(No availability) 8 Day Self-guided Walking and Hiking Tour in the Schist Villages of Portugal
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Portugal Hiking Tour
Taste the delicious local cuisine and be surprised by the natural and cultural heritage. Stay in a restored stone house and refresh yourself at the river beaches. Walk village to village, passing by 10 Schist Villages and three fluvial beaches in one week. This is an eight-day walking village-to-village tour passing by central Portugal.
Highlights
- Self-guided walking and hiking tour
- Fresh goat cheese making workshop
- Miniature Schist house building workshop
- Traditional Portuguese cuisine (chanfana) workshop
- Briefing with an A2Z guide
- 7 nights accommodation
- Breakfast on selected accommodations, six lunchboxes, and seven dinners
- Luggage transfers included (one bag per person)
Accommodation
The lodgings will be double rooms in stone houses renewed as comfy rural tourism inns, surrounded by pure nature. It will be an unforgettable time travel experience!
Program
Day 01 - Arrival in Coimbra - Stage 1
- Transfer from the Coimbra train station to Casal S. Simão and briefing
- Loop Casal de São Simão (6km | 3.7mi / 247m | 810.4ft)
The walk will take place in the surroundings of Casal de São Simão. It goes through Fragas de São Simão's river beach and passes through the villages of Além da Ribeira, Ponte do Brascurado, and Saonda. The water lines that abound in that area, like the Alge and Fato streams, are full of old water channels and watermills, evidence of the human presence over the centuries.
- Transfer to Ferraria de São João
- Dinner and overnight at Ferraria de São João
Day 02 - Stage 2
- Loop Ferraria de São João (11.3km | 7mi / 544m | 1784.8ft)
- Short version: (5 km | 3.1 mi / 238 m | 780.3 ft)
In the morning, you will have a workshop on fresh goat cheese making. Later, on the local walking trail, you will have the chance to appreciate how the schist and quartz merge harmoniously at the beautiful village of Ferraria de São João.
- Lunchbox included
- Dinner and overnight at Ferraria de São João
Day 03 - Stage 3
- Ferraria de São João - Gondramaz (20km | 12.4mi / 850m | 2788.7ft)
Today's walk will take you to the beautiful village of Gondramaz, passing by the Louçainha Fluvial Beach. This is indeed a land of craftsmen, whose skilled hands create charismatic figures that are the hallmark of the region and takethe name of its master and village beyond its borders.
- Lunchbox included
- Dinner and overnight at Gondramaz
Day 04 - Stage 4
- Gondramaz - Talasnal (12km | 7.2mi / 705m | 2313ft)
On this day, you will walk from Gondramaz to Talasnal village, passing by Chiqueiro and Casal Novo. Discovering these Schist Villages represents immersing yourself in the magical world of the Lousã mountain, with its splendid vegetation, where deer, boars, and many other species live, some of them rare and protected. There nature, is sovereign!
- Transfer back to Gondramaz.
- Lunchbox included
- Dinner and overnight at Gondramaz
Day 05 - Stage 5
- Talasnal - Cerdeira (10km | 6.2mi / 970m | 3182.4ft)
- Transfer to Talasnal
Walk from Talasnal to Cerdeira, passing by Vaqueirinho, Catarredor, and Candal. You will follow the ancient trails used by local inhabitants to reach Lousã.
- Lunchbox included
- Dinner and overnight at Cerdeira
Day 06 - Cerdeira free day
Enjoy a free afternoon in Cerdeira, where you will participate in a miniature schist houses building workshop in the morning, as well as a traditional Portuguese cuisine (chanfana) workshop, a cooking lesson, and a dinner of local and traditional food.
- Optional: other workshops or a hike
- Lunchbox included
- Dinner and overnight at Cerdeira
Day 07 - Stage 6
- Cerdeira - Lousã (7km | 4.3mi | 280m | 918.6ft)
Walk down from Cerdeira by the levada (waterway) to Lousã Castle and to Sra. da Piedade fluvial beach.
- Lunchbox included
- Dinner and overnight at Cerdeira
Day 08 - Departure
- Transfer from Cerdeira to Coimbra / end of services / make your way or A2Z can arrange a private transfer from Coimbra to Lisbon / Porto (optional)
- Optional: Visit Coimbra, a UNESCO heritage site
Location
The tour will go through the villages of Casal de São Simão, Ferraria de São João, Gondramaz, Chiqueiro, Casal Novo, Talasnal, Vaqueirinho, Catarredor, Candal, and Cerdeira.
Food
This tour includes breakfasts on selected accommodations, six lunchboxes, and seven dinners.
The following meals are included:
- Lunch
- Dinner
Things to do (optional)
- Guided visit to Coimbra, Aveiro, or Porto: on request
- Extra night at Cerdeira, Coimbra; Lisboa; or Porto: on request
- Transfer to and from airport (Lisbon / Porto): on request
- GPS device (rental): 50 EUR
- Smartphone rental with RWGPS + phone holder (rental): 50 EUR
- Powerbank (rental): 15 EUR
- Guided version
Spa treatments
A relaxing massage is included in the tour.
What's included
- Briefing with an A2Z guide
- Local transfers necessary for the itinerary
- Workshops: fresh goat cheese making, miniature schist house building and traditional Portuguese cuisine (chanfana)
- Relaxing massage
- App on your phone with maps, GPS tracks, and descriptions of stages
- Personal accident insurance
- Luggage transfers - one bag per person - up to 15kg / bag
- 24 hours' support line
- Transfer from Coimbra to Ferraria de São João and from Cerdeira to Coimbra
- A2Z offer
- 7 nights with breakfast on selected accommodations
- 6 lunchboxes and seven dinners
What's not included
- Transfers from and to the airport
- Museum and monuments fees
- Personal equipment
- Other personal expenses
- All items not mentioned in “included”
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport
143 km
Transfer not provided
Lisbon Portela Airport
150 km
Transfer not provided
Arrival by train
This tour includes a transfer from Coimbra train station to Casal S. Simão.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
