Primetime Emmy
& James Beard Award Winner

  • Sacred Rural Heartlands

    Salamanca and the World of Jamón

    Feb 1-8, 2026

    A deep week of Castillian grace, from our start in the stately and vibrant city of Salamanca into the sacred rural heartlands of Spain’s greatest product: jamón. This is an insider tour of a world-famous delicacy, and all the rich countryside that created it.

    Alejo Sabugo

    R&K Host

    Fixer, Producer, Jamón Evangelist
    Alejo Sabugo

Overview

Salamanca and the World of Jamón

A deep week of Castillian grace, from our start in the stately and vibrant city of Salamanca into the sacred rural heartlands of Spain’s greatest product: jamón. This is an insider tour of a world-famous delicacy, and all the rich countryside that created it. And yes, there will also be rices and wines and olives and all the other fabulous products of Castilla y Léon and greater Spain. Moderate activity level. Meat-centric itinerary.

  • Spain
  • Feb 1-8, 2026
  • from $11,000
Map
  • Spain
  • Feb 1-8, 2026
  • from $11,000
Salamanca and the World of Jamón Inquire Now

DISCOVER SALAMANCA:
DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY

Day
1

A Gilded Welcome

  • Private transfer from Madrid airport to Madrid city center, where we meet to head into the heart of Castilla y León.
  • Lunch in Segovia at Restaurante José María for lunch of cochinillo, the iconic suckling pig of the region
  • After lunch, walk around the old Roman city of Segovia
  • Transfer to Abadía los Templarios near La Alberca, perhaps the most famous village in Iberian ham production, home of the annual festival of San Anton, where a young pig is “adopted” each year and allowed to live free in the village before meeting its destiny at the next year’s festival
  • Nightcap and tapas with your hosts
Day
2

Bread and Village

  • Unhurried breakfast at our hotel in La Alberca
  • Visit the local chocolatería with Mari Luz to see how she makes the regional speciality rosquillas (something like a Spanish doughnut, but better)
  • Walking tour of La Alberca to hear its stories with our local connection Isi
  • Visit to a traditional bakery for regional bread specialities like barra rustica and hornazo
  • Lunch in a private lagar (old stone winepress room), cooked by Mari Luz
  • Siesta!
  • Light dinner at the Abadía
Day
3

Toro Bravo!

  • Breakfast at La Alberca
  • Visit Ganadería el Pilar to explore toro bravo culture and the wooded pastures that make up the  dehesa habitat. This is the heart of the montanera—the season of fattening when the pigs eat acorns until the glorious finale.
  • Lunch at el Pilar of cured meats and toro bravo alike
  • Head to Salamanca, one of the great cities of Europe, the ancient capital of jamón, and our historic hotel Don Gregorio in a former 15th Century Palace
  • Dinner with Cesar Niño, chef and owner of El Alquimista, a student of culinary history who recently re-released a cookbook of 17th-century Castilian recipes called 1607.
Day
4

Heroic Salamanca

  • Slow breakfast at the hotel
  • Guided walk around the UNESCO Heritage city
  • Visit to the family-run artisanal jamón producer Ibericos Torreón for a deep dive into traditional production methods, followed by a tasting and jamón-rich lunch
  • Free time for siesta or shopping in the old city
  • Tapas dinner at Mesón Cervantes, a true Salamanca classic
Day
5

Casa de Comida

  • Leisurely breakfast the old city of Salamanca
  • Free time for shopping, strolling, and the like
  • Lunch at Fernandica, legendary casa de comida, last of a dying breed, in the village of Ledesma
  • Dinner in Salamanca with wine pairing
Day
6

Vino Vino Vino

  • Wake up, coffee and maybe a quick bite, transfer (1 hr) to our breakfast in Fornillos de Fermoselle in Zamora
  • In Fornillos, visit Teresa Cotorruelo at Mermeladería Oh Saúco for a workshop in Castillian marmalades and preserves
  • Visit Sara and Pachi at quesería La Setera
  • Meet winemaker Charlotte Allen in the village of Fermoselle, perched high over the Duero River, with over 2000 years of wine history
  • Wine tasting in one of the many underground wine cellars beneath the ancient village
  • Bodega crawl for wine and classic Castillian lunch of cabrito (goat). Because one does live on pork alone.
  • Siesta or optional spa, light dinner on your own for a bit of a break, a rare glimpse of moderation as we gear up for the final day.
Day
7

FEAST

  • This is the day
  • The culmination of our entire week of adventures
  • A village pig feast, the kind that only happens in this place, at this time of year
  • All-day Castillian rural bacchanal of jamón, of wine, of bread, of cheese, of bonhomie, with the mayor and the whole village of Guadramiro. It’s access to a culture that outsiders rarely see.
Day
8

  • Wake up at the hacienda, slowly, with a bit of breakfast and a bit of coffee
  • Private transfers back to Madrid, to the airport if you’ve got a flight that afternoon, or to the city center if you’re staying on
  • Adios, hasta la próxima, mis bravos

WHAT’S INCLUDED

  • All breakfasts, lunches, dinners, as well as snacks and beverages between meals
  • Expertise and services of our experienced trip leaders: at least one guide and one host per trip
  • Additional guides and experts from the region
  • Transfers to and from the airport or wherever you are on the day the trip starts and ends
  • Daily Roads & Kingdoms gifts related to the themes, activities and narratives of each trip
  • All gratuities for accommodations, meals, guiding or transport

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED

  • International airfare to and from the journey (note: some trips begin and end at different airports)
  • Personal bar tabs (when not with the group)
  • Personal laundry or spa services
  • Personal travel insurance

Meet Our Hosts

Alejo Sabugo

Alejo Sabugo

Fixer, Producer, Jamón Evangelist

We met Asturias native Alejo Sabugo when he worked on the “Parts Unknown” Asturias episode. A producer and fixer for Bourdain, he quickly became an integral part of the Roads & Kingdoms family and is now a frequent League of Travelers host. His passion for jamón knows no bounds.

Where You’ll Stay

Abadía los Templarios

Abadía los Templarios

Rural Retreat

Immersed in 10 hectares of rolling La Aberca countryside, this Medieval-style hotel offers great facilities and views of the rural surroundings. Surrounded by ancient chestnut trees, facilities include an open-air bar and café, a spa with sauna and hamam, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, private gardens, and a library.

Gran Hotel Don Gregorio

Gran Hotel Don Gregorio

Salamanca Palace

Gran Hotel Don Gregorio is a luxury hotel set in a restored 15th-century palace in the historic center of Salamanca. A lovely porticoed patio and 17 guestrooms offer high comfort and spectacular views in stomping distance from the Plaza Mayor, Ieronimus Cathedral, and Clerecia Towers.

  • You could tell Alejo really put a lot of passion into all the research and recon he did for this trip. Which made the trip very special.

    Tom R.
    Salamanca and the World of Jamón 2024
  • As guests, we see the end result, but I appreciated all the relationships that had been developed to create unique experiences.

    Eve S.
    Salamanca and the World of Jamón 2024
  • We pierced the ‘tourist bubble’ largely through Alejo’s connections.

    James B.
    Asturias from Sky to Sea 2023

Related Trips

  • Spain’s Northern Bounty

    Asturias From Sky to Sea

    Oct 18-25, 2025

    The only part of Spain never to fall to the Moors, Asturias remains defiant, delicious, distinctive. Our collaborator José Andrés comes from these mountains, and his ideas, passions and people are woven throughout this magical weeklong journey from the coast to the hills and back again.

    Alejo Sabugo

    Local Guide

    Fixer, Producer, Explorer
    Alejo Sabugo

    Charly Wilder

    R&K Host

    Journalist, Traveler
    Charly Wilder

  • The World’s Oldest Wine Culture

    Tbilisi and the Georgian Winelands

    June 7-15, 2025

    Feast your way from the riverine capital Tbilisi to the miracles of southern Georgia, where cave monasteries and an ancient wine culture collide. Hosted and inspired by the adventure, curiosity, and connections of Georgia’s most celebrated chefs and winemakers.

    Tekuna Gachechiladze

    Culinary Guide

    Godmother of New Georgian Cuisine
    Tekuna Gachechiladze

    Natia Svanidze

    Local Guide

    Activist, Bon Vivant
    Natia Svanidze

Salamanca and the World of Jamón Inquire Now
R&K League of Travelers

Ready for a new adventure?

Inquire Now.

    Salamanca and the World of Jamón

    • Feb 1-8, 2026
    • from $11,000

    Fill out the form to join the waitlist. We’ll reach out if space opens up.