Corsica walking holiday

Planet

General
By supporting the local community we are demonstrating how responsible tourism can still make a difference in a ‘developed’ area of Western Europe. The bonus for our clients is that they can see how they are supporting directly the local economy and the warm welcome they receive from the local inhabitants.

Activity:
As a walking holiday, this trip has very limited detrimental impact upon the environment, residents and communities in the regions we visit. Adverse effects like pollution and threatening wildlife do not come into play and although erosion on popular paths can be an issue, guides can advise pre-planned routes to avoid this. Trekking also allows for flexibility and allows for easy access to the local population, shops and restaurants, which facilitates cultural exploration. By operating consciously with a ‘leave no trace’ policy, we are able to raise local awareness for a kind of tourism which refuses to sacrifice the environment and real connections with people for financial gain.

Group Size:
This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people.

UK office:
It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit.

People

Accommodation and Meals
The accommodation for the week is in the family run Hotel Beausejour in the village of Bocognano, in the heart of the Corsican Mountains. The hotel has been run by the same local family for 4 generations. Very attached to their Corsican traditions, the hotel owner and the chef work hard to offer almost entirely locally sourced delicious meals. Local cheeses and charcuterie (cured meats) are often served. The bread comes from the local bakery. Many of the vegetables used are grown in a nearby community farm, which is a project run by local authorities to help people get back into work after long term unemployment. Their moto is to “cultivate solidarity” by offering people a chance to get back into work and create a new project for their professional life, whilst producing mostly organic, varied fruits and vegetables for the local communities.

Transfers
We use the services of a local family run bus/taxi company for our airport transfers. We also make use of the local trains during the week.
Local Craft and Culture
Clients are encouraged to stop at local cafes and restaurants and other local businesses, where our visit makes a valuable contribution to their trade. On Thursdays, the weekly market offers the opportunity to purchase local and organics products. The free day provides the opportunity to visit other towns or villages in the area, such as Corte or even Ajaccio, where there are local museums and local crafts shops.