Almost everyone, even the most urbanized, has enjoyed rural tourism on some occasion. Who hasn’t gone away for a weekend to a rural house to rest? We return like new because nature recharges our batteries, the village delicacies satisfy our culinary cravings, activities in the countryside disconnect the cable that connects our brain with “that thing” called stress, and gazing at a horizon with no walls in front of us makes us breathe in good vibes. But has anyone thought, upon returning to the city, what we have given back to nature in return?
If you want to be fair, become an ecotourist. Simply enjoy nature while helping with its conservation. You don’t have to do anything else. How is this possible? Very easy. Thanks to a pioneering initiative in Spain that promotes an alliance between accommodations, tourism companies, and NGOs committed to the environment. Sleep in charming places, ride a bike, go horseback riding, visit natural parks, taste local gastronomy, and discover wildlife. A portion of what you spend will go towards conservation projects and promoting the local development of the places you visit.
Here are my ten reasons to switch to ecotourism:
1- Enjoy with your family:
Take the little ones on a route. They will have a great time playing explorers in a wooded pastureland or looking for tadpoles in a pond, while learning about respect for nature from professionals. A good example is this family spotting vultures with a telescope at Peña Amarilla, within the Villuercas Geopark in Cáceres, guided by GrusTours, specialists in sustainable tourism in Extremadura.
2- Disconnect in pristine environments:
Spain has a multitude of protected natural environments worth getting lost in, such as Monfragüe National Park. Although it receives many tourists, it has very special corners that remain hidden from most visitors. El Salto del Corzo is the park’s best-kept jewel, which you can now reach thanks to the expert guides from Monfragüe Vivo.
3- Practice sports in the heart of nature on the Greenways:
Whether by bike or on foot, take advantage of the kilometers offered by the greenways (old train tracks converted into trails) to practice sports in natural settings without any danger. The Jara Greenway, between Toledo and Extremadura, also offers a perfect place to rest after the route. At the La Pizarrita halt, where no train ever stopped, you can eat and sleep in authentic, perfectly equipped carriages.
4- Contribute to environmental conservation:
You have the opportunity not only to help the environment but also to get an up-close look at how professionals who dedicate their time and knowledge to it perform their work. The best example is the visit to the Iberian Birds of Prey Study Center that the Aquila Foundation has in Sevilleja de la Jara (Toledo). There, they recover injured, sick, lead-poisoned, or electrocuted birds, like the booted eagle in the photo that lost a wing. They also fight to ensure the Spanish imperial eagle, which is in danger of extinction, continues to fly over our mountains.
5- Get lost in picturesque villages with history:
Stroll through the narrow streets of the villages, walk on their sometimes cobbled streets, others just with sand, chat with the neighbors to soak up the local culture and its traditions, let them show you the value of things you didn’t give importance to. And with luck, you can end up in a place like Guadalupe (Cáceres) where you can take your time contemplating its majestic monastery. These are the views from the Parador of the town.
6- Meet extraordinary people:
One of the best gifts that travel gives you is discovering incredible people who receive you with open arms, who embrace you with their stories, brave, with eyes overflowing with passion, who share life lessons they are not even aware of possessing. Like Carmen, from Palacio Viejo de las Corchuelas whom you never tire of listening to; or like Juan Manuel, capable of giving everything to achieve a dream.
7- Break prejudices and learn from them:
What a bad image the black sheep has always had. By practicing ecotourism, you will banish prejudices and look with new eyes at what you didn’t want to see before. Learn about the vital importance of maintaining our ecosystems and discover that, with very little, you can do a lot. The Fundación Global Nature with a walk through its Extremaduran dehesa will teach you all that and, furthermore, how beautiful black sheep are.
8- Spot birds:
The city rush always makes us look at the ground to see where we put our feet. Go out to the countryside, look up and discover everything you were missing: vultures, black storks, eagles, hawks… In Monfragüe Park, the sky is dressed in feathers every day. Jesús, from Iberian Nature, helps you see them up close and teaches you hundreds of things.
9- Taste zero-kilometer gastronomy:
It’s clear that Spaniards are won over through their stomachs and that incredible delicacies come out of village stoves. But if we also know that we are consuming local products that help the local economy and that the food is organic and non-GMO, the meal is sure to feel much better. Because these desert truffles are the best example and they were also delicious.
10- Rediscover the value of the little things:
No need to explain this reason, right?
If I have managed to convince you of the advantages that being an ecotourist has for the environment and for you, or at least, I have sparked your curiosity, visit the website SoyEcoturista and discover more.
