Abora Expeditions

26/03/2026

At Abora Expeditions, we believe that to truly connect with a place, it is not enough simply to visit it.
You must approach it through understanding. 🙌
That is why every expedition is designed alongside experts — scientists and specialists who help us translate scientific knowledge into real, purposeful experiences.

For our September wellbeing expedition, we will be accompanied by two outstanding experts in wellbeing and nature connection:

🌟 Alfonso Polvorinos
is a biologist trained at the Complutense University of Madrid and has dedicated more than 30 years to ecotourism.
He is certified by the Forest Therapy Hub (FTHub) as a Nature Connection Specialist and as a Therapeutic Landscapes Consultant.

🌟 Alicia Andrés Ramos
is a certified forest therapy guide accredited by the FTHub and an astrotourism guide accredited by Fundación Starlight.
She also leads Artesavia, where she weaves together art, nature and wellbeing through carefully curated workshops and immersive experiences.

Together, they will guide us through practices intentionally designed to foster a deeper connection with the landscapes of La Palma. 🌿🌴

Places are limited (maximum 8 participants) to ensure an experience that is authentic, intimate and truly transformative.

If you would like to reserve your place, send me a private message and I will share all the details with you. 📩
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19/03/2026

When astronauts observe the Earth from space, they feel incredibly small.
From up there, everyday problems become insignificant.
They simply disappear.
This is known as the “overview effect”.
When we truly grasp how tiny we are in the face of the vast universe, our stress and worries begin to soften. 😌
The good news? You don’t need to board a rocket to experience it.
You can also feel this effect when you contemplate a vast landscape, the night sky, or the geological power of the Earth.
Neuroscience has shown that when we expose ourselves to this kind of environment:
🧠💭❌ Intrusive thoughts and mental rumination begin to quieten.
⬇️ Cortisol and stress levels decrease.
🧘 The brain reorients towards connection, meaning and perspective.
Quite literally, the way we perceive the world — and our place within it — transforms.
In neuroscience, this phenomenon is also referred to as the “power of awe”.
And La Palma is one of the best places in the world to experience it.
🌴🌋🌊 The island holds a mosaic of natural environments (forests, coastlines, volcanic landscapes, vast open plains…).
🌠 It also boasts one of the cleanest and most protected night skies on the planet (it was the world’s first Starlight Reserve).
We will explore all of these landscapes during the wellbeing expedition taking place in September.
An expedition whose purpose is to reconnect with the island’s ecosystems.
Because when we restore our deep bond with nature,
nature restores us.
If you would like to experience this first-hand, send me a private message.

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12/03/2026

🚶 When was the last time you walked without distractions?

No headphones.
No checking your phone.
No rush to get anywhere.
That is mindful walking.

Moving with awareness, anchoring your attention in the present moment.
😮‍💨 To the rhythm of your breath.
👣 To the contact between your feet and the earth.
🌿🌳🍃 To the sounds, scents, and shapes that surround you.

Numerous scientific studies confirm that this practice helps reduce stress and mental rumination, improves concentration, and supports a deep sense of calm and clarity.
During our wellbeing expedition in La Palma, we will practise conscious walking in some of the island’s most extraordinary natural settings:
Forests.
Volcanic landscapes.
Coastal paths. 🌳🌋🌊

Because when you combine mindful walking with direct contact with nature,
its therapeutic benefits are amplified.
The expedition will take place from 25 September to 01 October. 🗓️
Places are limited (maximum 8 participants) to ensure an intimate, authentic, and truly transformative experience.

If you feel called to be part of this unique journey, send me a private message and I will share all the details with you. 📩

06/03/2026

06/03/2026

05/03/2026

Forest bathing heals both body and mind.
This practice was born in Japan under the name Shinrin-yoku, originally introduced as a response to rising stress and mental fatigue caused by urban life.
Today, we know its benefits go far beyond that:
💆 It reduces stress.
😁 It enhances mood.
💊 It strengthens the immune system (thanks to the organic compounds released by trees and plants).
🧘 It supports calm, mental clarity, and deeper concentration.
But forest bathing is not simply walking among trees.
It is a guided, structured experience — designed with intentional practices that help you truly reconnect with nature.
That is why forest bathing should always be led by a trained specialist.
During our wellbeing expedition in La Palma this September, we will be joined by two exceptional guides:
💁🌿 Alfonso Polvorinos and Alicia Andrés Ramos, both certified Forest Therapy guides through the Forest Therapy Hub.
Very soon, I will share more about them.
In the meantime, if you would like to experience firsthand how direct contact with nature can restore body and mind, I invite you to join this expedition in La Palma.
Places are limited (maximum 8 participants).
If you feel called to be part of this journey, send me a direct message and I will share all the details with you. 📩

03/03/2026

Today we celebrate World Nature Day.

In La Palma, one of nature’s greatest guardians is the Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis) — a remarkable forest that not only shapes the island’s landscape, but quietly sustains its natural balance.

These trees have evolved over thousands of years in a volcanic and ever-changing territory, developing a resilience found almost nowhere else on Earth.

🔥 Resilient to fire and volcanic activity
The Canary pine is uniquely adapted to survive intense wildfires. Its thick bark protects the trunk, and even when the crown burns, the tree can sprout new shoots directly from the trunk — a rare ability among pines.

These forests have also shown remarkable resistance to ash fall and volcanic eruptions, slowly regenerating even after dramatic geological events.

💧 Invisible guardians of water
The pine forests act as natural water generators for the island.
Their needles capture moisture from the trade winds and passing clouds — a phenomenon known as horizontal rain. The captured droplets slowly drip to the ground, allowing water to infiltrate the soil.

This process:
• replenishes underground aquifers
• sustains springs and water galleries
• protects fragile volcanic soils from erosion.

🌫 Natural climate regulators
The pine forests also help regulate the island’s temperature and humidity cycles.

By intercepting clouds and retaining moisture, they contribute to:
• cooler and more stable temperatures
• increased atmospheric humidity
• fertile soils
• unique microclimates where biodiversity thrives.

More than a forest, the Canary pine woodland is a living natural infrastructure that protects life on the island.

On this day, we remember that protecting these forests means safeguarding water, climate, and the future of La Palma.

Because on this volcanic island,
these forests do more than survive…
they rise again.







AboraExpeditions 🌿

26/02/2026

Hilot massage is deeply rooted in Filipino culture.

💆🏽‍♀️ In Tagalog (the language of the Filipino indigenous peoples), “Hilot” means “massage, rubbing, or contact through gentle touch.”

Hilot massage is an ancient healing practice that works on the body at two levels:

👤 Physical

Gentle and firm movements are alternated, applying pressure to key points of the body to release tension.

🧠✨ Mental / spiritual

According to Filipino tradition, Hilot massage also balances the body’s energy and helps heal emotional pain.
This ancestral technique helps reduce accumulated tension and relax both body and mind.
For this purpose, banana leaves are used, which, thanks to their natural properties, have detoxifying effects.
🍌🌴
In La Palma, banana trees are part of the landscape and the daily life of the island’s inhabitants.
This plant and its fruit have been present in local culture and gastronomy since the 15th century.
At Abora Expeditions, we wanted to honor this connection between Canarian and Filipino culture.
🍌🌴 That’s why the wellness and nature expedition we will carry out in May will include a traditional Hilot massage using banana leaves from the island.
🌿 The purpose of this expedition is to connect travelers with the destination in a different way.
To achieve this, throughout the journey we will explore different landscapes across the island:

😌 Reduce stress.

✨ Improve mood.

🌅 Regulate our circadian rhythms.

💤 Support restorative sleep.

The aim is to restore wellbeing through a deep connection with the natural environment.

The expedition will take place from 15 to 21 May, with only 8 places available.

If you would like to experience the therapeutic power of nature for yourself, send me a private message and reserve your place. 📩

***

19/02/2026

We are increasingly gathering evidence of something our ancestors already knew:

🌿❤️‍🩹 contact with natural environments heals us.

When we immerse ourselves in forests, volcanic landscapes, oceans, and star-filled skies, measurable processes are activated within our nervous system:

➡️ Cortisol (the “stress hormone”) decreases.

➡️ Alpha brain waves (linked to calm and creativity) increase.

➡️ Our circadian rhythms (which influence sleep, appetite, and mood) are regulated.

➡️ Rumination and intrusive thoughts settle.

➡️ The immune system is strengthened.

Deep, intimate contact with natural environments restores us.

If you would like to experience this healing capacity of nature for yourself…

Join the wellbeing expedition in La Palma that we are currently preparing.

🗓️ When?

From 15 to 21 May.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑🧑‍🤝‍🧑 How many places?

A maximum of 8 participants (we keep groups intentionally small to ensure a deep, meaningful experience).

If you feel called to take part in this unique journey, send me a private message and reserve your place. 📩

***

16/02/2026

Every Carnival Monday, Santa Cruz de La Palma becomes a stage for one of the island’s most historically rooted traditions.

The celebration of Los Indianos is deeply connected to the great waves of Canarian emigration to Cuba during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Economic hardship pushed many palmeros across the Atlantic in search of opportunity. Some returned years later with fortunes built in sugar, to***co and trade — bringing back not only wealth, but Caribbean customs, music, language and a new social identity.

Locally, these returnees were called “Indianos” — a term used throughout Spain and Latin America for those who came back from “Las Indias” (the Americas). Dressed in white linen suits, Panama hats and fine accessories, they became powerful symbols of aspiration, contrast and social change within the island.

The modern carnival — revived in the 20th century after periods of prohibition — transforms this historic memory into satire and homage. The white talcum powder thrown in the streets evokes both tropical heat and theatrical parody, while Cuban rhythms echo a century-old transatlantic connection.

Los Indianos is not simply a party.
It is a collective remembrance of migration, return, transformation and identity — a living bridge between La Palma and the Caribbean.

And we honnor our roots...