Extremadura is worth discovering, knowing and enjoying. This is a region in Spain that borders with Portugal and is west to Madrid. An increased number of tourists visit Extremadura every year. During their stay they not only want to travel around its magnificent corners but also want to feel it, smell it and taste it and every one with out any exception can indulge in all that Extremadura has to offer.
To make this possible the “Autonomous Community of Extremadura”, which is one of the federated regions of Spain, has pledged to practice and implement a plan of “Tourism for All”. From north to south and from east to west any tourist with special needs or any handicap has at least 261 resources that range from hotel facilities, restaurants, public spaces such as museums, tourist offices and interpretation centers and routes that will cater to tourist with special needs.
Urban and Nature Tourism
Among the many possibilities we find Merida, a city with a firm commitment to accessible tourism, that allows a person with special need to discover, hands on, varied Museums and Interpretation Centers. Also, in Cáceres we recommend a visit to the Mining Interpretation Center (Centro de Interpretación y Minería) and the Helga de Alvear Foundation. Plasencia invites tourist to visit the Ethnographic Textile Museum Pérez Enciso (Museo Etnográfico Textil Pérez Enciso). At “Berruecos de Malpartida” in Cáceres we suggest the Interpretation Center.
Accessible routes through natural spaces
Wandering through natural spaces and getting enchanted by the flora and the fauna is an experience worth enjoying. The Monfragüe National Park offers paths for people with diverse functional disabilities such as reduced mobility and visually impairment to get to know the “Malvecino” stream, the “Fuente del Fránces” or the bridge of the “Cardenal”. In “Villareal de San Carlos” we truly recommend a visit to the Interpretation Center of Water and Nature.
An interesting adventure is at the Natural Monument of “Los Berruecos” in “Malpartida de Cáceres”. They invite us to enjoy the Route of the Senses. The route is designed for people with reduced mobility or sight and hearing impediments. One of the features are the panels in Braille, or the granite replicas of their rock formations and bancs, on which people might want to sit for a while to replenish their strength. This is a good example of accessibility, in the midst of the Natural Monument of “Los Berruecos”, a path that measures 1.6 kilometers, which is ideal to hike with all the family, even with small children. The Interpretation Center of the Cornalvo Natural Park also offers the possibility of guided visits for people with reduced mobility.
An accessible guide with 261 resources
It is very easy to plan a trip and get the most out of Extremadura with the extensive information available in the “Guia de Turismo Accesible” (Accessible Tourism Guide) available on the www.turismoextremadura.com web site. The Accessible Touristic Resources are classified by regions or counties, and the traveler can make an informed decision on where to sleep, where to eat and how to best invest their leisure time.
Colors and accessible pictograms
The information in the Guide is intended to cover the basic needs through simple pictograms and a color code, from which tourist can learn about the services available to them, including the degree of accessibility: when in color Green the service is specially adapted, when in yellow the space can be easily used and is practical for handicapped people, and the color red when the space is not accessible. This is a guide that for now is only available in Spanish, and can be downloaded for your convenience.
Thanks to Loida Zabala, athlete from Extremadura, for her generosity in serving as a model for the photographic report
Original article by Ainhoa Miguel
Translated by Susana Windt
Pictures by Jesús Salvador
planVE la guía de ocio de Extremadura
Turismo accesible para todos en Extremadura
Published on November 2nd, 2017
