Oaxaca mountain biking holiday, Mexico
How Oaxaca mountain biking holiday, Mexico makes a difference
Environment
We have a 'leave no trace' policy on our mountain biking holidays to ensure that our impact in these beautiful regions will not have a negative effect on this fragile environment. During our trips our guides will pass on their knowledge and explain the reasons behind our environmental policy and the ‘leave no trace’ ethos.
During this Mexican mountain bike adventure you will be staying in mountain cabins that are situated deep in the Sierra Norte in one of eight Zapotec villages that have come together to form an eco-tourism partnership, benefiting every community member equally. This system works in such a way that all eight communities benefit equally from the tourism income earned in each individual village, which is truly a first and an exemplar in Mexico.
You will also enjoy traditional home-cooked food and wonderful hot chocolate prepared by our hosts in the local shop/café. Sadly all the water we consume during the trip will need to be brought in, although we do have large water containers filled with drinking water and we encourage you to fill up a re-usable bottle from our supply. The cabins are of a traditional Mexican design that features an open fire and the hot water is partly heated by the solar heating tanks on the cabin roof.
Damage to the environment: Our guides will explain to you how fragile the environment is that you are passing through, how best to preserve it and that all your waste should be taken out and disposed of in the correct manner when we return to civilisation.
Community
Although the Sierra Norte in Mexico is one of the most stunning parts of the country, it is also one of the least affluent regions. This is because of the remoteness of the rural communities and the low levels of employment, so during our Mexican mountain biking holidays we benefit the local communities by bringing tourism to an exemplary eco-tourism venture.
During your time in Mexico you will experience an eco-tourism venture that is a first of its kind in Mexico. There are eight Zapotec villages working together to provide a safe location and comfortable accommodation where we can explore the ancient Zapotec trails. It is more than just a business structure, it is also integrated into their social structure, where each member of the community takes a two month sabbatical each year to work in the eco-tourism venture. But the main guides are there on a full-time basis, because they appreciate the need for having a professional approach to the initiative.
Throughout your tour in Mexico you will be guided be a local villager, eating in the local shop in the heart of the village and using local drivers; by doing so we help to support local businesses, create employment and contribute to the overall sustainable development of the eight villages that make up the eco-tourism partnership in this region.
Our local guide, who lives in Llano Grande, a small village where we stay on this tour, has taken his mountain biking experience and put it to good use, by building mountain bike trails with the local community, teaching mountain biking skills and working with the local schools to encourage mountain biking amongst the children and young adults.
Such schemes have a huge knock-on effect on the local communities, tourism and not just the one or two people directly linked to our company, but all the eight villages that make up the eco-tourism initiative in the Sierra Norte, Oaxaca.
Oaxaca mountain biking holiday, Mexico
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