Four friends with a common interest – traveling to unknown places – decided to start a project that would change their lives and those of dozens of people: Rutopia .
18 months ago, Emiliano Iturriaga, Sebastián Muñoz, Diego Espinoza and Irene Heras created Rutopía with the idea of bringing tourists to a different Mexico , the Mexico that goes beyond magazine destinations.
The community tourism is little known because it uses no marketing or advertising campaigns to publicize its offer.
In addition, generally the inhabitants of the communities are not familiar with tourists or their needs, however, they do know that tourism in their region would be a boost to their economy.
That’s what Rutopia is for, to connect these indigenous communities with travelers.
Discover different communities
Searching communities willing to participate or find those that had already begun to prepare to receive tourists (but did not have any kind of diffusion many times due to difficult access) was not an easy task.
So far, Rutopia has about 12 destinations fully prepared to receive tourism and are looking for more.
- Florida, Acaxochitlán, Valle del Mezquital and Santiago de Anaya in Hidalgo.
- Tzimol, Tacaná, Tzizcao and El Triunfo in Chiapas.
- The Warehouse in Oaxaca.
- The Twenty in Campeche.
- Uxuxubí in Quintana Roo.
- Lake of Patzcuaro in Michoacán.
We design an experience that highlights the local knowledge and all the cultural heritage they have.Diego Espinoza, Rutopia.
Diego Espinoza explains that between 60 and 80% of the total cost of travel goes directly to the hosts and only between 20 and 30% is used for operating expenses of Rutopia.
Know the indigenous gastronomy
The dining experiences are a mainstay in this type of tourism.
An example is what happens in Hidalgo .
The Valle del Mezquital has an annual fair for its cuisine. In this region the conditions are difficult, there is little water and the climate is mainly arid, so the community developed its diet based on the available, mainly worms and flowers.
On the other hand, Acaxotitlán has a more varied climate. Here, the gastronomic experience is lived with traditional cooks to collect mushrooms and cook them . You can also take workshops to learn how to make tortillas and even mole .
The kitchen is a space that everyone arrives there and they are more developed. Many connections have been made through food.Diego Espinoza
The Warehouse in Oaxaca is located in the Mixteca region. The heart of the town is pulque , but they will surely welcome you with a pozole that they prepare with amarillito. Here you can learn how to make sauces with this prehispanic drink.
Speaking of Chiapas history is cooked apart.
The most enriching experiences are coffee, cocoa and honey . Here you find melipona honey that can cost up to 800 pesos a liter, but believe us, it’s worth it. You can also visit the coffee plantations or learn about cocoa processing.
To get in touch with Rutopia enter your official pages and if you want to propose a destination you will be completely welcome to analyze how viable it is.
Facebook : @RutopiaORG
By Érika Choperena
Source: animal gourmet
The Mazatlan Post
