Walking in springtime in Mallorca

My guest post today from Nick of Villa Parade highlights that spring is one of the best times to visit the island of Mallorca, especially if you enjoy walking as a way to explore the beautiful scenery of this island and get away from the crowded tourist spots.

I find that spring can be the ideal time to visit the Med, as the weather is slightly cooler and there aren’t as many tourists as the high season, so it’s an excellent opportunity to explore. There are great range of activities in The Balearics to choose from. I’ve been on many of Mallorca’s walking trails, and with the Almond blossom in bloom throughout March, it’s a really beautiful time to see the island.

I also hear from many people who go to Mallorca in the spring because of its cycling routes, often used in Triathlon training, as well as from those who love wildlife and travel to spot the island’s famous Eleonora’s falcon.

One of my favourite walking routes is trekking up from Alaro to Castell d’Alaró. It takes about two hours and you need to follow signs from the PM210 to the peaceful valley of Orient. The walk takes you through olive groves climbing up to the plateau, with views of the Puig D’Alaro, a rocky outcrop with an old Moorish castle at the top. It’s worth the effort to see the beautiful views over the sea from the summit and to work up an appetite for the famous lamb dish in the Es Verger restaurant, renowned for its red wines, on the way back down.

There’s also a beautiful Mallorquin sunset walk from Roca Blanca, starting from PM-221 Formentor Road, to the peak of Fumat which shows the Formentor Peninsula, the North Eastern tip of Mallorca. at its best. A friend recommended this route to me it’s perfect if you’re looking for a bit of an adventure and you can picnic at the peak and visit the old lighthouse on the way down and have a dip in Cala Figuera. The walk is about 8km and finishes with a sunset view of Formentor’s most famous beach, Cala Formentor from Albercuitx Watchtower.

I’d love to from anyone who’s got any other tips on exploring Mallorca, especially walks that you’ve enjoyed on this beautiful island.

Many thanks for this guest post to Nick at Villa Parade who offer exclusive villas and holiday apartments throughout the Mediterranean, including Mallorca.

Photo credits: Almond Blossom by lightbrigade,  Castell d’Alaro by benjami,  Cala Figuera by Cayetano on flickr.

Other posts to enjoy

Top tips for a great holiday in Puerto Pollensa - Mallorca
Cezar Manrique and the volcanic island of Lanzarote

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Photo Friday - A snowy scene in the Brecon Beacons - in Wales

I’m in the Brecon Beacons in Wales for a short break and this is the snowy scene outside the cottage where we’re staying. We arrived in rain and the next day woke up to steadily falling snow. We ventured out yesterday to see something of the Brecon National Park and just about made it back to the cottage.

The incongruous thing is that although there’s snow up on the side of the mountain where we’re staying, in the valley in the small town of Crickhowell, we can see green grass in the fields as the snow’s only up on the high ground.

This morning, we had to push my husband’s car up the icy, steep hill up to the road with wheels skidding. Half an hour of gritting and snow shovelling later, he made it and was on his way back to Bristol, where the snow is a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrance. I’m here for an extra day and will have to get up that icy hill tomorrow - wish me luck!

This was posted as part of Photo Friday at Delicious Baby - head over to see all the other great Friday Photos.

PS This is the holiday cottage where we’re staying at Laswern Fawr in the Brecon Beacons.

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Ecuador and the Amazon Rainforest - Podcast Episode 3

In this podcast interview about the rainforests of Ecuador you’ll hear how to enjoy how to enjoy your rainforest experience, as well as the many other diverse areas of of the country, the Avenue of the Volcanoes, the Indian markets, and the beaches of Manabi province where you can see migrating whales.

To download Ecuador and the rainforest podcast, right click here 30 min [mp3]

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While I was at the World Travel Market recently, I met up with my friend from Ecuador, Luis Hernandez who was part of the Ecuador country stand, promoting his travel business and Cuyabeno Lodge. When I visited Ecuador with two friends two years ago, we spent an amazing week travelling by canoe down the Rio Bobonaza and stopping at the Rainforest Community at Sarayaku for a few days, all of which was organised by Luis and he also accompanied us.

Luis Hernandez with Sr Guarlingez at Sarayaku

Rainforest Community at Sarayaku in Ecuador

Luckily Luis had made the journey before, so he knew the local communities and also had military connections which smoothed our journey through the lower river military zone near Peru considerably. Luis had also been elected as a member of the Ecuadorian Congress, just before our trip and so he was the man the rainforest communities wanted to meet, to put across their point of view and speak in the schools to their students.

I thought Luis with both his military jungle experience and knowledge as a tour operator and guide would be a great person to talk to about the best of Ecuador. I hope you enjoy the interview.

Show notes

In this interview with Luis Hernandez we discussed;

• The Cuyabeno Lodge in Ecuador; where it is, how you get there, the type of accommodation and what you would do while you are there
• The steps the Cuyabeno lodge take to be eco-friendly, such as using solar energy, using biodegradable products and recycling waste, as well as employing local people or transport by canoe and guides.
• The variety of Flora and Fauna you can find at Cuyabeno Reserve and lagoon, such as birds, plants, flowers, river turtles, cayman and even pink dolphins
• How to deal with a snake, cayman or anaconda if you should meet one in the forest
• The equipment that you might need in order to be comfortable in the jungle, such as wellington boots, hat, suncream, insect repellant, torch and what health advice Luis gives to his visitors.
• The problems in Ecuador with oil exploration and logging and how supporting tourism in the rainforest areas will put money into the local economy and prevent the destruction of the rainforest.
• Other areas of Ecuador to visit, such as the mountainous Andean area of the Avenue of the Volcanoes where you can hike and walk on the volcanoes of Cotopaxi and Chimborazo staying in old haciendas.
• The Indian markets of Otavalo on Saturdays and Saquisili on Thursdays
• On the coastal area, Luiz recommends the south of Manabi province which has the Machalilla national park and the beach of  Canoa in the north and Isla de las Plata where you can see migrating whales in July and August.
• The political situation in Ecuador which is generally calm and stable - although the factions within the government may dispute among themselves, the situation for tourists is calm. The government is also creating a good network of roads and infrastructure, which makes it easy for visitors to get around.
• The music on the podcast was Venus as a Girl by Andy McGee on Musicalley.com

Resources

Cuyabeno Lodge and Neotropic Turis - Travel company in Ecuador the organises tours throughout Ecuador as well as to Cuyabeno Lodge
Sarayaku Rainforest Community that we visited on my trip to Ecuador
Ecuador Tourism website
See all my Ecuador Photos on Flickr
Read all my Ecuador articles
To subscribe to all my podcasts in ITunes click here

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