Portugal
| country: | Portugal |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | 2003; 20 Sep, 18 Oct, 8 Nov. 2004; 20 Mar, 24 Apr, 22 May, 19 Jun, 17 Jul, 18 Sep |
the amazing things you'll be doing
This tour takes us through the Alentejo and Algarve regions to Portugal's southern Atlantic coast. Past hillsides covered in wild flowers, cork and olive groves, orange, lemon and almond trees, we bicycle the quiet country lanes with plenty of chances to experience the local culture.
The whitewashed cottages stand out against the pink-tinged earth, unspoiled and timeless. From the old fishing port of Setubal, with its imposing hilltop fort, we cross the Rio Sado into the Sado Estuary Reserve, known for its varied bird life including the flamingo.
Our ride takes us along the Guadiana river valley to Tavira, one of the Algarve's oldest and most characteristic towns, with time to explore the ruins of Moorish castles, ancient fortresses and to absorb the at mosphere of the traditional villages. There is time in Tavira to visit the colourful traditional market and check out the castle before heading down the coast to Faro through citrus and pomegranate orchards.
The whitewashed cottages stand out against the pink-tinged earth, unspoiled and timeless. From the old fishing port of Setubal, with its imposing hilltop fort, we cross the Rio Sado into the Sado Estuary Reserve, known for its varied bird life including the flamingo.
Our ride takes us along the Guadiana river valley to Tavira, one of the Algarve's oldest and most characteristic towns, with time to explore the ruins of Moorish castles, ancient fortresses and to absorb the at mosphere of the traditional villages. There is time in Tavira to visit the colourful traditional market and check out the castle before heading down the coast to Faro through citrus and pomegranate orchards.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Starting at the old fishing port of Setubal we take a walk to the old hilltop fort (now a hotel) and overlook the start of tomorrow’s route over a drink, or explore the many back streets of the port and see the colourful fishing boats. The town is renowned for its wide choice of fresh fish restaurants. |
| Day 2: | The route starts with a short ferry ride, often accompanied by dolphins, over the Rio Sado and follows quiet coastal roads through the Sado Estuary Nature Reserve to the town of Santiago do Cacem. We’ll see plenty of stork nests and maybe the odd flamingo too. |
| Day 3: | We take country lanes across the rolling plains of the Alentejo to the old town of Beja. There’s time to visit the beautiful 15th century convent, now converted to a museum, and the 14th century castle. |
| Day 4: | En route towards Mertola we stop off in one of the traditional small villages for a break and to watch everyday life passing us by. Mertola, dominated by a ruined Moorish castle is set on the lovely River Guadiana. |
| Day 5: | A gentle short day of cycling, arriving at our hotel in Alcoutim by early afternoon. Later we can take the ferry and follow the old smuggler’s route across the river into Spain to visit another ancient fortress. |
| Day 6: | We follow the beautiful Guadiana river valley, bordered by lush greenery, before heading into the hills. There are a couple of steep hills (the only big hills of the week) and our support vehicle will be there for anybody wanting a lift. The magnificent hilltop scenery is followed by a long, well-earned 10-mile descent to the pretty fishing port of Tavira, on the unspoiled Algarve coast. |
| Day 7: | This morning there is plenty of time to explore Tavira. Don’t miss a visit to the old market, where there is every sort of fish for sale here in the enormous traditional market hall. We take back roads through orchards of orange, lemon, pomegranate and almonds. The day finishes in Faro, with plenty of time for shopping and sightseeing before our celebratory dinner |
| Day 8: | After a leisurely breakfast our tour comes to an end this morning at the hotel in Faro. |
Small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
The design of the tour takes into account the need for low impact travel. Tour participant numbers are limited, allowing greater access to the culture and scenery visited while minimising any negative impact on the environment and local culture.
The majority of the tour components (i.e. accommodation, vehicles, guides) are locally owned/employed thus contributing to the local economy. All leaders and guides adhere to an environmental policy.
Guerba have become one of the first tour operators to have their UK offices 'climate balanced' with an independent audit carried out by C-Level (www.clevel.co.uk). We are taking steps to reduce waste and power in the office, and are compensating for the CO2 we do produce by planting trees in their Uganda forests.
We are already planting one tree per pax trip week for all vehicle based tours in Africa, are offering clients the chance to compensate for their flights by linking them to our calculator. This will indicate the carbon footprint of their flight and the cost of compensating through tree planting.
The majority of the tour components (i.e. accommodation, vehicles, guides) are locally owned/employed thus contributing to the local economy. All leaders and guides adhere to an environmental policy.
Guerba have become one of the first tour operators to have their UK offices 'climate balanced' with an independent audit carried out by C-Level (www.clevel.co.uk). We are taking steps to reduce waste and power in the office, and are compensating for the CO2 we do produce by planting trees in their Uganda forests.
We are already planting one tree per pax trip week for all vehicle based tours in Africa, are offering clients the chance to compensate for their flights by linking them to our calculator. This will indicate the carbon footprint of their flight and the cost of compensating through tree planting.