THE RICOTE VALLEY ORANGE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL KICKS OFF WITH WALKING TOURS, WORKSHOPS AND SENSORY EXPERIENCES CENTRED AROUND LEMONS

  • Until 31 May, Ulea, Villanueva del Río Segura, Ojós and Ricote will be the setting for a unique springtime tourist experience, with the blossoming of their citrus trees, particularly their traditional lemon trees.

 

The Ricote Valley welcomes one of the most special moments in its calendar with the launch of the orange blossom routes, an initiative that invites visitors to discover this region through its landscape, the scent of citrus fruits and the cultural richness of its villages.

The season began last Sunday, 22 March, and will run until 31 May, turning Ulea, Villanueva del Río Segura, Ojós and Ricote into the setting for a unique springtime tourist experience with the blossoming of their citrus trees, particularly their traditional lemon trees.

During these weeks, the lemon trees are blanketed in white and the Ricote Valley is transformed into a vast garden of sensations, where the orange blossom marks the start of the lemon’s agricultural cycle – a crop essential to the region’s identity and economy. Orchards, historic irrigation channels, viewpoints and small villages with a Moorish essence make up a route that allows visitors to enjoy nature at a leisurely and authentic pace.

The Orange Blossom Route invites you to explore the four municipalities on a getaway designed to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace over one or two days. Added to this is a programme of experiences including guided tours, sensory walks in the Huerta de la Macu, workshops on making soaps and hydrolates, culinary offerings and activities linked to the citrus-growing environment such as sunset yoga, thus reinforcing the Ricote Valley’s commitment to a model of slow tourism connected to the local area and its traditions.

On Sunday, a group of tourists from Murcia and a French family were the first to take part in the Ricote Valley Orange Blossom Route, but the rest of the activities can now be booked on the official website of Murcia Region Tourism.

Among the activities on offer are

The Ricote Valley Orange Blossom Trail

The Citrus Tour in the Jewel of the Ricote Valley

Sensory walks through the orchards with Macu

Tasting of Bizcochos Borrachos + Walk through Ojós + Orange Blossom Menu at the Villanueva Gardens

Walk amongst the citrus groves and hydrosol workshop + Lemon Experience lunch

Sunset yoga amongst the lemon trees + tasting of lemonade and natural slushies

Lemon Experience with a paparajotes-making workshop

Lemon soap-making workshop + tasting of artisanal lemon and orange marmalades

Orange blossom perfume workshop + tasting of artisanal lemon and orange marmalades

This is the first edition of the Fiesta del Azahar, a new member of España en Floración, which was officially presented at the last edition of FITUR. The event consolidates its position as one of the major blossom-viewing destinations in the Region of Murcia and as a unique offering within the national blossom-viewing tourism calendar. The combination of nature, heritage, gastronomy and agricultural experiences once again places the orange blossom at the heart of a spring that is experienced with all the senses.

 

Source: AGROMARKETING