Sierra de Aitana Trek

I thoroughly enjoyed the holiday. Good walking, good weather, good company and excellent food.

In the favourite word of our leader 'FANTASIC'. Superb trip. Stunning scenery in an area off the beaten track despite only being an hour from Benidorm. Challenging walking at times but well worth the effort. We were lucky to have glorious weather and apart from one cloudy hour at the summit of one walk tee shirts were the order of the week. Pension El Trestellador was delightful. Basic, clean rooms. Comfortable beds and plenty of hot water. Whilst the owners and staff at the pension had limited English they were always friendly and helpful and extremely trusting. You just mark down on a piece of paper any drinks you order - no formal bills at the end of the week. Breakfasts were lovely, pack lunches excellent and evening meals generally good. Traditional, homely and plentiful Spanish food. Area for Exodus clients to make tea and coffee was great and well used by all. Enjoyed the company off the group which definitely added greatly to the whole experience.

The Sierra De Aitana is predominately limestone, so there is lots of loose rock underfoot. The walking is not too tough if you are fit, have a head for heights, are careful with your footing and can manage as much downhill as uphill. For the rest the views & mountain summits and ridge walk are breath taking and worth every step you take. The history of the area with terracing farmlands & the plight of the people is extremely interesting.

The trip gave a great opportunity to see almond blossom in full bloom . The leader has years of experience and rearranged the walks according to changes in the weather for us to see the area at its best . It was great to take in the scenery on foot , and in good company . With my special dietary requirements , I could not have asked for more from the gluten free meals and snacks provided . The family run hotel was very welcoming.

Definitely recommend this trip and here are ten reasons why you should book. 1. Guide (Jose) is really experienced, local expert, gets the balance of empathy/support and also (when required) makes difficult decisions in the best interests of the group e.g. it was too icy to reach the summit of Puig Campana and whilst that was disappointing it was the right decision (it had snowed on the Sunday we arrived - very unusual for the area). He is passionate about his job and clearly loves what he does 2. It is one of the most beautiful, scenic areas I have ever been to. Fabulous views 3. Lovely hotel, welcoming team, great breakfasts - thanks Raquel and Pepe. Tea/coffee/snacks available in room reserved for the group. Also there is a hairdryer there so no need to pack your own 4. Weather was fantastic (I’m just back). Clearly you can never guarantee the sun in Jan/Feb but it made for a perfect winter getaway 5. Good to have a free day to explore the local area. Great to chill out at the beach and test out the tram system 6. Most of the walks are straight out the front door - or a 5/10 minute bus ride away 7. You get full days of walking….be prepared for that as realise that might not be what everyone wants. Generally back by 5/6pm after leaving at 9am 8. Great mix of terrain, ascents, descents, summits, valleys etc. 9. Get to see the beautiful mountain villages 10. Fabulous paella on the last night….and lovely sandwiches each day (along with fruit and snacks). PS Read the trip notes in full. They are accurate and this is for experienced and confident walkers - see the section ‘is this trip for you?’

A fantastic trip seeing the beautiful variety of the Sierra de Aitana range. Five wonderful walks exploring different parts of two scenic valleys from a range of view-points. You are walking for 7-8 yours a day, ascending 800-1000m most days and the pace is not difficult. There has to be a minimum pace as need to get back in time for dinner etc. but we always had plenty of time for beer or icecream after the days walk. As you can probably tell we had some lovely weather with most days 20+ for the end of March. Evening meals were brilliant with the variety of food

A wonderful week walking in a beautiful area which is relatively unknown. The group got on very well and we had great fun in the evenings after a solid day of walking. Our leader was inspirational with a really good sense of humour. The accomodation and food was excellent.

I recently completed the Sierra de Aitana trek in Spain with Exodus, and I can confidently say it was an incredible experience. From start to finish, the entire week was filled with breathtaking landscapes, rich history, and a real sense of adventure. The trek itself was challenging but absolutely rewarding, with a variety of terrains that kept things interesting. The views from the top of the Sierra de Aitana were absolutely stunning, with panoramic vistas over the mountains and valleys below.

This was an excellent week of walking. The paths are steep in some places but well defined and Jose guided us with care and attention on the challenging ascents and descents of the Sierra Aitana. The walks were well-paced by Jose but the days are long so you do need to be fit. We trekked through a number of landscapes illustrating the historic and current use of the area and Jose with his local knowledge enhanced our understanding of how this area has evolved over the centuries as well as the current challenges. The views from the walks were amazing - one way you could see the coast from Alicante to Benidorm and beyond and the other the folding valleys and mountains of the interior. The skies were blue and the days sunny and warm and we experienced very little wind even on the summits. We were based at the Hostel Rincon de Pepe where we had a wonderful week being looked after by Raquel. The food was amazing and hearty (three courses plus wine). The terrace was also great place to have breakfast every morning as the sun rose out of the Med, as well as a beer or two after the walk as the sun disappeared behind the mountains.

Excellent from start to finish. Great leader in Jose. Hostal El Trestellador in lovely location with warm & friendly service. Meals were superb, home cooked traditional food, tasty and plenty to eat. Hikes were enjoyable & challenging. We had great weather and views. Nice day off in Altea, then pleasant barbeque that evening. The hiking group were excellent and friendly, a pleasure to meet.