About us
We firmly believe in responsible tourism and therefore we collaborate with qualified local individuals and companies in order to support local economy. We respect traditions inherited from our forefathers and collaborate in maintaining and preserving them to the extent possible. We would like to offer you an authentic and enriching experience through a total immersion in a local culture.
We share the concept of ecological tourism and we are respectful of surrounding nature. We provide you with an opportunity to enjoy it and participate in its conservation.
We count with professionals in environmental education who add value to the materials used during in routes. Our guides are highly qualified local individuals who share our values and know local customs.
We will show you our favourite places, those that we discovered as children with our families or those that we’ve got to know as time went by. You will stay in hotels selected for their quality, history and charm, all of them are located in rural environment and run by locals. You will also try local products and will be in constant contact with local residents, and who knows, maybe you will get to feel just like another one of them.
We will make sure that your trip is comfortable and meaningful.
Ria A. Fernández | Project Director
Ria A. Fernández, born in Ponferrada, Spain, is found of nature, photography, adventure sports and her work.
She graduated from the University of Birmingham, UK with a degree in Adventure Tourism Business Administration and counts with a wealth of experience in the development of tourism activities in the international environment. She has worked as a safari guide in Kenia and Tanzania, and participated in projects like “Galapagos, journey to a unique land” in the National Park of Galapagos, Ecuador where she has successfully implemented various aspects of adventure and sustainable tourism into practice.
Her personal interest in the environment and investigation of Heritage interpretation on the local level has been enhanced by her international trips in Asia, Africa, Europe and Central America.
During the last thirteen years she has been a specialized guide at The Way of St. James, working with pilgrim groups of different nationalities and forming part of one of the most reputable companies in the specialty tourism sector, focused among other on the pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. James. She had gone on pilgrimage along The Way of St. James twice during her training in order to understand the spirit of this adventure and transmit it to other travellers.
People who know Ria describe her as a responsible, organized, extroverted and kind person, who easily makes new friends and has great curiosity about other cultures.
She has completed various courses related to sports, first aid and adventure travel. Her favourite types of sports are nature-related: ski, mountain-climbing and trekking. She is found of photography, cinema and theatre and always has time for a good conversation.
Our Philosophy
SLOW TRAVEL
Slow travel is an approach to travel where the importance is not placed on the final objective of the trip but on the trip itself, as well as forming part of the surrounding community, exploring its culture and lifestyle at its own pace, making discoveries along the way which would have been impossible to imagine in any other manner.
You get emerged in the daily life of local residents, use their transportation, sample their wine, sweets, dishes or simply, their coffee. Enjoy the nature, go for a walk in their parks, see their children play, discover local sports, visit their libraries, churches, shops or markets. Discover what grows in their fields or maybe observe the closure of business in a farm area. It is these authentic experiences that greatly enrich any journey.
El Camino offers an opportunity for a traveller to get into a closer contact with local society, contact with locals and gain a better understanding of their culture and common habits. Discover the essence of a society by observing and sharing its day-to-day activities.
