4.0

| 2 reviews

Hike and Bike Along the Italian Heel

Name: Hike and Bike Along the Italian Heel
Rating: 4.00 (2 reviews)

Italy

4 nights

Moderate

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 Groups

Solo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 14 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people

From

…

excluding flights

What's it like?

4.0

| 2 reviews

A really fun and relaxing trip. The accommo...

September 2022

Alexandra

September 2022

Alexandra

September 2022

Alexandra

September 2022

Alexandra

September 2022

Alexandra

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

Key Information

Day 1

The White City

Hiking

1hr · 3km

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

Cycling

25km

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

Hiking

4-5hrs · 13km · 150m up · 150m down

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)

Hiking

3-4hrs · 5-7km

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

Enjoy a final breakfast with your guides and fellow explorers and then head back to the Bari Airport in time for your journey home.

Day 1

Guesthouse · Twin share

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 2

Hotel · Twin share

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 3

Hotel · Twin share

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 4

Hotel · Twin share

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 5

Departure day

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

What is the food like?

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 include Focaccia (an olive oil-based soft bread with potato and tomato), Polpette (meatballs), Orecchiette (a Puglian pasta), Involtini di Carne (meat wrapped with garlic and spices) and a surprise Dolce (sweet) for dessert.

Vegetarians, vegans and other dietary requirements and allergies can be catered for - please just request on your passenger info form.

What is the accommodation like?

Ostuni

You’ll be staying in twin (or double on request) rooms at the Masseria Morrone in Ostuni, a renovated farmhouse surrounded by olive groves and set on a hillside overlooking the sea. It offers country-style rooms and a furnished sun terrace. Rooms feature wrought-iron beds, handmade wooden furnishings, and stone walls. The private bathroom has a shower and bidet.

Alberobello

You’ll be staying in twin (or double on request) rooms at the Trulli e Puglia in Alberobello. Classically restored, each trullo has a singular, centred cone-shaped ceiling and traditional Pugliese interior design - true to their roots with elegant simplicity.

Matera

You’ll be staying in twin (or double on request) rooms at the Sassi Hotel or similar in Matera. Hotel Sassi is an 18th-century hotel located within the Sasso Barisano district and is surrounded by terraces overlooking the Romanesque Cathedral and amazing views of The Sassi.

Upgrades

Due to the limited number of rooms, it is not possible to request a private room upgrade for this trip.

Logistics

Starts

Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport

11:00 on Day 1

Ends

Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport

11:00 on Day 5

Transfers

Your adventure begins at 11:00 on Day 1 when your host will meet you at Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport. A single group transfer by minibus is then taken to Ostuni. After breakfast on the final day, your host will then take you back to the airport for your onward journey.

Travel options

There are regular flights to Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport from airports across the UK and Europe.

There is time to catch an afternoon flight home from Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport any time from 13:00 onwards, or depart the next day.

For those who wish to avoid flying, Bari Centrale is well connected with high-speed trains from London via Zurich and Rome. The journey will take an average of 23 hours and usually involve 3 changes.

Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear

In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.

What do I need to bring?

BAGS
Soft duffel bag or rucksack
Daypack (35+ litres)

CLOTHES
Waterproof and windproof jacket
Fleece jacket or similar
Trousers/shorts/skirts for hiking
T-shirts
Underwear & socks
Swimsuit
Sunglasses
Sunhat
Something to sleep in
Waterproof hiking boots (worn-in)
Lightweight shoes for around town

OTHER
Universal travel plug adapter
Power bank or solar charger
Passports (and visas)
Travel Insurance documents
Suncream
Personal first-aid kit (inc. blister treatment)
Personal items (biodegradable toiletries, sanitary wear etc)
Alcohol hand-gel
Face mask
Reusable water bottle (x1 litre)

OPTIONAL
Earplugs
Energy bars and snacks
Camera

No optional extras are available for this trip.

Alexandra(September 2022)

A really fun and relaxing trip. The accommodation is authentic and interesting and the places you visit are quaint and off the typical tourist path. Our group was fab (everyone was a professional in their 30s and 40s). The cycling was shorter than advertised (14km) as our group requested time at the beach and the hiking was chilled and fairly flat across a range of terrain. The caves are awesome and the little villages you visit are unique. A great trip to add onto a bigger tour of Italy, or for someone who’s been before and wants a new flavour of the country!

Matthew(September 2022)

As a first trip was MBA it was everything we expected. The trip was the first time it had been run but the itinerary was great. A few changes and it would be 5*.

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.

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 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 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.

Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.

Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.

Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.

We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that 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.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.

You're always in good company on one of our adventures.

Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers 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.

Interested in a more exclusive experience? Opt for a 'Private Group' through the dates and prices tab to book this adventure for just you and your chosen companions.

Our team of Adventure Hunters create exclusive adventures with highly vetted, specialist hosts. 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.

Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).

For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.

Got questions? We've got answers

Our friendly and expert team is on hand to help you choose one of our adventures. So if you want answers to questions like "Who else is going?" or anything else about this trip – please get in touch.

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We’re rated ‘Excellent’ on Trustpilot with over 900 verified trip reviews averaging 4.8/5.

Connect before you go

You'll be invited to join a WhatsApp group to get to know each other before your big adventure together. Full details

DEPARTURE DATES

Go private and split the bill with ease.

Forget complex logistics, we've taken care of all the details to ensure a hassle-free get together. All of the adventure, none of the faff.

Still Undecided?

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No longer on sale

Hike and Bike Along the Italian Heel

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 Groups

…

What's it like?

Key Information

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

What is the food like?

What is the accommodation like?

Ostuni

Alberobello

Matera

Upgrades

Logistics

What do I need to bring?

Got questions? We've got answers

We've got your back

Guaranteed to run

Flexible payments

Happiness Guarantee

Full financial protection

Tried & Trusted

Connect before you go

DEPARTURE DATES

Go private and split the bill with ease.

Still Undecided?

A few other trips to tickle your fancy

Adventure with Like-Minded People

Active outdoor specialists

Get places you couldn't yourself

Hassle-Free From Start to Finish

Our Purpose

Book With Confidence

Positive impact adventure travel

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