Autumn is the best season of the year to enjoy the Catalan forests with your five senses. The leaves are falling, the ground is being covered by endless carpets, the landscapes are getting ochre, red and brown tonalities, and the rivers are livening up.
Catalonia hosts many interesting natural spots that offer a wide range of options to discover its forests in autumn: hiking, collecting mushrooms and chestnuts (check whether they are edible!), forest bathing, … This post presents 5 forests that allow you to enjoy autumn in Catalonia and to live a real forest bathing experience. But what is forest bathing, actually? Well, it is an immersion in nature that is usually done in the company of a guide and which allows you to connect all your senses and to strengthen the link between you and nature. Let’s check where you can go forest bathing this autumn!
Forest bathing in Poblet
Apart from its historical past, Poblet also hosts a fantastic natural environment of national interest where you can find Prades Mountains, that overflow with a wide range of tree species (pine, holm oak, maple, oak, holly and sweet chestnut), and a well-preserved undergrowth that invites you to join in.
Cooperativa Sèlvans organizes forest bathing activities, especially in a very ancient forest located on the north slope of Prades Mountains. This activity is perfect to plunge deep inside nature and to connect with yourself.
For more information and contact → Sèlvans
Forest bathing in Sant Hilari Sacalm
The third option of guided forest bathing we recommend you is located in Serra d’Heures Forest, in the heart of Les Guilleries mountain range, in Sant Hilari Sacalm. This is one the best preserved native forests in the massif, in which you will enjoy the contrasts between the sunny part, with its centenarian cork oaks, and the shady one, with its numerous broad-leaved oaks and its millenary beech trees. The therapeutic itinerary is aimed at groups of 14 people.
More information and contact → Sèlvans
Forest bathing in Els Ports
Let’s head to the south, to Els Ports (Montsià), in the region of Terres de l’Ebre, where PortsExperience also offers forest bathing experiences. Els Ports Natural Park and La Fageda dels Ports Partial Natural Reserve are perfect places to break away and to feel the forest in all its immensity. Autumn is the best time of year to walk in Pla d’Avària, whose Scots pines and black pines will help you to rebuild the abovementioned tie with nature. After the forest bathing, you can look for the shepherd huts that are hidden amid Els Ports Natural Park and let yourself be carried along by the fantastic views of Els Ports peaks.
More information and contact → Ports Experience
Forest bathing in Collsacabra
Collsacabra is another Catalan area where you can learn about how to enjoy nature from a new point of view in the company of professionals. Located in the regions of Osona, La Selva and La Garrotxa, it hosts a large extension of woods that are fantastic for forest bathing.
The silent forests of Rupit are intimate areas where you can connect with nature through contemplation, quietness and full observation. The tips recommended by Anigami (the company that offers the forest bathing activity) for a complete experience are the following: breathe, contemplate, walk slowly and embrace silence. Ready to learn about how to reconnect with nature?
More information and contact → Anigami Experiències
As you can see, forest bathing is a very interesting activity that allows you to enjoy autumn in Catalonia, not only because forests are therapeutic places, but also because they remind us of the importance of taking care of nature. What about going for your first forest bathing experience?
