Be Conscious Travels
a holiday grounded in sustainability, nature and genuine hospitality
Right at the door to the lush, mystical Garajonay national park, sits the humble flagship location for responsible travel in La Gomera – Be Conscious Travels. Bursting with pure hospitality, inspiring authenticity, and incredible attention to detail, Priya and Niels from Be Conscious Travels welcome travelers in their fully sustainable eco-apartments to share with the world what they love the most, to travel consciously. Going green on your next holiday has never been easier – let Be Conscious Travels introduce you to experimental travel, soil regeneration, and responsible living.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM WITH A HEART
The Canary Green team was lucky enough to escape the daily grind and enjoy a few days of adventurous bliss at Be Conscious Travels. True to its eco-apartment reputation, Be Conscious Travels are dedicated to their green credentials and the whole operation is based on values of economic, environmental, and social integrity.
From natural, handmade cleaning products to produce from neighboring farmers on offer, no detail hasn’t been carefully thought out. We were so happy to not spot a single plastic item. Only natural materials are used ensuring nature’s integrity in this breath-taking intertwinement of construction, nature, and people. With years of hospitality experience Be Conscious Travels always has your back during your holiday with amazing insider tips and delicious food recommendations.
Be Conscious Travels is about so much more than just staying in an eco-friendly accommodation in La Gomera. At the very core, the time spent in the quaint mountainside town of Alajeró is about immersing yourself in the local culture, gastronomy, society – and above all environmental sustainability.
Inevitably, Priya and Niel’s burning passion for their reforestation and soil recovery projects will introduce you to the world of sustainability and leave you with an understanding of the importance of preserving this natural environment. Be Conscious Travel’s goal is to integrate all apartments with the permaculture garden in order to be self-sufficient.
Be Conscious Travels is a family-run initiative and the openness, kindness, and philosophy create a feeling of home for whoever spends time at their apartments. This is simple luxury, focussing on sustainable alternatives to traditional tourist offerings without losing sight of comfort. Each apartment is unique and decorated to reflect the personality of the space, featuring breath-taking views of the island. The whole estate is one pocket of peacefulness and the symbiosis between the buildings and the flora and fauna provides a magical experience where one feels in balance with nature.
REVIVING THE ENVIRONMENT THROUGH TOURISM
At first, regenerating natural environments through tourism practices might seem like a contradiction. Too often, the tourism industry is associated with valuing quantity over quality and taking a toll on protected natural spaces. However, Be Conscious Travels is the benchmark for how environmental sustainability and hedonistic traveling can go hand in hand.
Even though Priya and Niels’ goal was always to promote sustainable tourism as much as possible – reforestation, and soil recovery were not part of the initial plan. It developed out of necessity. Shortly after Priya started working towards her dream of a bountiful organic fruit and vegetable garden to allow guests to experience zero-kilometer food firsthand, she was met with a harsh reality. Their land was riddled with drought and severely lacking any kind of nutrients.
So they went back to the basics and turned to research and studies to learn how to work with nature instead of against it. Niels discovered his passion for biology, compost, and its microorganisms and within roughly one and a half years of studying, a far amount of trial and error, and many hours of hard labor, they managed to plant the seed for an abundant and healthy garden with a huge variety of trees, flowers, herbs, fruits, and vegetables. However, according to Be Conscious Travels it was anything, but an easy journey.
Nevertheless, Be Conscious Travels’ never lost faith and today their sustainability efforts do not stop there. By partnering with the Plántate project, established to repopulate the thermophilic forest in La Gomera, travelers can play an active role in being part of the change. After the trees are planted in the Be Conscious Travels garden, guests can lovingly choose a name and get updates from Pyria and Niels.
Furthermore, to make their commitment to responsible tourism official, Be Conscious Travel became partners of Carta Europea de Turismo Sostenible – a voluntary commitment between a European National Park and the public and private sector to promote sustainable tourism. To honor the partnership, Pryia and Niels established many wonderful projects to prove that Be Conscious Travels go the extra mile when it comes to sustainability:
- Education: Be Conscious Teaching model about the desertification problem in La Gomera and around the world and an educational archeological box for kids;
- Reforestation: Plántate space for thermophilic plant distribution and signs with information about the local flora and fauna;
- Circular Economy: Boutique display with products from La Gomera and 0 KM packages from Alajeró
- Green Holiday: Implementation of several measures to reduce water consumption and creating of an ebook with natural recipes to clean your home;
The success of Be Conscious Travels proves that tourism and the environment can be united through inviting people in, teaching them about sustainable alternatives, and leading by example.
AUTHENTIC GREEN EXPERIENCES AT BE CONSCIOUS TRAVELS
The Canary Green team loved spending time at this magical, sustainable, and inspiring place. It is a real hidden gem that made us all feel the power of nature, how grounding it is and the importance of protecting our environment. While there were endless aspects of the experience that we loved, our highlights include:
- Waking up to the sound of birds chirping and the smell of freshly cooked eggs from the neighbor’s farm
- Learning about ancient Canarian plants and planting trees in the Be Conscious Garden
- Unwinding in the cozy hammock overlooking the stunning scenery of La Gomera’s mountainside
- Soaking up the restorative sunlight during the incredible sunsets
- Drinking a hot cup of infusion with herbs from the Be Conscious Garden while being wrapped up in a thick blanket
