Forest bathing in Girona

Have you heard of forest bathing or therapeutic forests? They are a very healthy experience that brings you closer to the earth from a very natural and calm perspective. If you want to take care of yourself, you like to walk and you are passionate about discovering the forests and landscapes of Catalonia, keep reading; We delve into the forest bathing that you can do in the province of Girona!

What are forest bathing?
Forest baths are calm, silent and slow walks through the forest. They are guided and are done in small groups of maximum 14 people. They are an immersion in nature to reconnect with it and relate to it with our senses, in order to obtain the benefits (physiological, psychological and spiritual) that it brings us.

Due to the lives we currently lead, we have forgotten how to use our senses to connect with nature. The forest bathing guide acts as a mediator to relearn how to live and feel nature. The walks last about 2-3 hours and are accessible to everyone. They are, without a doubt, a way of doing health ecotourism.

The health and well-being benefits are enhanced thanks to forest aerobiology, slow walking, silence, relaxation, conscious breathing, and a reconnection with the natural environment through all our senses.

6 therapeutic forests in the province of Girona
The Selvans Association, together with the Costa Brava Pirineu de Girona Tourist Board, promotes several forest baths in Girona and the rest of Catalonia. We propose a forest bath in any of its therapeutic forests. Now and always, let's take care of ourselves!

Can Fornaca Forest, Caldes de Malavella (the Jungle)
Caldes de Malavella is well known as a thermal city. But not only will you feel good in its waters but you can also enter the therapeutic forest of Can Fornaca, located very close to the town.

Can Fornaca is a humid Mediterranean mixed forest, with oaks, cork oaks and stone pines, with very notable specimens of the latter two. You can access it by public transport, going by train to Caldes de Malavella. If you want, you can complete the weekend getaway with a bit of culture in Girona city, which is very close to Caldes. The Carlemany hotel and the Peninsular hotel are ideal for a weekend getaway.

You can access it by public transport, going by train to Caldes de Malavella. If you want, you can complete the weekend getaway with a bit of culture in Girona city, which is very close to Caldes. The Carlemany Hotel and the Peninsular Hotel are ideal for a weekend getaway.

Les Olletes Forest, Vall d’en Bas (La Garrotxa)
The Garrotxa region is a land of hiking and landscape, full of lush forests, ideal for hiking and enjoying nature.

Very close to Olot, in the municipality of Les Preses, is the Olletes forest. It is a centuries-old forest, located on a volcanic lava flow, which makes it even more attractive and unique. The route passes through dry walls, artigas and cabins, and is surrounded by a magnificent oak grove of oak, and also ash, maple, blade, beech and other deciduous species.

Continuing towards Olot, practically at the entrance to the city, you will find the Hotel La Perla, a great reference in the Garrotxa region with very familiar and close hospitality.

Salvador Grau Forest, Olot (la Garrotxa)
Still in Garrotxa, there is another therapeutic forest for forest bathing. This is the Salvador Grau forest, located in Vall d'en Bas, on the shady slope of the Puigsacalm-Bellmunt.

It is a forest of deciduous species such as oak, beech, cherry, ash and maple with a prominent presence of the Yew: a very slow-growing tree loaded with symbols that provides the atmosphere of a natural sanctuary, with an atmosphere that invites to recollection and interiority.

Vall d’en Bas is located next to Olot and the Hotel La Perla, and also close to many forests, trails and charming towns where you can reconnect with nature and the landscape of the Catalan Pre-Pyrenees.

Pla de la Barraca Forest, Planoles (Ripollès)
In the heart of the Pyrenees, between Cerdanya and Ripollès, at 1,800 meters above sea level, there is a majestic red pine forest of admirable dimensions that has managed to integrate the harsh conditions of the high mountains and become a clear witness to the passage of time.

During the itinerary through the Pla de la Barraca forest you will discover the essence of this pine forest, impregnated in each of its corners.

Below Planoles, in the Ribes Valley, you will find the Hotel Els Caçadors, with a lot of tradition in the region and a place where you can eat very well. If you extend your stay, from Ribes itself you can take the rack train to go up to Núria.

Serra d’Heures Forest, Sant Hilari Sacalm (the Jungle)
The Serra d'Heures forest is one of the best preserved native forests in the entire Les Guilleries massif, next to the Montseny Natural Park, near Barcelona.

During the forest bath you can enjoy the contrast between the sunny side with century-old cork oaks, and in the shady part you will find large-leaved oaks and a beech forest that will soon be a century and a half old.

If you want to extend your stay, very close by, you will find the Gastronomic Hotel Mas Albereda, by Catalan chef Nandu Jubany. The hotel offers gastronomic experiences that will activate all your senses, starting with taste and smell.

Requesens Forest, La Jonquera (Alt Empordà)
On the border between Catalonia and France, in the municipality of La Junquera, is the Requesens therapeutic forest, which is part of the Sierra de la Albera Natural Site of National Interest.

The walk enters a typically Mediterranean oak forest in the Sierra de la Albera. The forest contains remarkable holm oak, oak, cork, cedar and holly trees belonging to the former domains of the Requesens Castle.

Very close to La Junquera, in the municipality of Cantallops, you will find the Hotel Can Xiquet, to complete your stay in the Empordà and continue enjoying its landscapes, its wines and its beaches.

A little further, but less than an hour by car, you will find the Hotel Els Caçadors de Maçanet, perfect for discovering the most inland and quiet Alt Empordà, next to the Boadella reservoir.

Las fotos de los bosques mencionados en el artículo son propiedad de Cooperativa Selvans.