Extremadura - Sierra de Gata

Day 1: Plasencia
Day 2: Plasencia - Robledillo de Gata
Day 3: Robledillo de Gata - Ovejuela - Robledillo de Gata, 10 mi. (16 km)
Day 4: Robledillo de Gata - Gata, 18 mi. (30 km)
Day 5: Gata - Acebo, 18 (with included transfer) or 23 mi. (29 (with included transfer) or 36 km)
Day 6: Short optional transfer from Acebo to Hoyos | Hoyos - San Martín de Trevejo, 9 mi. (15 km)
Day 7: San Martín de Trevejo - Valverde del Fresno, 14 mi. (22 km)
Day 8: Departure

All distances are approximate. Due to unforeseen circumstances such as weather conditions or provisions issued by local authorities, the itinerary may be subject to some changes before and/or during your holiday. You may find temporary deviations/detours necessary due to roadwork that will not be reflected on your maps or route descriptions. In this case, please follow the directions posted locally.

Day 1: Plasencia
Plasencia is the perfect introduction to your hiking tour.  It is a walled market city in the province of Cáceres. Stroll the old quarter with its palaces, ancestral homes, and significant religious buildings. You will overnight in a historic Parador, one of a hundred in Spain. Every establishment is committed to protecting the historical and cultural heritage, caring for the environment, and promoting the local economy. Your Parador this evening is in the 15th-century convent of Santo Domingo, in the heart of the historic center of town. You will feel the history in every nook and cranny!

     Sample Hotel: Parador de Plasencia

Day 2: Plasencia - Robledillo de Gata (transfer)
You will be transferred to Robledillo de Gata, a small village at the foot of the Sierra de la Bolla.  Robledillo is the essence of an old mountain village, with its stepped houses, stone facades, and old Arabic red tile roofs. The town is nestled in an idyllic setting of pine forests, through which you can enjoy beautiful walks along the Arrag River. The popular traditional architecture of Robledillo consists of houses made from slate, adobe, and the material known as varaseto, a mixture of chestnut and oak rods daubed with mud and straw. The façades have the traditional balustraded wooden eave and roofs made of curved tiles.

Included in your tour price is a guided town tour and a wine tasting with tapas. You will also visit a traditional olive oil mill, and your guide will educate you on how oil was, and still is, produced in these old mills. You will also enjoy a tasting of the local yet world-renowned olive oil.

     Sample Hotel: Casa Manadero

Day 3: Robledillo de Gata - Ovejuela - Robledillo de Gata, 10 mi. (16 km)
During your first walking day, you visit Ovejuela, a small hamlet in the neighboring natural region of Las Hurdes. Its wild beauty of abrupt sierras, water cascades, and Mediterranean landscapes garnered international recognition with the awarded documentary “Las Hurdes, land without bread,” by Luis Buñuel. This surrealist filmmaker, a close friend of Salvador Dalí, portrayed the harshness of life in this once very impoverished region of northern Extremadura. You can get a sense of how life was once lived in these isolated pockets.

Ascent: 1005 m

     Sample Hotel: Casa Manadero

Day 4: Robledillo de Gata - Gata, 18 mi. (30 km) 
Today’s journey will lead mostly through the mid-mountain forest areas. Large pine groves and forest tracks will give way to areas of cork, oak, and holm oak, and when closer to the urban areas, small orchards and olive groves. The streams and natural pools provide bathing opportunities on the hottest days of spring and summer. Your overnight is in Gata, which has been declared a Cultural Heritage Site. It features a rich history and architectural legacy, including the Torre de la Almenara, from the beginning of the 14th century, the Church of San Pedro, from the 16th and 17th centuries, with altarpieces and carvings by Pedro de Paz and Pedro de Córdoba, the Hermitage of Cristo del Humilladero from the 16th century, with its numerous fountains including the emblematic, Fuente del Chorro.

Ascent: 952 M

     Sample hotel: La Posada de Norberta

Day 5: Gata - Acebo, 18 (with included transfer) or 23 mi. (29 (with included transfer) or 36 km)
You walk from the lower ground of Villasbuenas to the slopes of the highest peak in the Sierra de Gata, Jálama (or Xálima, in the local dialect).  This is the longest walk of the week (can be shortened with an included transfer) and leads to the northernmost cork oaks in Extremadura. You finish the day in Acebo, a small town that is named after the common holly tree. Your accommodations this evening is in a modern hotel with a minimalist design that blends with the natural landscape, creating a unique and relaxing space. The edifice was built with a focus on sustainability, combining the use of renewable energy, both solar and thermal.

Ascent: 1095 m

    Sample Hotel: Campus PHI

Day 6: Short optional transfer from Acebo to Hoyos | Hoyos - San Martín de Trevejo, 9 mi. (15 km)
First on your agenda is Hoyos, the administrative capital of the Sierra de Gata. You can be transferred here or you can walk directly from your hotel.  Be sure to wander through its historic center lined with noble stone buildings before continuing the trek to San Martín de Trevejo, your final destination for today. On the way, you will enjoy passing through small and bucolic Callejas or alleys, which people in Extremadura call the small country paths that run between the stone walls. You visit the hamlet of Trevejo, with its imposing castle perched on a steep hill, and cross to Villamiel, to finally reach one of the most beautiful towns in Spain.

Ascent: 629 m

     Sample Hotel: Hospedería Conventual

Day 7: San Martín de Trevejo - Valverde del Fresno, 14 mi. (22 km)
The Jálama Valley is occupied by the municipalities of San Martín de Trevejo, Eljas, and Valverde del Fresno. It runs from the foothills of the Sistema Central, of which the Sierra de Gata is an integral part, to the border with Portugal. Its approximately five thousand inhabitants distributed among "os tres lugaris", literally translated as "the three places", speak an ancient dialect of Asturian-Portuguese origin that is known as "a fala". You walk along small family farms, vineyards, and olive groves

The owners of the hotel you will stay in this evening also own an olive grove and oil mill called Molino del Medio. You can arrange for a visit with a tasting once you arrive. The price is not included in your tour price but is approximately €20.

Ascent: 629 m

     Sample Hotel:  A Velha Fábrica

Day 8: Departure

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You will be accommodated in historic and boutique accommodations throughout your tour. On each day’s details, you will find a sample hotel. If this hotel is fully booked, you will be offered another of equal standing.