Andalucia self guided walking holiday
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.comDeparture information
Tailor made holiday
This trip can be tailormade to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by travel experts with intimate knowledge of the destination. It is a more luxurious trip that will suit those who enjoy immersing themselves in new cultures and environments before relaxing in comfort in some of the best and most characterful local accommodation! Quality and value are the hallmark of these trips.Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.
We recognise that the environment, the community and the culture within which we operate and our relationship with local organisations, businesses and individuals is vital to the success of our business. We use the local petrol station for refuelling, limit the use of unnecessary transport thus keeping the traffic from building in the winding streets. We buy organically produced, seasonal fruit and vegetables from the local farmers and markets in our village. All meals are taken within the village at family owned restaurants. We encourage our guests to interact with the very curious and friendly local folk. We recycle most materials and ask that guests don't leave non biodegradable orange peel or banana skins on the trails. Due to the lack of rain the peel takes years to decompose and is not a pretty sight for other walkers.
We encourage our guests to make use of a water hydration bladder in their backpacks as this helps to minimise the use of plastic bottles. Our community helps us provide a super holiday for our clients by being so supportive and friendly to guests and many clients return year after year and are delighted to be recognised by some of our local folk.
The Impacts of this Trip
Our community is very important to us and we respect and like them enormously. Our food is cooked by local chefs, the houses cleaned and maintained by tradesmen and ladies from the village. Our guides have lived in the area for many years and are known and respected by the villagers.
We operate in an area which has one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe – around 30%, particularly during the winter months as many of the jobs available are seasonal for the duration of the summer tourist season. We are very pleased therefore that we have been able to provide economic support for our local community by bringing business to the local economy during the winter months.
70% of our turnover is spent in local businesses and our clients spend money in the village as well. We use locally owned and run accommodation by preference and promote the local heritage, architecture, culture and gastronomy of our region wherever we can. We aim to where possible purchase our equipment and food from locally produced sources. We support local income generation and small business enterprises by supporting locally owned shops and restaurants. We have encouraged the local olive oil Co-operativa de Nuestra Senora de la Nieves to inform clients about production of virgin olive oil through guided tours of the production facility.
We encourage the production of local crafts & produce by marketing to our customers – eg vino del terreno, pottery and ceramica, virgin olive oil, avocado oil products. We support our local farmers by using local produce in season wherever we can. We use local guide services.
Our guests are given the opportunity to buy locally made gifts to take home. Our guides are steeped in local knowledge and are able to show people how not to disturb local flora & fauna. We only use recognised footpaths to minimize damage to the local environment and in our literature and on our website we seek to raise awareness of the fragility of the environment
We recognise that the environment, the community and the culture within which we operate and our relationship with local organisations, businesses and individuals is vital to the success of our business. We use the local petrol station for refuelling, limit the use of unnecessary transport thus keeping the traffic from building in the winding streets. We buy organically produced, seasonal fruit and vegetables from the local farmers and markets in our village. All meals are taken within the village at family owned restaurants. We encourage our guests to interact with the very curious and friendly local folk. We recycle most materials and ask that guests don't leave non biodegradable orange peel or banana skins on the trails. Due to the lack of rain the peel takes years to decompose and is not a pretty sight for other walkers.
We encourage our guests to make use of a water hydration bladder in their backpacks as this helps to minimise the use of plastic bottles. Our community helps us provide a super holiday for our clients by being so supportive and friendly to guests and many clients return year after year and are delighted to be recognised by some of our local folk.
The Impacts of this Trip
Our community is very important to us and we respect and like them enormously. Our food is cooked by local chefs, the houses cleaned and maintained by tradesmen and ladies from the village. Our guides have lived in the area for many years and are known and respected by the villagers.
We operate in an area which has one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe – around 30%, particularly during the winter months as many of the jobs available are seasonal for the duration of the summer tourist season. We are very pleased therefore that we have been able to provide economic support for our local community by bringing business to the local economy during the winter months.
70% of our turnover is spent in local businesses and our clients spend money in the village as well. We use locally owned and run accommodation by preference and promote the local heritage, architecture, culture and gastronomy of our region wherever we can. We aim to where possible purchase our equipment and food from locally produced sources. We support local income generation and small business enterprises by supporting locally owned shops and restaurants. We have encouraged the local olive oil Co-operativa de Nuestra Senora de la Nieves to inform clients about production of virgin olive oil through guided tours of the production facility.
We encourage the production of local crafts & produce by marketing to our customers – eg vino del terreno, pottery and ceramica, virgin olive oil, avocado oil products. We support our local farmers by using local produce in season wherever we can. We use local guide services.
Our guests are given the opportunity to buy locally made gifts to take home. Our guides are steeped in local knowledge and are able to show people how not to disturb local flora & fauna. We only use recognised footpaths to minimize damage to the local environment and in our literature and on our website we seek to raise awareness of the fragility of the environment
2 Reviews of Andalucia self guided walking holiday
Reviewed on 22 May 2015 by John and Meg Tyler
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Grazalema was an excellent centre for experiencing the wonderful walking, views, fauna and flora of this stunning reserve. The village itself was delightful and we were made to feel most welcome.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared for very variable temperatures and weather conditions - as you would expect in any mountain region. We were there in mid-May but the temperatures were 30'C + - more appropriate for August. Rough terrain - good walking boots/shoes essential.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, we felt that all these things were true. Though the area is visited by increasing numbers of people, both Spanish and foreign, excellent measures have been put in place to minimise impact on the environment, and high quality tourism seems to be benefitting the local economy.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent ! A lot of the credit for this must go to the local agent, who was endlessly considerate and helpful. He adapted programmes to suit the unseasonable weather and our age-bracket, modified arrangements where necessary, showed an excellent relationship with the local community and was the greatest help in every respect. A lot of the credit for the holiday's success must go to him
Reviewed on 21 Dec 2010 by Iain Murray
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Walking into the mountains, up to 4700ft, watching ibex.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
The walking is very well described and on relatively easy paths/ tracks so that we were walking a grade above that we had expected with no real difficulties. Dave and Gill are very helpful in providing other walks if you want something easier/ more difficult. It is quite cool at night in December - insist on a supply of logs for the fire.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
We shopped in local small shops (with extremely cheerful. friendly shopkeepers). We did use the self drive option, not the most environmentally friendly option, although drive were fairly short. The accommodation used again wasn't the most environmentally friendly - village houses generally owned by ex-pats.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
We were very happy with the walking, walk and drive descriptions being excellent. The accommodation was a little bit of a let down although some of properties used seem much better than others.
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