Andalucia self guided walking holiday

Planet

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.

People

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