4.0
Hike and Bike Along the Italian Heel
- Italy
- 4 nights
Ride and wander between the Adriatic and the green fields of Puglia, exploring ancient settlements and fine food along the way
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
Trek ancient olive groves, beautiful white-washed hill villages and the UNESCO-listed cave dwellings of Matera
Pedal countryside to coast, along rural pathways and through rolling vineyards, and discover the grottoes of the Castellana Caves
Munch on rustic Pugliese dishes made with the region's olive oil, all washed down with local wine
Bed down in a restored farmhouse overlooking the sea, a traditional trullo in Alberobello, and a historic hillside hotel
Itinerary
Day 1
The White City
Hiking1hr · 2miGuesthouseTwin shareDinner includedShow Day 1 detailHide detail
Meet your host at Bari Airport and drive approx 1.5 hours to Ostuni, where whitewashed buildings line the streets. Explore the town, before hiking along the hills through olive trees and vineyards overlooking the Adriatic coast to reach an Apulian farm where you’ll spend the night.
Day 2
Ready to ride
Cycling16miHotelTwin shareAll meals includedShow Day 2 detailHide detail
Set off early as you cycle from the countryside to the coast, along small roads lined by stone walls, passing historic farms, fields and trulli houses. Take a pit stop at a local oil mill to learn all things olive oil before reaching the end of your ride at the beach. After lunch, you’ll transfer by vehicle to the UNESCO World Heritage town of Alberobello before a delicious dinner and bedding down in a real trullo.
Day 3
Crossing the Itria Valley
Hiking4-5hrs · 8mi · 492ft up · 492ft downHotelTwin shareBreakfast and lunch includedShow Day 3 detailHide detail
Lace up your boots and hike to Locorotondo, a place truly deserving of the accolade 'borghi più belli d'Italia' (one of the most beautiful villages in Italy). The trail crosses the Itria Valley, along narrow tracks and past ancient olive trees, vineyards and trulli. Return to Alberobello by train in time for some wine tasting before exploring the town and having dinner in one of Alberobello many restaurants.
Day 4
Castellana Caves (another UNESCO World Heritage site)
Hiking3-4hrs · 3miHotelTwin shareAll meals includedShow Day 4 detailHide detail
After breakfast, you’ll jump in the van and head for the ancient UNESCO-listed town of Matera. Along the way stop and explore the Castellana Caves, one of the largest cave systems in Italy. Continue onto Matera (you’ll know you’ve arrived from the unique landscape and cave dwellings), explore the old streets and hidden corners, before sitting down with your crew for a final feast.
Day 5
Head for home
Breakfast includedShow Day 5 detailHide detail
Enjoy a final breakfast with your guides and fellow explorers and then head back to the Bari Airport in time for your journey home.
Getting There
- Nearest airport
- Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport (BRI)
- Pick up
- Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport
11:00 on Day 1 - Drop off
- Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport
11:00 on Day 5
What is and isn't Included?
What's included
Expert, English-speaking local guides
1 night in an Apulian farmhouse, 2 in a trullo and 1 in a hotel
All breakfasts, lunches and 3 dinners
Transfers to and from Bari Airport, and everything in between
All your biking equipment
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.
Ostuni
Alberobello
Matera
What You'll Eat
Dine on mouthwatering and organic homemade Pugliese dishes with a perfect wine pairing throughout the trip. Puglia is a region of farmers, responsible for producing the vast majority of Italy’s olive oil, durum wheat and wild greens. Your meals can i…
Optional Extras
Upgrades
Due to the limited number of rooms, it is not possible to request a private room upgrade for this trip.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
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What to Pack
Know before you go! Some stuff we'll provide, other things you'll need to bring.
FAQs
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 138kg 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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