Adventure companies seem to be popping up everywhere
in Andalucía
as tourists ask for an ever increasing variety of activities.
Much of what they
offer
has an educational focus and guides offer introductory level training courses
to beginners wishing to try kayaking, rafting, trekking into the mountains,
caving, climbing steep cliffs and descending into challenging cracks, crevices
and
canyons in the earth's surface.
This is a wonderful way to get to know Andalucía while you gain new skills, however,
it is important to know how to identify reputable adventure companies in order
to avoid unnecessary accidents.
The Andalusian regional government regulates
adventure companies under a relatively recent set of legislation that requires
these companies to be registered with an organisation called REAT. Companies
that have obtained their REAT registration should only be employing guides
that have been certified locally, nationally and, in some cases internationally.
These
companies are also required to take out an expensive insurance policy that
acts as a strong deterrent against carelessness.
