One of the most popular types of end-of-year trips to nature in recent years is the one to a natural park. Due to the great variability of ecosystems in Spain, we are fortunate to have an incredible 132 natural parks. But, before analyzing their importance in today’s end-of-year trips, it is worth asking: what is a natural park? We mean any natural area with special biological or scenic features, which is intended to be protected for its value.
The purpose of establishing an area as a natural park is to preserve its fauna and flora. A natural park may be maritime or terrestrial, and is not necessarily limited to one type of ecosystem, but may combine several. Natural parks exist all over the world.
This fact means that a series of characteristics, norms and agreements are maintained internationally to guarantee the protection and recognition of these spaces in a universal way. Natural parks are included in the category of protected natural areas. In addition, there are also certain designations by international entities that ensure that certain environments comply with the policies and protocols necessary for their conservation.
A natural park can also be a national park and have international designations such as a place of scenic interest, biosphere reserve or world heritage site. Natural parks are the best way to immerse yourself in nature during an end-of-year trip. It allows to know a protected natural environment with a wide biological richness and almost all of them have leisure and multi-adventure activities as a complement.
End-of-year trips to natural parks: activities and knowledge
The great advantage of end-of-year trips to natural parks is that they combine activities and the transmission of knowledge in a very close way. After all, every natural park is a center of national and international tourism. The entities that manage them are aware of the importance of taking advantage of the environment where visitors can complement their visit with leisure and cultural activities.
That is why natural parks are an ideal place for end-of-year trips. The leisure activities that are carried out are multiple and often depend on the natural park itself. But almost all of them are characterized by several common activities. The most common is a tour of the park. This can be done in many ways.
Tours can be carried out in a specialized vehicle or by hiking. In both cases, they are always carried out with the accompaniment and guidance of a park professional. In the end-of-year trips, this person will be in charge of transmitting all the knowledge of the natural park to the children. To do so, numerous games are usually played taking advantage of the wide natural spaces and the functioning of the ecosystem in the park.
This type of activity is called interpretive hiking. The goal of the routes is to interpret and learn about the natural environment where they are carried out. Through this interpretation, children become familiar with the functioning of a natural environment and also with the way of understanding and explaining the spaces. This knowledge can be transmitted to the children as well.
End-of-year trips to natural parks: activities in nature
Besides the interpretive hiking activities, the end-of-year trips to natural parks have a wide range of activities in nature. The most important of these is nature observation. Ornithology is one of the most important tourist activities in our country, boosted by the opportunity offered by natural parks. In addition to the interpretative trekking, observing the fauna of a natural area is a great attraction for boys and girls on end-of-year trips.
They will return home being able to say that they have seen unusual species. For those groups that are directly looking for a leisure activity in nature, there are many more options. This is what the equestrian and cycling routes offer us.
Routes on horseback or by bicycle.
These are ways of getting to know the natural space and getting in contact with it, without interfering with its functioning or damaging it. An equestrian route consists of a tour on horseback. This allows a different connection with the natural environment, where the horse is part of, and it is an unforgettable experience for any end of the school year. Another very attractive activity for end-of-year trips is the bicycle route.
Riding a bicycle covers more distance than walking and the effort invested also results in a greater satisfaction for the landscape seen. Furthermore, we have the advantage that many natural parks have trails designed for the use of bicycles. This is an unbeatable way to connect a familiar sport for the participant with the excitement of their end of the year trip.
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