Volunteer with horses in Portugal

Planet

The project
This project is mainly focussed around using horses to help people, but we also work with the horses to maintain the land around the centre. Part of the volunteer project is to replant indigenous species andto remove alien vegetation from the neighbouring forest. This is mainly eucalyptus, which grows very aggressively, killing off native species. This impacts on the survival of the local fauna and flora .Volunteers additionally help to monitor for fire risk, which protects both land and animals that ultimately do not become consumed by forest fires. and the wolf sanctuary itself.

Protecting the world
We are passionate about encouraging our travellers to be kind to the environment as they travel. Each participant receives advice about how to care for the environment whilst they are away. This includes water usage, how to avoid single use plastic, and electricity usage.

We insist that all participants bring their own water bottles when they travel with us, and clean free water is always available. We have even created a water bottle that can be purchased before departure and encourage people to use it at all stages of their journey including at the airport, on flights and whilst on their project. We are striving for all of our projects to be free of single use plastic.

People

This holiday's commitment to the local community in Portugal
The project also helps the local economy. Our participants spend money on food and leisure; rent is paid to the local landlord and a local driver is used to help the volunteers to get around.

This project has been established to support a deprived local community, providing people with opportunities for work but also for education and therapy.

Cultural sensitivity
Our pre-departure briefing includes a special session entitled ‘Responsible Tourism’ where we discuss cultural differences and sensitivities as well as advising volunteers on appropriate conduct. People a briefed on what is considered polite in terms of eating, greeting and dressing. It is encouraged that all volunteers learn some Portuguese prior to departure, and they get a helping hand whilst out there as well.

Keeping it local
Where possible, money is invested in the local economy and local staff are employed. We are passionate about supporting the local community, as without them, our projects could not run.