Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Mas Café Senor?

Dave — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:27:32 +0000

As the other people at Pura know, I am quite partial to the occasional cup of coffee. I really enjoyed therefore visiting the Doka Estate, one of Costa Rica’s finest producers, and getting a ‘seed to cup’ tour. Some facts and figures on what goes into the production of this, the world’s second most consumed [...]

Mas Café Senor? is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Estate agency Alpujarras style

Pura — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:20:28 +0000

I love the simplicity of the technique. Want to sell your house? Just buy a pot of black paint and write away. The message translates as: “For sale. 24,000 euros. Ask for Paco” what you can’t see is that there is also a big black arrow pointing to the tiny doorbell. It later transpired that [...]

Estate agency Alpujarras style is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Undiscovered Gems, and Perception vs Reality

Pura — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:29:24 +0000

One of the idiosyncrasies that we often come across working in travel is the simultaneous appeal and deterrence of places that are not well-established destinations. It’s something which really encapsulates the whole question of why we travel – is it to discover new horizons, broaden our minds, appreciate scenic beauty or just retreat from the [...]

Undiscovered Gems, and Perception vs Reality is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

School for 11

Pura — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:28:12 +0000

When I got an email from Emma, owner of Las Chimeneas in the Alpujarras, that she was busy baking cakes for the whole school I was momentarily amazed and impressed. I picture my childrens’ tiny primary school which still manages to house 210 pupils at any one time. That’s a big cake. Then I remembered [...]

School for 11 is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Pura people: Elisa & Rafa, Hotel El Rexacu

Pura — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:03:54 +0000

This is the story of Elisa and Rafa, the owners of one of our charming hotels in the Picos de Europa Mountains. “Rafa, my husband, and I left Zaragoza, our home city, in 1993. We moved to Burgos, where we took over a small rural hotel in the mountains, which we ran for 7 years. [...]

Pura people: Elisa & Rafa, Hotel El Rexacu is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

The role of the compost lavatory in eco-tourism

Pura — Wed, 09 May 2012 09:00:23 +0000

The role of the compost lavatory in eco-tourism. First the description: the seat need to be about 3 or 4 steps above ground level to allow for the emptying of the containers from the outside. The “bowl” is a large tube with a plastic funnel at the front for collecting pee and a black hole [...]

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Feedback from our holiday to Nicaragua and Costa Rica

Pura — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:52:45 +0000

It’s always great to have feedback from our holidays, particularly when there is detail to be had. In the case of Simon’s recent holiday to Central America he combines detailed feedback with an eloquence and humour which makes it particularly enjoyable to read. This is unedited and should probably be read in the spirit of [...]

Feedback from our holiday to Nicaragua and Costa Rica is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Feliz Cumpleanos (Happy Birthday) to Granada

Pura — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:30:11 +0000

Anniversaries and milestones crop up all the time when you work with as diverse a range of destinations as we do, but one in particular caught our eye this week. According to UNESCO, 2012-2013 sees the 1,000th anniversary of the official founding of Granada in Andalucia. This beautiful city has played a pivotal role in [...]

Feliz Cumpleanos (Happy Birthday) to Granada is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Tough Times for the King of Spain?

Pura — Fri, 04 May 2012 11:20:05 +0000

I once read that Kings don’t say sorry, don’t explain or justify their actions and they don’t promise to change. If they do, then it’s a sign that things are going very wrong. Well, things have recently gone very, very wrong for King Juan Carlos of Spain. Juan Carlos not only said sorry, but he [...]

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Cultures blend in the Alpujarras

Pura — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:23:18 +0000

In 1492 the city of Granada was taken from the Moors after being laid siege by Ferdinand and Isabela, the Catholic monarchs. In this moment, Spain became, nominally at least, a politically unified body for the first time in its history. The bigger task was to create cultural unity. The Moors were unique in European [...]

Cultures blend in the Alpujarras is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Migration in Spain – part 4

Pura — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:18:04 +0000

Migration in Spain, continued… Now for the glimmer of hope in the midst of the economic crisis in Spain. What people are realising, apparently in not insignificant numbers, is that it’s better to be poor in the countryside than poor in the city. Families which had left to live in cities, to work in construction, [...]

Migration in Spain – part 4 is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Migration in Spain – part 3

Pura — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:17:35 +0000

Migration in Spain continued…. I think it’s impossible to criticise this but it is possible to be concerned about its passing. In the case of the Picos, the shepherds define the landscapes of the upper mountains. The Picos de Europa mountains are not a landscape untouched by human hand but one which has been defined [...]

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Migration in Spain – part 2

Pura — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:16:53 +0000

Migration in Spain, continued… Why I notice this process in Spain more than elsewhere is that great swathes of the country are under populated anyway so you end up with ever larger expanses without populations. Not something we suffer from in the UK! The other reason I notice it in Spain is that often, usually, [...]

Migration in Spain – part 2 is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Migration in Spain – part 1

Pura — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:16:11 +0000

The most noticeable feature of life in the villages of rural Spain is that pretty much everyone is older. In fact, most people are downright old. By and large, young people don’t want to live in the mountains, they want to live in towns and cities. That’s where the education is, that’s where the jobs [...]

Migration in Spain – part 1 is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Yachts in Antarctica

Pura — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:37:16 +0000

It’s always interesting to read stories about Antarctica, in particular I look out for notices coming in from the International Association of Antarctic Tour Opertators (IAATO) of which Pura is a member. This latest press release is striking to me, partly because it reminds me how important collaborative working is when it comes to the [...]

Yachts in Antarctica is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Ryanair special

Pura — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:22:09 +0000

You’d think there’s not much that Ryanair could do which would lower their public image. But they always manage to surprise and amaze with their customer ‘service’. I should say, in the interests of fairness, that there are good things about Ryanair. 1) It is a very safe airline. Which is what ultimately matters most. [...]

Ryanair special is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Argentina Holiday Feedback

Pura — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:12:08 +0000

It’s always lovely to get client feedback. We always ask for full feedback from people when they get home but sometimes we have clients keep us updated as they go – we tell them to just get on and enjoy their holiday but they still do it and we secretly love it…! This was the [...]

Argentina Holiday Feedback is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

The Spanish Housing Market

Pura — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:13:42 +0000

It’s well known that the Spanish housing market is in a terrible state with really nothing selling at all. What’s perhaps less well known is that you have two types of house in Spain, a residencia (a residential dwelling) and a nave agricola (a barn). You might think that a barn is going [...]

The Spanish Housing Market is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

The economics of olive oil

Pura — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:35:25 +0000

As I’ve said before, in the Alpujarras, the harvest of olives is really very much a family affair. Partly that’s down to the fact that the land is owned by families over the generations so the scale of the groves tend to be very small. Partly it’s the economics. There’s only one harvest a year. [...]

The economics of olive oil is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Olive oil grading

Pura — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:22:55 +0000

One of the fascinating things about olive oil production in a co-operative is the paperwork and numbers involved. Let’s take an example which relates to the olive oil press in Mairena, Alpujarras. This is a co-operative so basically operates with smallholders from in and around the village picking their own olives and bringing them to [...]

Olive oil grading is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Olive pressing the Roman way

Pura — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 10:13:21 +0000

Barring the conveyor belt which they recently installed on the outside of the mill, the olive oil press in Mairena is pretty much run the way Romans would have done and probably the Phoenecians before them. Until a couple of years ago the olives had to be delivered up an incredibly steep slope in order [...]

Olive pressing the Roman way is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Meet Gloria

Pura — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:27:00 +0000

Originally from Medellin in Colombia she found her way to us via Madrid and Peacehaven. Not the most obvious path but we’re glad she’s here. Gloria’s role in Pura is primarily in operations so she is part of the team who make sure that your holidays happen as they are supposed to. “I am originally [...]

Meet Gloria is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Harvesting Olives in the Alpujarras

Pura — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:10:01 +0000

I’ve never before actually seen olives being harvested, I’m never in the right part of Spain at the right time. It’s a wonderfully low-tech show. In the case of the smallholdings in the Alpujarras mountains, the harvest is a family affair. At the weekend, they’ll hop into the car and drive to the grove. The [...]

Harvesting Olives in the Alpujarras is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Dave Orrock joins the Pura team

Pura — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:02:00 +0000

As we arrive in 2012, we welcome Dave Orrock to the Pura Aventura team. He joins us a travel consultant so is here to help you plan your holidays to both Spain and Latin America. Dave’s passion for Latin America began at an early age, with a 5 week trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos [...]

Dave Orrock joins the Pura team is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Fire in Torres del Paine

Pura — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:33:05 +0000

The major fire which has been raging in Torres del Paine since the 27th December has now been put out and it appears that the park will re-open on the 4th January. At Pura we have been getting updates from conventional news channels, our suppliers locally and our guides and people on the ground actually [...]

Fire in Torres del Paine is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Galapagos airfare increases for 2012

Pura — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:57:31 +0000

We’re not sure of the full implications yet but basically the Ecuadorian government is eliminating fuel subsidies for flights within the country. The full text from domestic airline Aerogal is below but at heart it’s just a warning that prices of all flights within Ecuador are likely to see price hikes from January 2012 and [...]

Galapagos airfare increases for 2012 is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Darwin’s Finches

Pura — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:05:44 +0000

I was just on Yahoo answers this morning and saw someone ask “Why are the finches in the Galapagos Islands called Darwin’s Finches?” which set me thinking about these LBJs (little brown jobs) – the most significant insignificant looking bird in the world? This was the answer I penned which I thought might be worth [...]

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La Matanza in Andalucia

Pura — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:00:42 +0000

Vegetarians avert your eyes… …la matanza is upon us again. From November through to February is the season to slaughter pigs and cure the meats. Matar is the verb to kill so matanza just means ‘the killing’. The tradition dates back centuries with the idea that the meat, when fresh, would be kept cold [...]

La Matanza in Andalucia is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Atacama Desert Guide

Pura — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:00:37 +0000

Over the past 7 years Camilo has proved to be one of our most popular guides so we think it’s time we introduced him properly. Camilo is an expert in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, a beautiful area of high desert plains, salt flats, volcanoes, Andean peaks, lagoons and sand dunes. As he himself puts [...]

Atacama Desert Guide is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Antarctic Ice Marathon

Pura — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:42:43 +0000

Fancy a bit of a challenge? We think this one takes the biscuit. How about running a marathon or 100km? Now try doing it in the coldest, windiest, highest, driest continent on the planet. Yes, the 2011 Antarctic Ice Marathon is upon us! Held at 80 Degrees South, at the foot of the Ellsworth Mountains, [...]

Antarctic Ice Marathon is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Galapagos Film

Pura — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:34:14 +0000

I see today that they are filming an adaptation of Margaret Wittmer’s autobiography, ‘Floreana: a woman’s pilgrimage to the Galapagos‘. It could be an absolute cracker – the story certainly is. The human history of the Galapagos is, in one sense, the most interesting aspect of the islands. More than the animals themselves, it’s the [...]

Galapagos Film is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Peru and Galapagos holiday feedback

Pura — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:12:27 +0000

We love to hear from our customers once they get back from their holidays. This week has been a goodie with clients dropping by to leave some beautiful framed photos of a jaguar they saw in the Peruvian Amazon. Just incredible images of an animal so rarely seen that apparently the guides were every bit as excited as our clients! Then some touching feedback via Responsible Travel.

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Interview with Pura’s Jaime Lahoz

Pura — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:17:45 +0000

At Pura Aventura we try to make every destination special and different, a key part of that is our guides. They all make the effort to make our clients feel at home and get the most from their holidays. Here we interview our key man in the Pyrenees, Jaime. Or Jaime Lahoz Ortiz de la Tabla [...]

Interview with Pura’s Jaime Lahoz is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Skorpios Patagonia Cruise

Pura — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 10:10:24 +0000

Cruises are not normally our ‘thing’ here at Pura. The sort of holiday which separates visitors from the countries they visit just doesn’t chime with our basic ethos. Really what we don’t go near are big ship cruises, there are places where boat travel is the best way to go. The Galapagos Islands and Antarctica [...]

Skorpios Patagonia Cruise is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Brazil’s buzzing

Pura — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:38:54 +0000

Brazil is buzzing with excitement at the moment. The World Cup in 2014, Olympics in 2016 and a thriving economy is a lot to be happy about. You can really feel it when you are there. Billions of dollars are being spent on infrastructure in preparation for 2014. Brazil certainly has the money at the [...]

Brazil’s buzzing is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Discount Antarctic Cruise

Pura — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 15:37:26 +0000

Antarctic Dream has just released some amazing special offers for late 2011. For the 01st November Antarctic peninsula cruise they are offering a 15% discount for bookings made and paid for by 15th October so quite a quick turn around on that. For the 11th and 21st November as well as the 11th December [...]

Discount Antarctic Cruise is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Chile’s Carretera Austral

Pura — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:49:45 +0000

Chile is such a long country that it’s almost inevitable that there are bits of it which get a bit overlooked. Take northern Patagonia, it's only got one road and even that's just a bumpy dirt road wedged in between the high peaks of the Andes and the icy waters of the fjords.

Chile’s Carretera Austral is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Northern Patagonia Marble Caves

Pura — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 08:59:21 +0000

The caves are actually known as the ‘marble cathedral’ so beautiful are they. It is lovely to see that this remote and very little known spot in Chile’s northern Patagonia is getting a bit of attention, after all it is this area which is under threat from a huge hydro-electric dam project. The caves lie [...]

Northern Patagonia Marble Caves is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Iguassu Falls Argentina Video

Pura — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 11:32:53 +0000

This is a lovely video showing just how spectacular the Iguassu Falls can be. The falls straddle the border between Argentina and Brazil so can form part of a circuit of Argentina, or a holiday in Brazil or they are an ideal place to link the two countries together. If you are interested in a [...]

Iguassu Falls Argentina Video is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Chile’s Atacama Observatories

Thomas — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:12:51 +0000

I loved this story on the BBC website about the new Alma observatory being constructed high above the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Basically it’s a series of large dishes which will apparently work together to effectively create one massive dish – equivalent to a dish some 15km wide. “What Alma will do is zoom [...]

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Discounted Galapagos Cruise on Evolution

Pura — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 09:11:31 +0000

Discounts for a Galapagos cruise on board Evolution don’t come along often but when they do, they are very, very attractive. How does a 44% discount sound? Put another way, a price reduction of us$4,355. If you can set sail for 7 nights on the 27th August, 10th September or 24th September 2011 then you [...]

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Machu Picchu limits visitors to 2,500 per day

Pura — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:56:51 +0000

Hard on the heels of restrictions on the climbing of Huayna Picchu comes the news that visitor numbers to the site itself are to be limited to 2,500 per day. This is significantly more than the 917 a day (no more than 385 at any one time) advocated by UNESCO. The Peruvian government was pushing [...]

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Entrance fees to Huayna Picchu

Pura — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 08:33:38 +0000

Today we have been informed that as from the 15th of July , in order to climb Huayna Picchu (the big sugar loaf mountain behind Machu Picchu) the following new rules (in blue) are now in place, not only limiting the number but also adding a surcharge for those wishing to attempt this climb: 1: [...]

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Machu Picchu by the back door

Pura — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:45:11 +0000

This image is from an interesting, and beautifully illustrated, piece on the hike from Choquequirao to Machu Picchu in the New York Times This is a stunning trip which we have recently added to our portfolio of Peru holidays. The hiking is tough but the rewards phenomenal as you can read in this article. If [...]

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Hydro-electric project in Patagonia gets green light

Thomas — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:08:04 +0000

***UPDATE BELOW*** I was saddened to read that a huge dam project got the go ahead from the Chilean Government recently. It involves a dam across the Baker River in northern Patagonia, an area of exquisite beauty and wilderness and one of the areas which first made me fall in love with Chile. The photo [...]

Hydro-electric project in Patagonia gets green light is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Ecuador and Galapagos last minute deal La Pinta Yacht and Hotel Plaza Grande

Pura — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 15:54:41 +0000

This just in from Ecuador, it’s not exactly a lot of notice but if you can make it, it’s a very, very comfortable trip and a good price! ECUADOR & GALAPAGOS ISLANDS LAST MINUTE DEAL 8 DAYS/7 NIGHTS LA PINTA YACHT & HOTEL PLAZA GRANDE ITINERARY DAY BY DAY JUN 22 – Quito Escorted transfer [...]

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Chile Puyehue Volcano Eruption Updates

Pura — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 10:00:06 +0000

Update Wednesday 21st June: DECREASE OF THE VOLCANIC ACTIVITY OF THE CHILEAN VOLCANO PUYEHUE-CORDON CAULLE According to Chilean Authorities, the volcanic activity of the volcano that erupted on June 4th, decreased. The ash cloud fell considerably within the last days from 7,5 to 1,2 kilometres. However, impacts on air traffic are still expected. In Argentina [...]

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Chile Puyehue Volcano Eruption

Pura — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 08:56:37 +0000

The eruption of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle Volcano in southern Chile has been producing some absolutely spectacular images for the world to see, not least this one from Chile’s La Tercera newspaper’s site. The volcano is about mid-way down the Chilean Lake district which runs from (roughly) the area of Lago Villarica/Pucón in the north to [...]

Chile Puyehue Volcano Eruption is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Evolution Galapagos Cruise Special Offer

Pura — Wed, 25 May 2011 08:54:42 +0000

Evolution, one of the loveliest boats in the Galapagos, has a great special offer on for 2011. In fact, there are two great special offers. And we genuinely mean great, these are both great offers with a value of around us$2,000 per person. The price of the boat remains the same, you can see Evolution’s [...]

Evolution Galapagos Cruise Special Offer is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories

Galapagos Fuel Cost Increase

Pura — Tue, 24 May 2011 10:16:25 +0000

The President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, has issued Executive Decree 736, published 6th May 2011, which sets new prices for the diesel fuel used by all tourist vessels operating in the Galapagos Islands. The Government Fuel Tax for Galapagos was first applied in June 2008 with some boats absorbing the costs, others passing it on [...]

Galapagos Fuel Cost Increase is a post from: Active Holiday Photos and Stories