Dates and prices

Trips run from Sunday to Sunday throughout the year. The winter itinerary runs from November to April. Prices for the week are from £499 to £599 depending on dates. Price includes flights, accommodation, equipment, internal transport, and some meals (see above).

18. Tell what you know about rural tourism. What is the definition of rural tourism ? (What do you know about grading systems for rural accommodation ? What are the resources for the rural tourism ? What sort of accommodation in the rural area is available ? (Самост.25-5)

Rural tourism focuses on actively participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism. Many rural villages can facilitate tourism because many villagers are hospitable and eager to welcome (and sometime even host) visitors.

Use the article to make your own story

It’s my job (by Eduardo Barroso)

Eduardo was born in a remote village in the Atacama Desert in the North of Chile. Life in the desert is hard, but rural tourism has given Eduardo and his family the chance to make a living from their surroundings. What is there to attract people to the desert ? What is there to do there ? Where do people stay ? Read on and find out.

How did you decide to start up in rural tourism ?

Life here is not easy, so many young people from the villages go to Santiago to find work. I wanted to be with my family, and one day my father read about rural tourism in Europe and decided to do the same with our farm.

Why do people visit the Atacama ? What’s the attraction ?

The landscape is the obvious attraction. For people from the city, there’s the shock of how big and empty the desert is. And for people from a temperate climate, there’s the surprise of how beautiful and varied it can be.

Is the desert varied ?

It certainly isn’t just sand, which is the image in most people’s minds. In the Atacama, for example, you have volcanoes, salt lakes, geysers, canyons …It’s much more than just sand.

But what can you do here apart from look at the landscape ?

My family have worked this land as farmers for many years, and we still do, so one of the attractions for our visitors is to experience our daily life. On the first morning, visitors help us around the farm, milking cows or putting the sheep out to graze. We have bees, as well.

You are very proud of the accommodation you have. Can you tell us why ?

All of the buildings are made in traditional style and from local matters. Straw, mud, stone … everything is from the Patta Hoiri. That’s ‘Mother Earth’ in our local language. And all of the food we give visitors is based on ancient recipes and local ingredients. It might not be as sophisticated as in the best restaurants of Santiago, but it is tasty and very healthy. But perhaps the thing our guests enjoy most is that they dine with us. And after every meal there is always time for a tertulia - and after- dinner chat that often goes on long into the night. That’s when they really feel part of our world, and that’s what rural tourism is about for us.

questions:

1. What is rural tourism ? .

2. What do you know about grading systems for rural accommodation ?

3. What are the resources for the rural tourism ?

4. What sort of accommodation in the rural area is available ?

5. What types of activities can visitors do ?

6. When the high and low seasons are ?

7. Are there any professional associations of rural tourism ?