Mallorca walking vacation in the Balearic Islands, Spain

Planet

Activity:
Few vacations have as little detrimental impact on the environment and local residents as a walking trip. Erosion on and adjacent to popular paths is a growing problem in certain places and therefore our trip leaders encourage clients to stick to advised routes in order to minimise this. We do believe in leaving no more than footprints, although this tour actively encourages guests to talk to local people, visit local cafes and restaurants, use markets to purchase traditional gifts and crafts. Also in visiting landmarks like the Lluc monastery, we are contributing to their upkeep.

Water:
Water is a really important issue with walking trips 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 re-fill a singular bottle. In the Mallorcan mountains, there are plentiful springs at which you can re-fill.

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:
We spend the first part of the week in a locally staffed hotel in Puerto Soller and the remainder in the beautiful Lluc Monastery. Staying in the monastery is particularly special- it promotes Spanish culture and they engage in energy saving practises. Being blessed with a Mediterranean location, this area is rich in locally sourced or grown produce and so meals will be made generally with ingredients fresh from the area. Breakfasts and packed lunches include things like fresh fruit, tomatoes, peppers, olives, cheeses, bread and ham. Where meals are not provided, we encourage locals to engage with locals and support small businesses by eating at community restaurants.

Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.