Bardenas, Aragon and the Basque Coast with an electric mountain bike : best of the Spanish Pyrenees

Meeting at 17:15 at Bayonne train station and transfer to the Bardenas (2h30). Check-in at your accomodation, the magnificient Bardenas troglodyte houses. Briefing on the tour.

Starting from your accomodation, you will go and discover the Bardenas Reales. Let's slowly enter those fascinating and amazing landscapes. You will cycle on easy paths through this remarkable setting of hoodoos, bare hills and ravines where the aridity's beauty is highlighted by a very special light. You will go past the famous Castil de Tierra and leave the most traveled paths to loose yourself in the southern Bardenas large and wild canyons. From the Pilatos Balcony, you will overlook the whole central part of the Bardenas and realize the vastness of this desert, unique in Europe. The way down follows easy tracks until you go back to your accomodation. This first day is technically easy, which will allow you to improve your mountain bike skills with the help of your guide. Distance : 53 km, duration : 5h , ascent : +380m, descent : -380m.

Starting from your accomodation, you will go back to the Bardenas and enjoy mountain biking in very diverse landscapes. Surrounded by Aleppo pines, you will cycle round the impressive Penaflor tower, last remain of the human presence and of the strategic importance of this desert in the History of Navarra. You will climb to the El Plano cultivated high plateau before going down and cycling in the bottom of Barranco Grande, where the beauty of the very active erosion will suprise you every time you switch directions.

You will cycle on easy tracks and paths to enjoy the best of mountain biking. Distance : 49 km, duration : 5h30, ascent : +600m, descent : -600m

After a transfer (1h30), you will completely switch landscapes to discover the huge aragonese sierras and their impressive conglomerate cliffs. You will start from Loarre castle, one of the most beautiful examples of Romanesque fortifications in Spain, that was built in the 11^th century, at the apogee of the Navarra Kingdom. After a short climb, you will overlook the Aragonese Plain, and once you cross the pass and despite a few pushes, a memorable and easy way down through the box trees will put a smile on your face for the rest of the day! After a short downhill part on an abandoned road, you will go up again on a long track through a small and wild valley. You will then overlook the Mallos de Riglos. The view of the vultures flying over the climbers who travelled the world to climb those legendary sunny cliffs is amazing. The way back to the castle follows an easy track. Possibility to visit the castle, short transfer to your hotel with a SPA and swimming pool. Distance : 46 km, duration : 4h30, ascent : 1065m, descent : -1080m

Let's get closer to the Pyrenean mountain range with a short transfer (40min), for a day full of bird's eye views and memorable landscapes.

After warming up on an easy track, the climb will exceptionnally take place on a road (9km). In the shade of the impressive cliffs overlooking you, you will discover the spectacular monastery of San Juan de la Pena. The monastery, that seems tiny under the overhanging rock, was one of the most influent monasteries of the 11^th and 12^th century Christian Spain.

You will keep climbing until the top of the San Salvador sierra and its hermitage (1545m). From there, the way down will start under the eye of the vultures, and if you are lucky you might catch a glimpse of a bearded vulture. You will cross very beautiful sections offering stunning views over the conglomerate cliffs where birds of prey are nesting. Despite a few short uphills, you will be delighted by the way down through several tracks and paths facing the Pyrenean mountain range. Transfer to Hendaye and the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. For the last evening of your holiday, Tapas night in the old fishermen's neighbourhoods of Fontarrabie. Distance : 48km, duration : 4h30, ascent : +1170m, descent : -1190m

Starting from the hotel, you will cross the border to reach the old neighbourhoods of the magnificient fortifed city of Fontarrabie. You will follow the Way of St James (Camino del Norte) to climb on the sides of the  Jaizkibel mountains and discover a magnificient panoramic view over the Bay of Biscay and the beaches of the Basque Coast. As you will be cycling on a very different terrain - grassy meadows and oak forest - you will be litterally plunging towards the Atlantic Ocean on a very beautiful downhill section. Finally, before hitting the road again, you will enjoy a “beach stop”. Distance :22,6 km, duration : 4h, ascent : +525m, descent : -525m