New opportunities are under preparation to experience Italian Majella National Park’s wilderness as a result of the cooperation of PAN Parks and international tour operators who visited Majella on a tour to get to know the Italian PAN Park as a destination and local business with the aim to start planning new trips to the area.

Photo: PAN Parks FoundationThe three international tour operators  - Wildlife & Wilderness (UK), Saddle Skedaddle (UK), Sawadee Reizen (the Netherlands) – visited Majella with PAN Parks to experience first hand what the park has to offer. They were hosted by our Italian tourism partner, S-Cape Travel. All tour operators plan to develop new trips to Majella including specialist bike tours.

The tour operators PAN Parks Foundation works with offer nature based tours or activities which are consistent with the PAN Parks concept, provide trips to small size groups, committed to sustainable tourism and operate in a sustainable way.
By participating in the tours they develop in co-operation with PAN Parks you are financially supporting Europe’s wilderness, as all trips include a contribution dedicated to our Foundation. In 2011 there will be a wider range of package tours to PAN Parks offered by our tour operator network to help you to discover the Europe’s wilderness.

The programme of the three tour operators visiting Majella included a tour of some Majella highlights:

• walk a trail to the Hermitage of San Giovanni - this Hermitage is probably the most impressive and inaccessible as it was cut into the cliff side and to reach it there was a wooden ladder that isolated the grotto from the outside world when removed. Now there is no ladder and to enter the grotto you have to crawl on your belly on a narrow ledge over a high cliff.

• mountain bike on Pedemontana - an 18 km dirt road running along the Orta valley flank of the the Morrone mountain through the beech forest. From the forest clearings thee are stunning views of the valley below.

• hike La Majeletta - this is one of the most magnificent trails in the park from where you can see the wilderness zone of the park. If you are lucky and the weather is clear, you can even see the coastline.

• visiting Il Grande Faggio educational centre and Wolf observation area - Il Grande Faggio is a centre for environmental education, they organise activities for children and families, and summer camps as well. At the same time they provide accommodation and organise trekking and excursions and other mountain activities.

Participating tour operator partners:

Wildlife & Wilderness www.wildlifewilderness.com
Saddle Skedaddle www.skedaddle.co.uk
Sawadee Reizen www.sawadee.nl


Information on local business partners in Majella, click here

VISIT Majella to get to know its highlights and travel info

LEARN about Majella’s wilderness, flora and fauna

Photo: PAN Parks Foundation