TRANSHUMANCE WITH A YOUNG VIEW: AN EXPERIENCE LIVED AND GUIDED FROM WITHIN
On July 20, 2025, the paths of Monfragüe National Park were once again filled with cowbells, footsteps and shared stories. More than 200 black Iberian Avileña cows from the Martín Domínguez cattle ranch walked, together with their shepherds, family members and a group of companions, the 13 kilometers that separate Torrejón el Rubio from Villarreal de San Carlos, in a day that culminated the training of the course “Tourism and Transhumance Monitors”.
It was not just a simple cattle route. This day was the practical scenario where the young participants of the course made their debut as hosts of an experience as authentic as it was transformative. For several hours, they walked with the herd – and with the living history of their own families (from the “Martin Domínguez” and “Hijos de Ezequiel” cattle ranches) – taking on tasks of landscape interpretation, attention to the group, audiovisual recording and care for animal welfare.
One day, many lessons learned
From the Torrejón el Rubio rest area, where the walk began at dawn, to the meadows of Villarreal de San Carlos, the group worked on deploying what they had learned during the theoretical sessions: reading the territory, explaining the ecological and cultural values of the route, applying safety rules and showing respect for livestock and the environment. Each stop along the route was an opportunity for meaningful interpretation: from the function of cattle trails as ecological corridors or the role of extensive livestock farming in the conservation of the landscape, to elements of tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Under the guidance of the Verdehesa team and the accompaniment of the Martín Domínguez and Hijos de Ezequiel livestock families, the young people trained skills such as teamwork, communication and co-responsibility in tasks ranging from organizing the group and caring for the welfare of the transhumant dogs and horses, to preparing lunch.
In addition to technical learning, the day also brought about other more invisible but equally essential achievements: the connection between two herds, the complicity born of the shared path and the dialogue between generations that not only transmit knowledge, but also ways of being in the world.
Tourism with roots and responsibility
This day, carefully designed by Verdehesa and planned within the framework of the Pastoral Nature project , which is coordinated by the Global Nature Foundationwas not a tourist activity open to the public, but a training activity with a demonstrative and forward-looking character. Through this experience, the group was able to experience firsthand the principles of experiential ecotourism that Verdehesa develops around transhumance: an approach that combines land conservation, environmental education and enhancement of livestock and cultural heritage.
Interpreting a bridge, a pasture or a legend is not just repeating data: it is knowing how to convey an emotion, contextualize a landscape, give meaning to an effort. And that is what the young trainees did: they turned the road into a classroom and a scene, and the transhumance into a shared story, with the satisfaction of shared effort and pride in a job well done.
At Verdehesa, we believe that preserving transhumance is not only a matter of memory: it is also an opportunity to build present and future proposals based on local knowledge, sustainability and pride of identity. Betting on generational change in extensive livestock farming implies, among other things, recognizing the ability of these young people to lead the transformation of rural tourism from its own roots.
Because if transhumance is still alive, it is thanks to the herds and families that maintain it … and to those who are willing to interpret it.
Closing with a taste of the future
The day ended with a community lunch in Villarreal de San Carlos, the presentation of diplomas and a closing circle where emotions ran high. For all of them, it was the first time they guided an experience in which they recognized themselves since childhood. For some, perhaps the beginning of a professional path linked to their roots.
It was an intense experience, full of emotions and meaning. Each participant contributed his or her point of view, family history, and concerns. And the most valuable thing: their desire to continue walking through this legacy, but with new tools. Because transhumance not only unites seasons and territories. It can also be a bridge between generations, a strategy for adapting to climate change, a source of employment in rural areas and a transformative tourism experience.
A walking legacy
Transhumance needs passable livestock trails, supported shepherds, strong animals… but also something equally essential: voices to explain it, hands to accompany it and young people to support it with pride, capable of intertwining tradition, tourism and conservation.
This course has shown that the generational changeover is not only possible, but that it is already underway. However, for it to continue advancing, it needs more than just will: it requires support, recognition and a firm commitment on the part of public administrations and society as a whole.
From Verdehesa we would like to thank the commitment of the Hermanos Martín Domínguez and Hijos de Ezequiel stud farms, the constant support of the Global Nature Foundation team, and, above all, the involvement, enthusiasm and authenticity of these young people who are already giving continuity to a story that is still alive… as long as someone walks it.
Learn about our agritourism experience“Vive la Trashumancia“.
