Sierra Nevada walking holidays, Spain

Planet

Our holidays in the Sierra Nevada stay in environmentally responsible hotels. All the hotels and refugios(mountain huts) have a reserve water policy, whereby they encourage guests to reuse towels. We follow up this reserve water policy with our own do not buy bottled water. On our kit list for the week we explain the need to bring your own water bottle or camel pack as the springs and rivers in the area are of a high quality, and we stop and encourage people to try the different springs of water some being ferrous water. Although we will supply the walker with one bottle at the beginning of the holiday and ask them to fill it from the taps or springs during the week.

We also explain the use of the acequias (ancient water ways) and the importance of these to the agriculture and the local communities. We will explain the use of the crops that grow in different regions and how they are reliant on the different amounts of water available. Overall we hope people leave our holiday with a greater perspective on the use of water in more arid countries.

People

On the Trekking Sierra Nevada week we will be walking high up to a privately owned mountain refuge which with our support can continue to be run in a environmentally responsible way. We will also stay in the magnificent Alquiera de Morayma which has an organic vineyard and olive press on its land. We can taste their wines and oils and also see the process of the manufacture of these goods. The hotel is locally run and we have very good relations with the owners which we support in their efforts to be as organic as possible.

During our week we will be walking past various local craft stalls and shops. People are encouraged to buy the local products direct from the makers to ensure they have an income to keep their traditions and crafts alive. We will visit a local market during our walking week were we can buy locally grown fruit and vegetables as well as other local products like cheese. We feel this is an essential way to put money back into the local economy and hopefully help local growers and producers to continue.