| Ronda
The town of ronda rises amongst a ring of dark angular mountains.
It is built on an isolated ridge of the sierra and is split
in half by the gaping gorge of the river Tajo with a sheer
drop of 130 meters on three sides. The gorge is spanned by
an incredible 18th Century bridge,whilst tall, whitewashed
houses lean from its precipitous edges. Much of Rondas attraction
lies in the view as the town is approached. Our arranged
day trips pass through the Grazalema and Alcornales national
parks.
Jerez de la Fronterra
In 1587 Sir Francis Drake carried out a devastating raid
on Cadiz, where he set fire to the whole of the Spanish fleet
and helped himself to some 300,000 gallons of sherry! The
huge supply must have contributed to establishing a taste
for the wine in Britain. Subsequently in the late18th and
early 19th centuries a large number of English, Irish and
Scottish merchants arrived and settled in the area. On the
day trip to Jerez you will visit one of the famous Bodegas
and a visit to the Royal Equestrian school with its show
'how the Andalusian horses dance'.
Doñana National Park
Doñana consists over over one hundred thousand hectares
of protected land and is considered to be on of the most
valuable natural landscapes in the whole of Europe. Within
its landscape the national park accounts for a total area
of some 50,720 hectares, as well as 2,040 hectares of protected
land. within Doñana some very diverse ecosystems coexist.
You can find pine forests, sand dunes strewn with fossils,
beaches, marshes, lagoon complexes, reserves and many more
areas of significant ecological interest which support a
wealth of animal and plant life. The United Nations have
recognized the park as an area of significant ecological
interest, subsequently designating it as a 'Special Protection
Area for Bird Life' UNESCO placed the title of Biosphere
Reserve and it has been awarded the Council of Europe's Diploma
for Management. The areas most significant distinction was
achieve in 1994, when it was first included on the list of
World Heritage Sites.
The day trips on offer include checking the park out in
an all terrain 4x4 Vehicle.
Tanger and Teutan
The trip will go to Algeciras and from here the Straits
of Gibraltar will be crossed by ferry to the Spanish colonial
city of Cueta. A bus ride will then take you to Teutan along
the coast. A walking tour of this Moroccan city will be offered
accompanied by a local guide. With the local guide Medina,
Kashbah and the market will be visited. The lunch which is
included will be in a typical restaurant. We will then return
to Ceuta where we will get the ferry to Algeciras.
Córdoba
The excursion begins in the mosque of Córdoba. The
heyday of Córdoba came in the 10th century under Abd-al-Rahman
III who was the first caliph. Some areas of Europe languished
in the Dark Ages, whilst Córdoba became somewhat of
an advanced center in learning sciences, medicine, philosophy
and poetry. Along with Baghdad and Constantinople, it was
one of the three greatest cities in the world. It has a population
of 300,000. After the visit to the mosque a visit to the
synagogue will take place with a walk around the Jewish quarter. |
