La Palma walking vacation in the Canaries

Planet

Activity:Few
vacations have as little detrimental impact on the environment and local residents as a walking and trekking trip. The local operator on this trip makes positive contributions by assessing the walking paths at many points of the year, and refraining from using some parts (therefore changing the route slightly) at certain times of the year in order to protect endemic plants and rare animals of the island such as the lagarto azul (blue lizard). Some of the paths fall within the National Park area which is a protected area of La Palma.

Water:
Water is a really important issue with trekking trips especially with late spring and summer temperatures 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 fill up at their accommodation and at the bars/restaurants along the way. Any water points will be mentioned by the guide to allow for planning ahead regarding re-filling.

Group size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people.

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:
This is a two-center walking trip, and the accommodation used is locally owned or managed, drawing upon local staff. The hotels and apart-hotels are relatively small and benefit from this type of tourism. All dinners are included and the restaurants often take full advantage of local produce to serve to the clients. There are opportunities to taste new foods and drinks that are produced directly on the island - e.g. locally produced honey, and local rum.

Community:
Encouraging visitors to the area creates employment at the hotels, restaurants, cafes, local shops etc. Ourwalking routes take us away from the tourist hot spotsand through visiting the occasional small village not on thetourist route, our walks brings some economicaladvantages to areas of the island that lack thisopportunity. There are local markets that can be visited in Santa Cruz de La Palma. The guide is from the island and so knows the area very well; visits to small bars and restaurants are very common giving clients a real insight into local life.