Your guide to sustainable travel in Corfu

Source: discovergreece.com

Corfu is one of those islands that has it all: history & culture, beaches, villages, great food & drink… the list goes on. But when you’ve got it all, it’s inevitable that everyone will want a piece of you. And that can come at a price for any destination.

So this guide of sustainable travel tips for Corfu is for the responsible traveller. It’s designed to help you decide when and where to go, what eco-friendly travel activities are available when you get there and how to leave as small an environmental footprint as possible when you leave… everything to make your holidays in Corfu sustainable. You’ll learn how to support local communities and businesses, enjoy nature the right way and do your bit to keep traditions and customs alive.

Sound good? Ok, let’s get you started on all the things to do as a responsible traveller on vacation in Corfu.

Corfu sustainable travel tips

1 – Go when and where it makes a difference

Choose the ‘shoulder months’ for your summer holidays

The first part of our sustainable travel guide to Corfu is all about daring to think differently. And that starts with choosing when to visit. July and August are the most popular months in Greece for good reason. But this is where we show you why the best months for responsible holidays in Corfu – and we’re still talking about summer holidays – are May and June or September and October. They’re what we call the “shoulder months” either side of peak summer.

You get more bang for your buck and fewer people at the landmark sites, and the weather is usually still great (without the peak summer sizzle). Hotel staff and activity providers can give you more of their attention and you’ll find the locals even more relaxed and willing to interact. Best of all, you can be more laid back with your planning … no need to book at restaurants and beach bars and less competition for experiences.

2 – Support local traditions & small museums

Seek out handmade souvenirs and local craftspeople

Every time you choose a handmade item over a mass-produced souvenir, you’ll be supporting a local craftsperson or artist. Not just that but you’ll be helping to keep alive generations-old traditions and rewarding small businesses with a small environmental footprint.

A great initiative is the Corfu Design Route. It was made by local creators and includes workshops and shops selling handcrafted items all over the island. The ceramics workshop of Mirto Zyrini (specialising in contemporary designs), the Patounis Soap Factory (making olive oil soaps since 1891) and Corfoot (selling handmade children’s shoes) are all gems in the Old Town, as are Salty Bag (specialising in bags made from the sails of sailing boats) and Ancient Greek Sandals. Outside town, the handmade scented candles made by Choe are another reason to visit Kanakades village.

3 – Be sustainable with all your activities in Corfu

Show Corfu’s horses & donkeys the love they deserve

Like many Greek islands, Corfu has a long history of interaction between locals and domesticated animals. And in rural communities, these were mostly horses and donkeys, which can still be an integral part of the daily lives of locals.

If you want to go horse riding or take part in any other horse-related activities, please use your judgement. Be sure that the animals appear well treated by their owners and that they aren’t suffering in any way. And remember that you wouldn’t want to be walking in the midday summer heat. So pick an appropriate time of day.

To show the donkeys of Corfu the love and respect they deserve, visit the Corfu Donkey Rescue, around 20km north of Corfu town. It is a sanctuary for donkeys and other rescued animals that, as the centre says, gives them a peaceful life and allows them to retire with dignity. You’re not allowed to feed the donkeys but you can pet them and, of course, make a donation.

Tip: The dirt road to the Donkey Rescue is quite rough, so park your car 1km away and enjoy the walk.

4 – Go big on the local cuisine

Learn to order like a local

Our final tip in your sustainable travel guide to Corfu is to learn as much as you can about the local food before you arrive. You’ll recognise the local dishes and learn how to order like a local in the tavernas. Also remember that tavernas and cafes in the villages source their produce from local farmers. So supporting them means supporting the wider area.

The olive oil and wine are likely to be local and most restaurants and bars serve Corfiot beer. The ginger beer (tsitsibira) definitely will be local. And other local products to look out for are kumquat (in various forms, including in liqueurs offered at the end of your meal), noumboulo (thinly sliced, cured pork tenderloin), mandoles (caramelised almonds), mandolato (a soft nougat bar containing honey), sykomaida (a fig paste with grape must wrapped in vine or fig leaves) and local honey and butter.

Local dishes and sweets to look out for:

• Bolseviki: Multi-layered, dripping in syrup and covered with a thick layer of Serrano cream. It was inspired by the hussanka hat worn by Bolshevik proletariats… hence the name. (bol-se-vìki)
• Kolombines: One of the two sweet breads (the other is fogatsa) traditionally made for Easter buns in Corfu (ko-lom-bìnes)
• Pastitsada: Beef or rooster casserole with a traditional spice blend called spetseriko (including cinnamon, red chilli, allspice, nutmeg and cumin), served with pasta (pa-sti-tsà-da)
• Bourdeto: A spicy fish dish whose colour comes mostly from the hot red pepper (bour-thè-to)
• Sofrito: Pan-fried beef in a parsley and garlic sauce, sautéed in wine (so-frì-to)
• Bianco: Fish cooked in garlic-lemon sauce with potatoes, parsley and black pepper (bi-ànco)
• Tsigareli: Spicy fried mixed wild greens (Swiss chard, mustard greens, sorrel, nettles, dandelion etc) with onions, garlic, paprika, dill and tomato paste (tsi-ga-rèli)

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