He was ceaselessly motivational, passionate about the area, extremely knowledgeable, fun, sensitive to the group's needs, always aiming to surprise us with hidden treasures and delights of a view whilst being constantly concerned about our wellbeing. A top guy!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Lots of people advised taking trekking poles. Jose was happy to lend his out when needed, so that helped on the descents when I needed them but meant I didn't need to carry them most of the time when not needed. Jose had brought several pairs, so you could get by without taking your own, but if you rely on them do take some.   Make sure you take plenty of water bottles - we refilled at several springs but a few had dried up!

Suggestions

Highly recommended - catered well for everyone, whether solo or couples or more!  Go for it!!

Most Inspirational Moment

The entire trip was pretty awesome,  The views are so varied, it is impossible to get bored with the scenery.  It seemed that at least a couple of times a day, we turned a corner and all said "Wow!  I didn't expect to see that!".  The places we stayed were friendly and clean.  The best has to be the last - a homestay with the lovely warm Violetta and her beautiful family in their rambling but awesome family farm home.  You could stay a week in that place and still have cool things to discover.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jose was witty, knowledgeable, and a real people person.  He was passionate about his local area (where we were walking) and even invited us all round to the little cottage and smallholding he was working do hard to build and grow.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Trekking poles are strongly recommended - there are many steep and rocky climbs and descents and your feet and knees do get a bit of a bashing!  I would rate this more as a C grade trip.  Long days and steep climbs / descents made for very hard work, albeit in stunning scenery.

Suggestions

This is such a beautiful and undiscovered place.  We saw almost no other walkers during our entire week.  Strongly recommended.  

Most Inspirational Moment

This was a good hard week of walking, but the sense of achievement in getting to the tops of the peaks was great and the views were stunning. The area is really unspoilt which was refreshing. All three accommodations were welcoming, comfortable and served excellent food and wine and allowed us to get a taste of the real Spain.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Jose was knowledgeable, friendly, good company and enthusiastic about his local area. Very good!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bear in mind that although the weather is mostly good (and was great for us for 4 out of 5 days walking) you may encounter adverse weather conditions in winter and need to be prepared for this. On the last day though we were in T-shirts on top of the highest peak in the area and that was early February!

Suggestions

This is an excellent week of immersion in Spanish culture, great walking and a bit of winter sunshine.

Most Inspirational Moment

On the top of Puig Campana on the last day - towering over Benidorm and the Med - warm sun and yet early February - a terrific achievement!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our leader was ideal - local; passionate about the area; excellent command of English; very good with people; an excellent organiser... what more do we want?

Advice for Potential Travellers

This is a strenuous week. The mountains are rocky and steep and the distances about 12 miles most days. We managed (and we are in our 70s) but we could not have done much more.

Suggestions

I have rarely (if ever) had a holiday with such lovely food. It was all really good country fare, and the dietary requirements of a few of the group were handled well. The three small hotels in different villages were all lovely.