4.9
The 3 Peaks Challenge in Spain
- Spain
- 5 nights
Tackle 3 back-to-back summits on this tough traverse in the Sierra Nevada, including mainland Spain’s highest peak
What's Included?
- Small Like-minded GroupsSolo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 14 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people
From…excluding flights
Highlights
Scramble to the top of Mt Mulhacén (3482m), Pico del Caballo (3011m) and Mt Veleta (3395m), through Andalucia’s secret mountain range
Bed down in a high-altitude mountain lodge, your Sierra Nevada basecamp
Get lost while tapas-hunting and soaking up the musical heritage of the ancient Moorish city of Granada
Itinerary
Day 1
To the mountains
LodgeMixed dormDinner includedShow Day 1 detailHide detail
Get picked up at Malaga Airport (or train station) and be whisked off into the Sierra Nevada mountain range. You will climb up to the small village of Pradollano where you'll bed down in a nearby mountain lodge at an altitude of 2500 metres. Time to enjoy the sunset this evening whilst getting to know your fellow travellers.
Day 2
Pico del Caballo
Hiking7hrs · 12mi · 2297ft up · 2297ft downLodgeMixed dormAll meals includedShow Day 2 detailHide detail
The adventure begins! From the Mountain Lodge you'll take a short shuttle bus up to 2900 metres, from where the trek to the first 3000m peak of the trip, El Caballo, begins. Along the route you'll pass the oldest and highest mountain refuge in Sierra Nevada, Refugio de Elorrieta, located on a spectacular ridge with stunning views to the Mediterranean coastline.
Day 3
Mulhacén
Hiking9hrs · 13mi · 4593ft up · 3609ft downLodgeMixed dormAll meals includedShow Day 3 detailHide detail
Today you will climb Mulhacen peak, the king of the Sierra Nevada! The highest mountain peak of the Iberian Peninsula at 3482 metres is famed for its craggy appearance and its variety of endemic plants and butterflies. Taking again the shuttle service, today's route will be somewhat more demanding than yesterday's but you'll arrive with a good acclimatisation base. The trek crosses beautiful turquoise glacial lagoons until reaching the final uphill section. Once at the top the reward is views of Granada, the Mediterranean and on a clear day you can even make out the coast of North Africa.
Day 4
Veleta
Hiking6hrs · 9mi · 3281ft up · 3281ft downLodgeMixed dormAll meals includedShow Day 4 detailHide detail
Today's summit, Pico Veleta, is the second-highest peak in the Sierra Nevada and the third highest in Spain. The walk begins direct from the lodge and passes several glacial lagoons and snowmelt waterfalls. Return to the lodge in the afternoon for a well-deserved last dinner together in the mountains.
Day 5
To Granada
Hiking1-2hrs · 2mi · 197ft up · 197ft downHotelTwin shareBreakfast and lunch includedShow Day 5 detailHide detail
With the three highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada behind you, head down from the mountains and stop for a short (approx 4km) walk at the hanging bridges of Cahorros de Monachil. You’ll then head back to Granada - an ancient Moorish city is steeped in history, its old town squares are the perfect spot to while away an evening sampling traditional tapas and listening to music floating amongst the rooftops.
Day 6
Back to Malaga
Breakfast includedShow Day 6 detailHide detail
You’ll have time to explore the many winding streets of Granada before a transfer back to Malaga airport for your journey home.
Getting There
- Nearest airport
- Federico Garcia Lorca Airport (GRX)
- Pick up
- Malaga Airport
14:00 at the airport on Day 1 - Drop off
- Malaga Airport
13:00 at the airport on Day 6
What is and isn't Included?
What's included
Expert, English-speaking, qualified mountain guides
4 nights in a mountain lodge, 1 night in a hotel
All meals apart from dinner in Granada
Transfers from and to the airport
What's not included
You know your own spending habits best, so please budget an appropriate amount for things like optional meals and drinks, shopping, optional activities, and laundry.
Where You'll Stay
Private room upgrades are not available on this trip due to the nature of the accommodation.
Mountain Lodge
Granada
What You'll Eat
Expect traditional Andalucian food throughout. While staying at the lodge you'll grab breakfast before heading off each day - there will be a wide range of homemade bread, cheeses, honey, cakes and cereals and muesli to fuel you up for the morning. A…
Optional Extras
Accommodation Alternatives
- Optional Private Room Upgrade
- …/per person
Equipment / Kit Hire
- Walking Poles hire
- …
- Walking Poles hire
- …
Pre/Post Trip Accommodation
- Single Room in Granada (post trip)
- …/per night
- Twin/Double Room in Granada (post trip)
- …/per night
Upgrades
For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room can be booked for an extra charge, see Optional Extras for the price. This is only available for the night in Granada and not at the lodge. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability).
To request any extras, message your host via your Much Better Adventures account once you have booked your trip.
All extras must be paid before your trip starts.
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What to Pack
Know before you go! Some stuff we'll provide, other things you'll need to bring.
FAQs
What do I do about drinking water?
Although the refuge has the option to buy bottled water, we advise against it to reduce the use of plastic in the mountains. You can choose to be provided with cold water that needs treating. There is a wide range of products available these days which are more effective than traditional purification tablets - some trekkers like to use UV handheld devices such as a Steripen but other options are available.
Can I leave my excess luggage somewhere?
Your main bag will be collected from the hotel in Capileira on Day 2 and transported to your hotel in Granada for you to be reunited with on Day 5. Your host asks that this luggage is in a small soft packable duffel/rucksack or similar rather than a large suitcase. You will set off on the trek with a rucksack carrying just your essentials for your time in the mountains - likely a spare change of clothes, something warmer for the evenings as well as toiletries and a spare pair of light shoes to use at the refuge.
Can I book on my own?
Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Who is running the trip?
Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.
What is the official travel advice?
Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers review the practical information available on the UK Government’s FCDO website, where you can find up-to-date advice by searching for your destination(s).
If you are based in the United States, you can also check the latest travel advisories from the U.S. Department of State.
For customers joining from other international locations, we recommend checking the official travel advice issued by your country of residence, as guidance may vary.
What vaccinations do I need?
We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.
How are the trips priced?
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates daily, so prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
Why are your adventures only for adults?
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.
Who else will be on my trip?
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips typically consist of a mix of solo travelers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves, and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
- 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
- 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
- 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
What's the carbon footprint for this trip?
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre program, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 116kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000 miles/1609km would be approximately 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person, if there were two of you in it).
- A return economy class flight between London and New York would be approximately 1619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approximately 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
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