Best practice for your visit
You get to know a place by walking through it slowly. Here we’ll tell you how to do that whilst leaving the place as you found it — or even better.
What we’re offering you
None of this is a list of things you mustn’t do. It is, quite simply, the way to behave in a place you’d like to keep visiting in twenty years’ time.
- Don’t leave any rubbish behind. Bring a bag for your rubbish and, if you feel like it, pick up anything you find along the way.
- Do not uproot plants or disturb wildlife. Observe without interfering: the countryside is best enjoyed when left in peace.
- Stay on the marked paths. Straying from the path damages the vegetation and contributes to soil erosion.
- Take a reusable bottle with you. The less single-use plastic there is, the better it is for everyone.
- Walk calmly and quietly. Keeping the volume low isn’t just a matter of respect for wildlife; it’s also the best way to really hear a place.
- Do not light a fire, except in areas where it is expressly permitted.
- If you smoke, make sure you put your cigarette out properly and take it with you. In summer, take extra care.
- Respect private property and the local businesses you come across along the way.
- Plan your trip in advance: Check the weather, take a map with you and make sure you know the route.
- Dress and wear shoes appropriately depending on the activity and the season.
- Don’t pick up chestnuts. A large proportion of the chestnut groves are on private land; the nuts must not be picked without permission.
- Please comply with the regulations on mushrooms. Foraging is regulated within the park: authorisation is required, quotas are in place, and foraging is never permitted on private land without permission.
The Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche Natural Park
At the western end of the Sierra Morena, in the north of the province of Huelva, lies a mosaic of medium-altitude mountain ranges spread across twenty-eight municipalities. The water divides the territory into three river basins — those of the Guadiana, the Guadalquivir and the Odiel — with watercourses typical of the mountain range: the River Múrtigas, which rises at the Fuente de los Doce Caños in Fuenteheridos; the Rivera de Huelva, which feeds the Aracena and Zufre reservoirs; and the Odiel itself, which rises right here. It is a landscape of holm oak and cork oak pastures, chestnut forests, and a cultural and gastronomic heritage that is evident both in the countryside and in its villages.
Species such as the black vulture and the otter find refuge here — unobtrusive inhabitants of an area which, precisely because of its fragility, deserves to be used with care by the public.
Our commitment
We do not separate what we teach from what we practise. If we encourage people to observe the landscape carefully, we must start by looking after it ourselves first.
- We organise each activity in small groups at a leisurely pace, following the existing trails.
- We do not offer or promote activities that have a significant environmental impact on the natural environment.
- We prioritise local suppliers and products — Jabugo ham, chestnuts, artisan cheeses — produced sustainably.
- We recommend that visitors explore the local shops, markets and craft businesses in the Sierra, so that the benefits of this activity remain within the region.
- We monitor our own consumption as part of a process of improvement that goes beyond mere intention.
If you’re coming with us, we invite you to join us in looking after this place: walk slowly, choose local produce, and leave the place as you found it — or even better.