Turismo Natural

TRADITIONS: REGIONAL SEASONAL MIGRATION IN SPAIN

May 4, 2010 Activities, Spain, Routes, Traditions, Tourism, Tourism, Cultured Tourism, Natural Tourism, Rural Tourism

This article and the three to follow might just surprise you a little, because they won’t be on any tourist destination but instead they will be about a thousand-year-old tradition that is being lost in Spain: seasonal migration.

This article is an introduction to the three articles to follow, where I shall tell you about the experience I had between 30 April and 2 May 2010. It was a unique experience, having the honour of accompanying a lovely family of shepherds from León, (Spain), on a regional seasonal migration.

Last weekend I saw how hard living seasonal migration is and what good it does too. We have to ensure that seasonal migration does not disappear, not just because it is a tradition, but because the flocks clean the mountains and fertilise them as they pass along these routes.

The title of this article is Regional Seasonal Migration, and the experience I had this weekend was with this kind of seasonal migration, a seasonal migration that occurs within one region only.

Many of you might be thinking: “What has this got to do with tourism?” Well, the migratory routes are ones I recommend you do, whether with flocks or on your own. Really, the best experience is going with the herds and shepherds. You can also do these routes without animals of course, although it isn’t really the same; you’ll still enjoy the walk, though.

 

Tags: Culture, Route, Routes, Hiking, Seasonal Migration, Regional Seasonal Migration, Tourism, Active Tourism, Cultured Tourism, Natural Tourism, Rural Tourism