cross portugal by kayak – douro valley – 10 days
Our most demanded tour explores the oldest demarcated wine region of the world by kayak. Before the 20th century, the River Douro was a tricky and dangerous path which the sailors struggled to navigate. The construction of 5 dams in the Portuguese territory allowed for safe navigation between Porto and Barca d`Alba (a few minutes from the Spanish border). Our tour takes place in a region where humans have shaped the mountains with their own hands, creating lands with vineyards where some of the best wines in the world are produced. The landscape is filled with vineyards, fruit, cork and olive trees. On this trip you will experience the Portuguese culture, gastronomy and visit historical towns and villages. UNESCO also gave particular emphasis to the Côa Valley, part of the World Heritage list since 1998.
Arrival day
It is the arrival day at Porto. We have a full day walking on Day 2, so we recommend guests rest and take it easy. Your accommodation will allow you to enjoy jaw dropping views and short walks without too much effort.
After settling in, our guide can helps with any tips and needs.
We will have a group dinner with a fantastic view to the UNESCO World Heritage “Ribeira Porto”.
Accommodation is in Porto City.
Day 1 – porto walking tour
After years of enjoying our walks, we have worked out a route that will allow you to enjoy most of the top attractions without exhausting your calves…it is a City on a hill after all! Porto has hundreds of things on offer and we discover many of them.
This is a walking tour that will allow guests to get a really good feel for the city, visit a market and decide which shops they will visit at the end of the trip. We will end our tour with a lunch next to the Douro River.
Guests will have a few hours to rest or do their own exploring.
In the evening we will do a Port wine tasting session before dinner, which will be cooked by our crew in a very special place.
day 2 – a relaxing train ride along the douro river
In the morning we will take the Douro Train Line from the historic São Bento station in Porto, all the way along the river to Mos de Douro. We will be able to see our paddling path from both sides of the river as well as the majestic dams.
Lunch will be at arrival at small mountain village, followed by the visit of the UNESCO World Heritage Côa Valley pre-historic rock art park with one of their knowledgeable guides. If weather allows the visit will be on an electric powered boat along the Côa.
Our accommodation is in a typical mountain lodge where we will have time to relax, unpack for the next days and have a tasty dinner.
day 3 – paddling starts!
After a hearty breakfast we will drive to Barca d’Alva to launch our kayaks. After a brief security brief by our Tour Guide we will paddle into Spain and turn around all the way to Côa.
We will take it easy on day one to allow our muscles and back sides to settle into the boats. This is the start of a constantly changing scenery and geography. Plenty of time for photographs, to wave at the cruise boats, observe nature, and stop for a packed lunch.
At the end our support crew will load the kayaks and take us back to the mountain village where we can rest next the swimming pool, walk around the village, or talk to some of the locals.
Our crew will cook one more of their dishes.
day 4 – paddling along cliffs and wine quintas
Perfect distance for our second paddling day from Foz de Sabor to Freixo de Numao.
We will see cliffs in the Douro valley, and paddle next to some Quintas and vineyards in the wine producing area of the Douro valley.
Time to relax in the afternoon, enjoy a swim, read, or sunbathe before our afternoon aperitif and home cooked dinner.
day 5 – paddling THROUGH the mountains
We are now getting into the relaxing routine, and will paddle from Freixo de Numao to Ferradosa.
We end our day with at dinner at Tua, which we passed a few days before and stopped while on the train.
Our accommodation changes…but don’t worry, our crew will have your luggage ready at the new destination. Just enjoy!
day 6 – paddling through the valley where port wine grapes are born
We will launch our kayaks at Tua village close to 2 impressive dams. Our trip today will take us to the popular visitor spot of Pinhão, where we will pass small “rabelo” boats trailing up and down the river, and see much more activity.
After lunch we will drive up to the picturesque village of Provesende which is one of our favorite spots for photography (every trip we find a new house or tile decoration to take a snap of). For those wanting to hike down, there is either a 1.5 mile or 3 mile option downhill with one of guides. We have yet to find a guest that did not enjoy it thoroughly. There are several viewing points during the hike with wonderful views of the Douro and the Valley as well as Pinhão at the bottom.
With our steps well earned, we will have dinner at one of our favorite restaurants…the dinner is a surprise, but believe us…you will be happy you burnt some calories on the hike!
Accommodation will be in the Pinhão area.
day 7 – paddle to the thermal waters
Today will be our second longest paddle of the tour, but for those who love a bit of pampering we have a visit to thermal pools and spa which originated back in the Roman times. Worth the extra miles on the boat! We will launch at Rede and exit at Caldas de Aregos.
The landscape during our paddle slowly changes. The green of the vineyards is now forest and small agricultural fields.
Accommodation is in a mountain village where our crew will prepare some more local dishes, and why not…we can perfect our Port wine tasting abilities.
We will stay 2 nights at the same village.
day 8 – paddling between the douro and tamega rivers
Our paddle today takes us from the thermal village of Caldas de Aregos to Entre os Rios.
The vineyards are again replaced by the green of the forest, agricultural fields and small villages along the valley.
Our support crew will pick us up and drop us of at the same accommodation at the previous night. We will of course make sure there is a wonderful dinner when we return. You will by now have tried quite a few different Portuguese dishes!
day 9 – aLL PATHS LEAD TO PORTO!
The last paddling day always comes with mixed emotions, we have done some good miles in the last few days and might be ready to put our paddles away for a bit, but the scenery is still pulling us to return. Today we will paddle from Entre os Rios to Melres, a popular summer river beach for Porto residents. We will knock at the gates of Porto!
The support crew will be waiting to load our kayaks one last time at the end…and they might have a sweet treat for us in compensation! A short drive through the Porto suburbs will return us to the city where we started one week earlier.
Our favorite home cooked farewell dinner will be prepared by our crew where we can all share stories, and plans for the future. If you leave with the desire to come back, all our efforts will be worth it!
Accommodation will be in Porto City.
day 10 – free day in porto and departure
Every guest will have their own decisions to make on this last day. Some will continue their trip in Portugal or Europe, others will take a flight back home. The luckier ones will stay more days in Porto to continue exploring.
Whatever you decide, we will help you organize your continued or return trip (train station or airport).
TRIP TIMELINE
Open here to see the full Timeline of this trip.