Highlights of Puglia cycling vacation

Planet

Activity:
Cycling has minimal impact on the environment as you provide most of the energy yourself and, when you’re cycling from village to village, you can enjoy a relationship with locals in a way motorists passing through never can. You get off the beaten track, and you’ll find that people treat you as a visitor rather than a tourist. Also, by cycling independently, and not having to worry about keeping up with a group, you set the pace so you can soak up the sights, sounds and scents of your surrounds and really get under the skin of the place you’re visiting.

We proactively encourage our clients to think about traveling responsibly too: packing light, saving water, buying locally, re-cycling all maps and route notes at the end of their trip as well as to be mindful of not leaving any rubbish behind.

UK Office:
We are aware of the impact tourism has at home and abroad, and we make every effort to balance the environmental impact of traveling with the immense benefits sustainable tourism can bring to destinations and the people who live there. We are signatories of Tourism Declares an Emergency and as such we have a plan of action on reducing our carbon emissions. We will work towards improving life through travel - for the places we visit on our adventures, the people we meet when there, and the planet which hosts us. Our cycling and walking vacations for example are designed to be low carbon - giving you the tools to explore under your own steam rather than in a vehicle.

In the office: we turn off all electrical equipment every night; we use energy-efficient bulbs; we measure print and paper consumption, and re-cycle wherever possible; we print our brochures on paper from sustainable sources, and send them out in bio-degradable packaging.

People

Leaders & local suppliers:
This self-guided, ten-night cycling vacation explores Italy's beautiful, sun-drenched Puglia region with its vibrant fishing villages, sandy beaches and beautiful, rolling hills, all above the mesmerising blue of the Adriatic Sea. Puglia offers a wonderful contrast of landscapes, from the fertile farming hamlets, vineyards and orchards of its interior to its dramatic, rocky coastline.

You'll stay in an excellent variety of accommodation on this vacation, including four star or five star hotels and an authentic trullo house in Alberobello! In Conversano your elegant boutique hotel is just a short walk from the medieval streets and Romanesque cathedral of this historic town; in Otranto your base is a stylish hotel boasting stunning views over the old town and harbour from roof sun terrace ; while in Lecce you stay in the heart of the beautiful old town in sumptuous five hotel, close to the Roman amphitheatre and Baroque palazzi, with the hotel's roof garden offering one of the best views there is over the city. In the evening dinner is taken in a local restaurant.

As with all our vacations, we encourage visitors to buy from independently-run shops & establishments where possible, supporting the local people and their families.