Bandits Tour

Canyons, Table Mountains and Volcanoes

1.280 € pp
+ additional services

Overview

Short Tour Description

This e-MTB tour is based on the famous bandit or bandoler Joan Sala Serrallonga, his persona and the locations of his adventures: where he used to hide, smuggle and live. He was a kind of a Catalan Robin Hood and is known as the man who robbed the rich and gave everything to the poor!! Serrallonga wandered through the mountains of the Guilleries and Garrotxa areas of north-eastern Spain during the 17th Century. It is a far-reaching area of woodland, volcanoes and valleys that offered great hiding places to outlaws. This wild landscape offered animals to hunt and rivers, lakes and waterfalls for fishing and freshwater. What else could they possibly need?

Forests, volcanoes, medieval villages and timeworn trails know the truth in these stories better than anyone! Nowadays, local people are still telling tales about bandolers, partly true stories and partly legend. There is even a Catalan folk song that was written about Serrallonga! Today we find an incredible, mysterious paradise where these outlaws once hid. This tour offers a diverse route through dramatic landscapes, massive canyons, table mountains and volcanoes for cycling enthusiasts!

Duration

7 Days / 6 Nights / 5 Days of e-cycling

Total Km: 170-200 km *
Total Ascent: 6000 - 7000 m*
*This will depend on the daily variations of the tour that are available

Participants

Self-Guided: 2 - 8

Scenery

Pyrenees

Highlights & Facts

Simply delightful paths for experienced e-MTB riders
Table Mountains: one of the most spectacular and unique landscapes in Europe
Trail of the four seasons:
- Spring: discover the soft green colours of the deciduous forests in the springtime
- Summer: enjoy the comfortable climate on the high plateau during the summer months
- Autumn: marvel at the colours of the falling leaves – our "Indian Summer"
- Winter: dry, bright and sunny midwinter days
Accommodation at Jordi & Isabel’s cosy farmhouse
Eating at the stone village of Rupit
Luggage transfer included – you just need to bring yourselves!

Cycling Level

4 wheels (Moderate to Challenging)

Recommendation

The crisp, picturesque green of the deciduous trees in May and the autumnal colouring of the “Indian Summer” in October and November make this extraordinary e-cycling tour truly magical!

Tour Route

Day
1 / 7
2 / 7
3 / 7
4 / 7
5 / 7
6 / 7
7 / 7

Day 1: Arrival to Besalú

Besalú is a famous medieval town and was once the capital of a large county in this part of Catalonia. It offers great lodging for the first night of your adventure; a unique and charming historical town that you are guaranteed to fall in love with!

Day 2: Garrotxa, Land of Volcanoes

After the necessary explanations and information about your route has been presented to you, you will grab your e-bikes to start pedalling. Leaving Besalú you will follow forest paths surrounded by woodlands of evergreen oaks, pine trees and Mediterranean bush until you reach the next valley and head into a volcanic landscape. You will have lunch in another medieval town and enjoy some typical delights from the local area. The afternoon ride will be on black volcanic earth, scorched from historic eruptions. You will climb up spectacular uphill tracks, surrounded by beech woodlands. You will be quietly satisfied by the little bit of extra help from your e-bikes during this section of toady´s route! Passing by volcanic cones you descend into a quiet meadow area to the first destination on your journey: a 12th Century Vice-Chancellor’s home, which has been refurbished with excellent taste.

Km: 47 km approx.
Ascent: 1500 m approx.

Day 3: Heading to the top of the Table Mountain

Starting intensely with your e-bikes, ascending beautiful trails you will find a few surprises along your way including find fossilised rocks dating back around 33 and 65 million years! The rocks tell their own story and are well-preserved time capsules that are fascinating to look at! Lunch awaits you in a wonderful town made of stone, bringing you back to the time of Serrallonga and his outlaws. The next pathway you follow rides above the cliff tops of the table mountains with breath-taking views of the trail ahead of you. Like an eagle's nest the small village of Tavertet is located majestically on the edge of a Table Mountain, where you will have a picturesque view overlooking a canyon lake that shines with a deep green glow below you.

Km: 40 km approx.
Ascent: 2500 m approx.

Day 4: Discovering canyons, lakes and waterfalls

Between impressive canyons you spiral down a circular track descending towards a lake. Here you can refresh yourselves in the pure and cool water. You will ascend back to the top of the cliff through a dense forest full of mysterious hideouts and waterfalls. If you allow it, these table mountains with their deep valleys will make you fall in love with them, taking you back in time and making you feel like an outlawed bandit. Today is a day to drift along with your e-bikes and uncover the secrets of the unique landscape of Collsacabra.

Km: 36 km approx.
Ascent: 1200 m approx.

Day 5: Deep into the bandit’s territory

Woodland and meadow e-cycling via memorable tracks lead you to an out-of-the-way and almost hidden spot where you will enjoy a picnic, accompanied by the soundtrack of powerful water flowing nearby. You will discover the picturesque church of Sant Julià de Cabrera that is protected by the Table Mountain of the Aiats. You will enter into a dense beech forest where the sunlight reflects off the leaves, creating a delight for the senses. Descending to your lodging for the night, you will really enjoy the speed of your e-bike and feel the wind in your hair as you ride downhill. The house that awaits you is a distinguished and remarkable property!

Km: 25 km approx.
Ascent: 600 m approx.

Day 6: Switzerland of La Garrotxa

Complex trails, made easier with your e-bikes, bring you to the Switzerland of the Garrotxa area with meadows, grazing cows and spectacular views to the Canigo Mountain range. Returning to the heart of Garrotxa, you will discover the spectacular Masias from the feudal Lords who treated the peasant farmers like serfs. Serrallonga attacked the Lords to help the serfs and redistribute much of the wealth taken from them over the years. After a tasty lunch in a beautiful stone village (declared a heritage site) you will have the option to take a quick uplifting dip in a river pool or a rather easy ride to Olot where your intense adventure ends.

Km: 35 km approx.
Ascent: 700 m approx.

Day 7: See you Soon!

Olot provides good connections to return to Barcelona. Or continue on a Coastal e-bike tour.

> Important notices to all customers!

Information & Services

Character

The Bandits tour will take your breath away! Not just because of the steep uphill climbs, but due to the rewarding magnificent views and landscapes when you reach the high peaks! The tracks of the bandits offer many hidden and unknown places of great beauty. e-cycling through picturesque stone villages, volcanic terrain, beautiful forests, rocky mountains, rivers, lakes, cliffs and plateaus you will discover the stories of the outlaws. Thanks to your electric bicycles, you can get to these extraordinary places with ease.

We describe this tour as e-MTB. You will find a great variety of terrains which requires you to be in good physical shape and have the ability to ride a bike on uneven surfaces. The variety of easy-going tracks, narrow stony paths, crossing rivers and uphill and downhill slopes result in this tour having an overall moderate to challenging level.
On some days of this tour, there is the possibility to choose between shorter or longer versions of the route, as well as moderate or challenging levels. This gives you the freedom to adapt this tour to your personal conditions or wishes.

Included services

e-cycling programme as described
5 cycling days with 6 nights’ accommodation, including breakfast. Stay in a double room with shower and toilet facilities (approximately 1-2 nights of which will be with shared shower and toilet facilities)
GPS with detailed route
Taxes on stays in tourist establishments
Transportation of luggage

Excluded services

Flight or public transport (on arrival and on departure) including taxis
Transfer to / from the start / end-point of the tour
e-bike rental and accessories
5 lunches and 6 dinners (a packed-lunch style picnic for you to take with you in your bike bag for 10,- Euro or a restaurant for 25,- Euro depending on your choice)
Drinks / food in bars
Entrance fees to museums, monuments and any associated guided tours
Tips for the team and other services

Transfer fees here

e-bike hire

Your hired e-bike is equipped with a rack - bike bags, basic e-bike tools and a battery charger are all included.

Fee per e-MTB

250,- Euro

Fee per helmet

9,- Euro

Accommodation

Double room

Single room supplement – extra 30,- Euro per night

Please note

Arrival day: at 7:00 p.m. with a tour briefing and introduction to the e-bikes (typically last about 2 hours). Dinner at 9:00 p.m.
Departure day: Breakfast (approximately 9:00 a.m.) – departure with transfer to the train station / airport (Girona).
The tour operator reserves the right to substitute the described accommodation with an equivalent alternative if necessary.
Due to local conditions, a route change or amendment may be necessary.

Arrival / Departure

Self-guided tour:

For a private taxi (1-4 persons) the costs are approximately:

Arrival:
80,- Euro from Girona Airport (GRO)
255,- Euro from Barcelona Airport (BCN)

Departure:
125,- Euro to Girona Airport (GRO)
220,- Euro to Barcelona Airport (BCN)

We would be happy to organise your personalised arrival / departure to the respective start/end points. If needed, we can book a taxi transfer or reserve train tickets in advance for you. Please contact us!

Important notices

Important notices to all customers!

All tour itineraries are general guidelines and in order to offer our customers the best e-cycling holiday experience we make occasional changes. The number of daily kilometres and metres of ascent are approximate as we offer different options on most of the days of the tour. For example, sometimes you can choose between a longer or a shorter route and sometimes between easy and more challenging paths to suit your preferences.

Depending on the number of simultaneous tours, the season, the weather and national holidays, we may make alterations to the itineraries at short-notice, which could affect the number of hours of e-cycling per day, the route we take to any given destination or the use of alternative accommodation. Tours can also be cycled in both directions. All changes are at our discretion, but when changes are made, we endeavour to ensure that our high quality standards are maintained and reflected in the alternatives that we choose.

Presentation, organisation, photos and information are provided by Anaïs Roca and Rudi Stolz.

Booking

Available Months

For self-guided tours

Book now!

You can choose your own travel dates (upon request).

1.280 € *

* Prices without not included services

Guest opinions

Bandits Tour
October 2018

An extremely well planned and organised tour. The scenery was breath-taking, and the lodgings were excellent. Thanks to the guide and the team for this dream holiday! I could never have imagined riding a bike in these amazing places. I definitely will come back for another adventure!

Peter