Winter activity week in Poland and Slovakia
| country: | Poland, Slovakia |
| departures: | 2010: 30 Jan, 6 Feb, 27 Feb |
| price: | From £749 (8 days) including flights from the UK, from £649 excluding flights. Single supplement £85. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Hidden away in the Tatras region of northern Slovakia lies Zdiar, a typical ‘Goral’ or highland community very much in touch with its history. Still relatively unaffected by international tourism, Zdiar still has many traditional wooden buildings offering visitors a touch of authentic Slovakian folk cuisine, culture and tradition. More recently it has been making a name for itself as a great value winter destination, with a host of snowshoeing and cross country skiing routes on offer. This will be our base for a fantastic week of fun in the snow that will also include dog sledding and a chance to go downhill skiing. We will also visit Zakopane, the capital of the Tatras to experience this unique high mountain atmosphere. Add to that a visit to nearby thermal pools and you have the perfect way to experience winter at its best.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly to Krakow, transfer to Zdiar. |
| Day 2: | Full day introduction to snowshoeing. |
| Day 3: | Cross-country skiing instruction followed by a guided itinerary in the Spisska Magura Mountains. |
| Day 4: | A trip to Zakopane for dogsledding: tour of the town, afternoon visit to the thermal pools at Bukowina Tatranska. |
| Day 5: | Transfer to the downhill slopes for some skiing or snowboarding (instruction available, payable locally). |
| Day 6: | Free day to choose from the many activities and attractions, such as a visit to the Belianska Cave. |
| Day 7: | Downhill sledding in the morning followed by afternoon horse and sleigh tour of the village. |
| Day 8: | Transfer to Krakow; fly to London. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
|
Environment:
We have at our offices worked to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction of energy use and energy conservation measures. We also actively reduce the waste produced by having active reduction and recycling policies in place. We run annual staff workshops on Responsible Tourism. Global warming is a reality and to help you make a difference by reducing the carbon dioxide that is produced when you travel we offer a chance to carbon balance your flights. We encourage all our clients to do this and do so for all our staff travel. Go on do your bit! Community: Our winter activities week is based in a small, traditional, highland community not well known to international tourists. The local area is increasingly looking to tourism as a source of income to supplement the traditional revenue streams such as farming. This helps to ensure the continuation of the local history and traditions, as well as encouraging the community to maintain the natural environment for the benefit of visitors. We stay in a small, family-run pension that sources its supplies locally, use local transfer services rather than larger Poprad-based companies, and employ the services of guides from the areas we visit, all of which generates money for the local economy. The groups activities have a low impact on the environment, and our operator rents all equipment locally. These aspects contribute to the continuation of the community itself, by creating jobs and offering career prospects to local people, who may otherwise be tempted to move to a larger town or city in search of employment. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |