Pyrenees walking holiday in Andorra

On this tour to the Andorran Pyreness we stay in a locally owned hotel in the village of Soldeu in the north of the country. The hotel is environmentally and socially aware and employs locally, uses local produce for meals, offering both hot and cold buffet meals, and desists from washing towels daily. Our tour leaders live locally in neighbouring Spain and are all thoroughly trained by Explore on the importance of responsible tourism, and pass this on to our groups in the initial tour briefing. A particular focus on this trip is ensuring all picnic lunch litter is collected, so the stunning natural surroundings can be enjoyed by all. We use a combination of local or charter buses for transfers; however, for the most part of course we will be on foot! Our groups are limited to a maximum of 16 customers to reduce the impact on the environment and community, which also means that we can still find local restaurants to accommodate everyone.

In addition to the above, we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage. As well as this, we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of UK travel industry bodies Tourism Concern and AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators. We acknowledge that air travel has a negative impact on our environment, so we work together with Cool Earth to offset carbon and protect our important rainforests.