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 Carving Iberico ham Delicious food |
| Our newest walking holiday launches in April 2011. It is a relaxed walking and food focused holiday in the Aracena hills of southern Spain.
Andalucia This part of Spain is bursting with high quality local produce and food is a real highlight. There are no fancy restaurants, just simple places serving a quality of food which is way above average for most of us. The star is the Iberian black footed pig or Pata Negra. The ham from these pigs is among the most delicious and most expensive in the world. When you are out on your walks you will see lots of them. Each pig has at least one hectare of land so if a farmer has 20 pigs then they have to be kept in an area of not less than 20 hectares – a lot of space to keep the pigs healthy and happy. The pigs can usually be seen running around which is an unusual sight for us as we are used to seeing them do nothing except forage around in a trough. With all this running around they eat a lot and each pig can eat up to 12kg of acorns a day. The Spanish word for acorn is bellota and the ham from these pigs is called jamon iberico de bellota. The farm where you stay on this holiday is the only certified organic farm in the area which means it produces some of the best quality jamón in the world. It is a real privilege to stay here and learn about the traditions of pig farming as well as enjoy a feast of their produce. Learn about the area’s gastronomy from the producers. You will also come across lots of other fresh produce when you are out walking, depending on the season. The trees boast a delicious mix of fruit and nuts including oranges, lemons and pomegranates, figs, almonds, walnuts and chestnuts. Asparagus and artichokes are abundant. Then there is that Spanish staple, the olive. Andalucia is the world’s largest producer of olive oil and there is a huge variety. A traditional breakfast here is bread with olive oil. It may sound strange but it is no more strange than toast and butter – and it tastes a lot better. If you want to learn more about the different tastes you can try any of the thirteen different olive oils proudly on display at your first hotel in Alájar. Your host Angel can talk you through them all. And he has many more in the kitchen if you are interested! Find out more about our foodie walking holiday in Andalucia or about our walking holidays in general. |
Peaceful lagoon in the Atacama salt flats
At Pura Aventura we try to do things a bit differently, that’s why we have our Pura Handmade range of holidays.
Chile’s Atacama Desert is a prime example.
The Atacama is a popular destination with a well-worn checklist of excursions. Whilst these are beautiful, we prefer to stay off the beaten track. We think that it’s better to be outside in the fresh air with a few people than travelling in a crowd.
Sunset in the desert
The usual way is to drive out of town to the rim of the Valley of the Moon, then walk just to the edge from where you watch the sun setting over the desert. On a busy day there can be over a hundred people sitting in a long line.
Our way is to drive out of town to the rim of a valley; walk down across a sand dune; over a short stretch of salt flat and into a narrow gorge in the salt mountains. As you follow the gorge, the air cools and the rocks crackle, with bats and owls flying overhead. Emerge into a natural amphitheatre hidden away in the middle of the hills, from where you watch the sunset.
The salt flats and lagoons
The usual way is to drive a dirt road to the large lagoons in the heart of the salt flats; have time to wander, take in the scenery and watch the large colony of flamingoes before returning by vehicle.
Our way is to ride bikes straight from your hotel to a series of small lagoons towards the northern edge of the salt flats, close to San Pedro where you have time to wander, swim and watch a smaller colony of flamingoes.
Special places
We also take you to places with nothing comparable on the usual tours. Walk down through the mountains from high oases to low villages following ancient Inca pathways. Most spectacular of all is the walk up to the heady heights of Toco volcano.
Tatio geysers
The one ‘checklist’ place we do take you to are the Tatio geysers. Whilst spectacular, you can expect really quite significant visitor numbers you can expect. This photo was taken in November which is not the busiest time of year.
Early morning crowds at the Tatio Geysers in Chile's Atacama Desert
We really think that our exploration of the Atacama desert is different and better than that offered by anyone else.
“The Atacama surpassed all our expectations, summiting Toco in glorious sunshine with snow on the ground was brilliant.”
Read more about our Atacama Patagonia walking holiday in Chile.
Mother and daughter jam makers in Mollepata
The community
Aside from those working directly for the lodges, the company also supports the wider community and you are welcome to visit these projects if you have an interest.
In the village of Mollepata the company founded Yanapana Peru – a social project to help create sustainable sources of income for the locals. It has encouraged, advised and supported the locals in producing and selling local organic jams and textiles. The lodges buy a lot of the jam and also helps them market it further afield to Lima etc.
The company has also built extensions to local schools and sponsored other education and health projects.
Read more about our Machu Picchu Lodge Trek or about our Peru holidays more generally. For more general information about Peru holidays, read our guide to Peru.