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15th October 2013 Print

For easy walks in exotic landscapes, walking and cycling holiday specialist, Headwater, recommends its guided walking holidays, which offer travellers an alternative view of favourite winter sun destinations. Joining an expert guide, holidaymakers will experience incredible walks by day, and stay in three, four and five star hotels at night, enjoying gourmet cuisine and refreshing dips in the hotel pools.

Below is a selection of Headwaters’ guided walking trips available this winter:

Sahara and High Atlas – 10 days of guided walking from £1,587 including flights and evening meals, next departing 8 November 2013, with selected departures over autumn and winter.

This guided walking holiday takes travellers through the best of Morocco, exploring the High Atlas Mountains, the Sahara Desert, and Marrakesh. Enjoying easy day walks, with full vehicle support, walkers will pass through the ancient Berber city of Ouarzazate, where parts of Gladiator and Game of Thrones were filmed, the extraordinary lunar landscape of the Draa Valley, and the old mule paths around Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa. Walkers will also spend one night in the Sahara Desert, and will have the opportunity to wander through Marrakesh’s bustling and vibrant souks.

Walking on La Palma – 7 days of guided walking from £1,449 including flights and meals, next departing 25 October 2013 and 1 and 8 November 2013.

Known as La Isla Bonita ‘the pretty island’, La Palma offers some of the most dramatic walking in the Mediterranean. Travellers will be based for the guided week at the luxury four-star Parador just above the capital, Santa Cruz. From here, walkers will be led by an expert guide through protected natural reserves, lauresilva forest, crimson volcanic calderas and steep terraces of avocado, almonds and mango.

Walking on La Gomera - 7 days of guided walking from £1,589 including flights and most meals, next departing 19 November 2013, 3 and 20 December 2013.

This guided walking holiday takes in spectacular gorge and coastal walks, exploring fertile terraces dotted with palms, pretty villages and rugged ravines. Starting in the rural village of Manantiales, where travellers can sample the local delights of goat’s cheese and figs, walkers will explore the village of Cercado, renowned for its pottery, and the main city of San Sebastian. Travellers can also make the moderate climb to Garajonay peak, for panoramic views of the islands of La Palma, El Hierro, Tenerife and Gran Canaria. Based at the four star Parador de la Gomera in San Sebastian, you can explore the bustling harbour or simply relax in the hotel’s garden by the pool

Secrets of Andalucia – 7 days of guided walking from £1,189 including flights and all meals, next departing from 15 and 29 March 2014, 12, 19 and 26 April 2014, 3, 17 and 24 May 2014.

Situated in the heart of the southern Andalucian province of Axarquia, walkers are based in Hotel Finca el Cerillo on the edge of the Tejeda National Park, on this guided walking holiday. Expert guides will take holidaymakers off the beaten track and through pretty white villages, such as Fogarate, where farmers still travel by mule, and along olive-planted hillsides which date back to Moorish times. Here, there is a beautiful church, Santa Ana, still bearing an old Moorish minaret.

Costa Rica Wildlife Walk – 12 days of guided walking from £2,999 including flights and meals, next departing from 17 November 2013, 12 January 2014, 9 February 2014 and 9 March 2014.

A paradise for walkers and nature lovers, this guided walking holiday takes travellers across Costa Rica’s world-famous Monteverde cloud forest, to the dramatic Arenal Volcano, with plenty of opportunities to spot all sorts of wildlife from crocodiles and turtles to hummingbirds and tree frogs. Travellers will stay in a mix of mountain lodges, with pools.

Secrets of Tenerife – 7 days of guided walking from £1,479 including flights and meals, next departing 26 November 2013, 10 and 27 December.

This trip introduces walkers to the relatively unknown Isla Baja, a little known region of Tenerife bursting with history and culture. Travellers will stay in the luxurious four star San Roque Hotel, a former 18th century nobleman’s mansion, which features a heated swimming pool, a beautiful courtyard and a sauna. Much of Tenerife's appeal lies in its soaring volcanic cliffs, the snow-capped Mount Teide and fertile valleys abundant with cork and splashes of yellow mimosa. The guide will also lead travellers up to the spectacular El Volcan Negro for magnificent views across the ocean.

To book, visit headwater.com.