SPAIN · ANDALUSIA · 37.05°N 3.31°W · SUMMER · JUN–SEP
Sierra Nevada Integral
The roof of mainland Spain in five days: Mulhacén and Veleta by the high integral ridge, nights in unstaffed stone refugios, sunrise over Africa across the sea, and tapas waiting in the whitewashed Alpujarras.
THE ROUTE, CHARTED
The elevation profile
GPS-logged. Camps and key points marked; the shape of the route is the honest version of the brochure.
THE SHAPE OF THE TRIP · 5 DAYS
The itinerary
Trevélez to the crest
From Spain's highest village up through the ham-drying lofts' thin air to the Siete Lagunas hanging valley — camp one by the pools — then onto the ridge over Alcazaba, 3,371m, with the whole integral laid out south-westward like an invoice.
Mulhacén
The roof: up the north flank's easy angle to 3,479m for the Africa dawn, then the long crest walk past the Caldera refugio-vivac beneath the summit's western cliffs. Nowhere higher until the Alps; nowhere drier until the Atlas.
Veleta and the descent
The crest to Veleta, 3,396m, past the concrete oddities of Europe's southernmost ski area — quiet and strange in summer — then down the Cañada de Siete Lagunas' staircase and endless zigzags to Capileira, where the tapas arrive unbidden and correct.
WHY THIS ROUTE
The expedition
The Sierra Nevada runs its three-thousanders in a single file above the olive haze of Andalusia — a fourteen-summit ridge where, on the right dawn, you watch the sun rise out of Africa with the Mediterranean as a silver floor between. Our integral takes the crest's walking line over Alcazaba, Mulhacén (3,479m, mainland Spain's roof) and Veleta, sleeping in unstaffed stone refugios-vivac and one high camp, cooking under skies the Alpujarra villages have kept dark. This is desert mountaineering in the walking register: huge light, no water between named springs, and distances that look modest until the altitude does its quiet arithmetic. Honest note: summer heat below 2,500m is real and the grade reflects carrying camp kit over 3,000m ridges — June departures carry axe-grade snow patches some years.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Mulhacén, 3,479m — the mainland's highest ground
- Sunrise over the Mediterranean towards the Rif
- Unstaffed refugio-vivac nights: stone, stars, silence
- The Alpujarras' white villages and long lunches
- Ibex on the crest most mornings
- Five days, three of them entirely above 3,000m
STRAIGHT ANSWER
Is this for you?
You should be able to say yes — honestly — to all of these:
- You have real multi-day experience and can handle big consecutive days — this is honest grade 4 ground.
- You accept that altitude sets the schedule — this route reaches 3,479m and the guide's altitude call is final.
- You are happy in a tent, in weather, with no shower and an early kettle.
- You would rather be told the truth about a hard day than sold an easy one.
Grade 4 means grade 4. If you're not sure, ring us — we'd rather lose a booking than carry a struggle.
THE LEDGER
What £820 covers
INCLUDED
- Wildtrace guide (Marta Serrano) at a max ratio of 1:8
- Tents, group camp kit and all meals on trek
- Daily oximeter checks and an acclimatisation schedule that is not negotiable
- Group safety kit: inReach satellite comms and expedition first aid
- Pre-trip video call, training plan and the real kit list
NOT INCLUDED
- International travel to the start point
- Personal travel insurance covering trekking to 3,479m — required, checked before departure
- Visas and permits payable on entry, where applicable
- Tips for local crew (we publish a guideline per trip)
- Sleeping bag — bring your own or hire ours (£30/trip)
- Lunches and drinks on travel days
PACK THIS, NOT EVERYTHING
Kit, previewed
The items that matter most on this route. The full list — with honest notes on what not to buy — lives in the kit room and is sent on booking.
Broken-in boots matched to the terrain. Broken-in is the load-bearing phrase.
Waterproof jacket and trousers you actually trust.
A day pack that fits — 30–35L covers almost every trip.
Headtorch plus spare batteries. Early starts are a feature.
Sleeping bag and mat rated for the trip's coldest night (hire available, £30).
SPF50, lip block and category 3–4 glasses. High-altitude sun does not negotiate.
2L capacity plus purification where the trip notes say so.
A proper insulated jacket. Evenings are where trips are enjoyed or endured.
WHO'S TAKING YOU
Your guide
Marta Serrano
IML · SOUTHERN EUROPE & AMERICASAragonese, Pyrenees-raised, and the reason our Spanish and Andean logistics run on time. Carries a tin of saffron on every expedition and has used it at 4,600m.
HOW WE RUN IT
Max 8 walkers. inReach satellite comms carried and checked daily. Escape routes planned before we sell a single place. And the weather rule that built this company: we turn back. That's the deal. Full detail on our safety page.
NO PAYMENT AT THIS STAGE
Ask about this trip
Send this and a guide rings you back — Tuesday or Thursday evening, usually. Fifteen minutes, honest questions both ways, no hard sell.
IF THIS, THEN ALSO
