Ecotura: The horse and the wolf in Castro Laboreiro

In the middle of the valley, Stefanie adjusted her binoculars, gazed across the crag, fixed on a spot and exclaimed: “I see it! I see it!” In the background, the silhouette of a Montête goat cuts itself out on the escarpments of the Peneda mountain range. Pedro Alarcão, from Ecotura, smiles and says “this is one of the most difficult mammal sightings in Europe”.   Swiss-German Stefanie and her daughter Greta have been in Castro Laboreiro for a week. This is already the end of a week’s equestrian holiday. Every day, they went out with their horses and rode through the Peneda mountain range. They learnt how to ride and look after the animals and were dazzled by the landscapes and wolf stories.

“I’ve been wanting to learn to ride for a long time, but in Germany everything is very strict and I didn’t want to just ride around in a riding arena. I heard about Ecotura’s offer, saw the very good reviews and didn’t hesitate. I’m glad I did, it’s been an absolutely fantastic experience.

During one week, they rode their horses through the Iberian wolf territory, saw traces and heard many wolf stories. Pedro Alarcão and Anabela Moedas, the couple who set up Ecotura, are the right people for this.

Both journalists, they arrived in Castro Laboreiro in 1999 with the aim of writing a book about a family of wolves. The project grew and six years later the documentary “A Vida Secreta dos Lobos” (The Secret Life of Wolves) was born and shown on national television (RTP).

Sustainable Tourism

Meanwhile, they’ve put down roots, started living permanently in the mountains and launched Ecotura, a sustainable tourism project which is one way of “helping to publicise the wolf in every possible way. Make the local population look at the wolf with other eyes and make the fear of the bad wolf a part of our past. Helping to improve the image of this important species, which has been the target of relentless persecution for centuries” is the mainstay of his life.

Anabela and Pedro make a point of promoting sustainable tourism, organising their entire offer in equestrian and walking tours. “These walks are always packed with information about the environment that surrounds us and according to the theme of each activity. The number of participants on each outing is even more limited than the legal regulations demand. Besides, enjoying nature feels much better if you do it in a small group. Being in Portugal’s only national park, the Peneda-Gerês National Park, brings us added responsibilities. With the increasing desertification of rural areas, the agricultural mosaic tends to disappear. The diversity of our fauna and flora depends on the maintenance of this mosaic. Ecotura ensures the maintenance of their horses participating in the collection of hay from fields that are gradually being abandoned, the organic waste generated by these same animals is given free to the local population encouraging a lesser use of chemical fertilizers, “they say on the website of Ecotura.  

Ecotura Country House

At night, sitting in the garden of the recently restored traditional house, with the outline of the mountain cliffs in the sky, a multitude of stars, we swap stories with Stefanie. It is in this idyllic setting that we realise how this week of contact with the horse and the wolf is marking her. Greta, in her late teens, doesn’t miss a beat. She smiles and nods here and there as if to reinforce her mother’s words, who cannot hide her delight at the landscapes and gastronomy.

Very early in the morning, Stefanie is already in the garden receiving the first rays of sunlight while reading and drinking her first coffee. All around her, an immense oak grove.

Ecotura Country House is a traditional mountain house from the early 20th century recently restored and adapted to the best of comforts. The ground floor is a large open space with living room and fully equipped kitchen. Upstairs on the first floor are the four bedrooms, three of which are spacious.

The house is tastefully decorated with much of the family’s work. Many of the paintings are by Anabela and Pedro’s daughter. Anabela is also responsible for some of the furniture, which is another of her passions.   Whether in the garden when the weather is more inviting, or by the fireplace when the body asks for warmth, this is a place we will return to.