Madeira walking vacation

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

Madeira is a magical island, and the best way to see it is by foot! Our one-week trip aims to offer travelers the opportunity to get to know the lie of the land, without joining a bus-based package tour.

We only use local restaurants that serve fine traditional cuisine with ingredients sourced locally (try the fantastic Madeira Wine and Madeira Cake!), which means that the money our groups bring within the communities. We also encourage everyone to bring their own containers to package their picnic lunch bought everyday from local supermarkets.

We visit all the places by foot however when using coaches between the different walking locations, we keep the size of the coach to a minimum, so rather than using gas guzzling 40-50 seaters we opt for smaller coaches that use less fuel and therefore admit less carbon.

We have been auditing all of our accommodation to measure the carbon contribution of accommodation to the overall tour footprint. Part of the audit includes the gathering of other information regarding sustainability initiatives at the hotels we use. We are at an early stage of this process but aim to use the information gathered to inform our future hotel choices.

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.

ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE

Most of the trails we hike in Madeira are levada walks. "Levada" is a Portuguese word derived from the word "levar" - which means to carry and is roughly translated as "carriageway", but more correctly defined as mini-canal. The mini-canals are irrigation systems developed to distribute water from the rainfall heavy and wet regions on the north of Madeira island to the drier sun parched regions of the south. The water is usually stored in reservoirs or tanks, or captured directly from natural fountains to be redirected and channelled across a wide network of winding canals. These narrow water carriageways deliver precious water along far distances to banana plantations, vineyards, fruit orchards and vegetable gardens, as well as to hydro-electric power stations dotted around the island. The levadas cover a total distance of 2500 km, and date back to as far as the early 16th century.

One of the levada walk we hike goes through the legendary Laurissilva forests of Madeira - UNESCO-protected and home to primary laurel forest.
The interest of travelers in hiking here has stimulated the local authorities interest in keeping these ancient footways preserved and thus maintaining alternative routes to driving. Our tour leaders always brief our customers on the importance of protecting the environments we walk through, sticking to the paths to avoid erosion, not interfering with any animal or plant life and carrying all rubbish home.

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. Where tap water isn't safe to drink we recommend Water-to-Go bottles, a filtration bottle allowing you to drink water from any source.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

We use a local operator, family-run hotels and local restaurants, which means that the money our groups bring remains within these small communities. Here, the rural island culture continues much as it has for centuries, and we spend as much time as possible out and about walking and learning more about this island's natural environment.We only include breakfast on this trip, a conscious decision that means that all other meals can be taken at a variety of locally-owned restaurants where customers can enjoy regional specialties, many of which use locally-produced ingredients. Lunches are often enjoyed picnic-style using items purchased from local stores. All of this helps ensure the economic impact of our visit is spread throughout the communities we travel through.

Our leaders are the heart of tours. 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 travelers 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.


EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY & DIVERSITY

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.
Our ground agent for this trip is a small operator based in Madeira. Their staff are all local to the island and passionate about sharing the history and culture of their island.

They contact the hotels directly and all other services used on this trip to make sure as much money as possible goes back to the local economy. We also only using smaller hotels not part of big chains and contributing to the local economy with employees getting a fair wage and excellent work environment.