Camino de Santiago cycling holiday

Planet

Activity:
Few holidays have as little detrimental impact on the environment and local residents as a cycling trip. Erosion on and adjacent to popular paths is a growing problem in certain places and therefore our trip leaders encourage clients to stick to advised routes in order to minimise this. We do believe in leaving no more than footprints (or tyre tracks!) although this tour actively encourages guests to talk to local people, visit local cafes and restaurants, use markets to purchase traditional gifts and crafts and get a real impression of the Camino de Santiago. We have the chance to explore cathedrals, monasteries and rural locations where our commerce has a really positive impact.

Water:
Water is a really important issue with cycling trips and whilst we must stay hydrated, it is also vital that we have a system for providing clean water without causing lots of waste with plastic bottles. We suggest that instead of repeatedly buying bottled water, guests should re-fill a singular bottle. Our guides can advise where to fill them and where to recycle litter.

UK Office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.

People

Accommodation & Meals:
We will spend the week in a variety of small, family run ‘casa rurales’ in villages, and larger hotels in towns. By spreading our commerce to several different local businesses, we are providing more financial benefit to the local community. Food is a massive part of Spanish culture and so where meals are provided (all breakfasts), our local staff are enthusiastic about showcasing fresh produce from the area. Your guides can make sure you’re acquainted with local restaurants and cafes, which is a great chance to both support the community and to get an authentic experience. Our route takes us through a variety of areas and terrains so there is opportunity to try regional specialties like tapas, pinchos, vegetable stews and succelent lamb dishes in the mountainous areas and fresh seafood nearer the coast.

Charity:
We support a local charity called RAIS Fundacion, which works with homeless people in the area to provide housing and training opportunities. Annually, we arrange activities every year with RAIS so that groups working with the charity can experience cycling and walking day trips with us.

Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.