Pyrenees walking holiday in Andorra

Planet

On this tour to the small beautiful country of Andorra 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.

This trek in the Andorran Pyrenees by its very nature has a very low carbon footprint and the trip uses limited private vehicles, making use of the excellent public bus network and walking trails from the hotel. A particular focus on this trip is ensuring all picnic lunch litter is collected, so the stunning natural surroundings can be enjoyed by all.

As a travel company we are acutely aware of our impact on the environment. All of our tours display a carbon footprint, and we strive to reduce our emissions by regularly reviewing our tours and embracing low-impact styles of travel such as trains, public buses or walking – which offer the added benefit of getting a closer connection with the destination and local community.

We strive to support nature and biodiversity through protection and regeneration projects, and for every customer that travels with us we make a donation to Rewilding Britain and Cool Earth.

We encourage customers to avoid single-use plastic on tour, and our leaders give advice on refill points each day. All of our tour leaders are provided with a Water-to-Go bottle, allowing them to drink safe water from any source when it’s not possible to fill up from a tap.

People

Operating outside of the winter ski season helps to provide and extend tourism income in a country that receives most of its tourist income from December to April. In economic terms this provides a clear net benefit to the local areas we visit. During and after the walks we make stops at small villages for refreshments, which is both an opportunity to experience the traditional specialities of this region and also helps support the local economy.

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. They bring passion and unrivalled knowledge of the destinations and communities that we visit. Their guidance ensures we observe the cultural norms in a destination, they act as a bridge between travellers and the local community and ensure that tourism is a positive experience for both host and guest. We believe in supporting local; staying in locally-run hotels, exploring markets, buying snacks from street vendors, and by doing this we add money to the local economy and enhance our connection with the local community.