Where: Andalusia
How Much: $2,695 for seven days, not including airfare
More: vbt.com

Getting There
The tour includes a transfer from the Seville Airport to your hotel in Palma del Rio (about 60 minutes). Settle in and explore this orange-tree-laden town at the confluence of the Genil and Guadalquivir Rivers before beginning your bike adventure the next day.

Best Moments
Cycling at your own speed while savoring views of iconic Andalusia: sun-dappled hills, hilltop castles,  and toros bravos lounging in fields a la Ferdinand from the children’s tale of a pacifist bull who’s happy just smelling flowers. No car window separates you from the vineyards’ earthy smell, or roadside trees hung with olives. And the view from the rocky promontory above the stunning white village of Zuheros is worth the long climb.

Favorite Character
Antonio Alvarez Natera, who hosts a family-style lunch for the cycling group on his cortijo (farm) between Palma del Rio and Cordoba. During Roman times, the property was a factory for manufacturing amphoras, vessels used for shipping oil, wine, and wheat. After encouraging cyclists to sample every dish, Antonio showed off the ancient Roman pottery he’s unearthed while plowing his fields.

Local Lore
When Julius Caesar’s legions assaulted Seville circa 48 B.C., their horses could barely get through the vast orchards of olive trees ringing the city. And in A.D. 711, Moorish invaders brought with them even more olive-tree seedlings. This explains why the Spanish words for olive and oil—aceituna and aceite—derive from Arabic.

What’s Green
You’ll cycle between 87 and 158 miles, avoiding gas consumption and air pollution. What’s more, a portion of the route follows the Vía Verde de la Subbética, one of 23 former Andalusian railway routes that the Spanish government has been transforming into walking and cycling thoroughfares.

Planet-Saving Opportunities
Sample organic olive oil made at Agroturismo Ecologico el Cortijillo, a farm near the former Luque train station. And after your tour, consider volunteering with Ecologists in Action, a federation of more than 300 environmental groups around Spain. Programs address nature conservation, transportation, alternative energy, and more.  

Take a Sierra Club trip to Spain. For details, go to sc.org/outings.