Walking - Gerês, The Shepherds Way

Peneda-Geres National Park, Portugal Hiking & Trekking

	Price		Notes
26 June -3 July 2011	1,190 Euro		per person in double room
11-18 Sept 2011	1,190 Euro		per person in double room
all year round	1,190 Euro		mininum 4 participants

*Please contact advertiser for rates & availability for your travel dates.

Peneda-Geres National Park, Portugal Hiking & Trekking

Active Adventure

Discover the only Portuguese National Park Peneda-Gerês. In this beautiful and remote region, you will follow ancient trails used for centuries by local shepherds. Magnificent oak trees and several water falls will greet you in Peneda-Gerês, a place where traditions are still present in every day’s life. You will visit one of the most typical villages, Pitões de Júnias, where you can find a 12th Century convent. In Fojo do Lobo, be surprised by an ancient wolf hunting technique. hiking in Gerês is an unique experience!

Activity Level: Intermediate (You exercise regularly)
Daily average: distance 10-15 km/ 6-9 mi
Average time: 4-6h
Total distance: 88.1 km/ 54,7 mi
Total climbing: 3837 m/ 12589 ft
Maximum day climb: 800 m/ 2625 ft

Typical Day

Day 4: Shepherd’s Trail �" Portela Leonte (15 km/ 9.3 mi)
Our walk starts in Portela de Leonte. From here we will climb until we reach the first of many fields where local shepherds take their animals. All around us will be huge granite formations, some of them with very particular shapes. Along the way, we will find several “mariolas”, piles of stones used for guiding by the shepherds... and us. Today’s hike we will show us the best of Peneda-Gerês Natural Park. After this very special day, you can advantage of the Gerês Spa, treating yourself with a relaxing massage!

Day 5: The Sanctuary Trail (16 km/ 9.9 mi)
Today’s hike will take us through fields surrounding Santa Isabel do Monte, in Terras de Bouro area. The views of the Gerês valley and the Caniçada dam are magnificent. We will pass by a granite formation called the “castle”, a point once used by local people to look out for Spanish invaders. We will also visit the Abadia Sanctuary, the oldest sanctuary in Portugal, built in 1148 to protect the abbeys against the Moorish invasions.

Day 7: Fojo do Lobo Trail (8.1 km/ 5 mi | short version 4 km/ 2.5 mi)
Another day of hiking in the Peneda mountain range in close contact with the shepherd’s way of living. We will start walking from the tiny village of Rouças and climb all the way to the village of Branda de Gorbelas. At the top we will find another land once used by shepherds and their animals. Here you can see some interesting small huts that were built to protect shepherds and animals against the cold and the wolves.
Our final destination, before walking back down to where we started, is Fojo do Lobo.

Sleeping and meals

7 Accommodations: Value (2-3 stars and casual inns)
in guided tours: 6 dinners "a la carte", 1 picnic, daily snacks

Rates

Supported Price: 990€
Participants: Minimum 3, maximum 16
Includes: 7 accommodations, maps and documentation, GPS track, 24 hour telephone line, transfers, insurance, A2Z t-shirt and water bottle and VAT taxes.

Guided price: 1190€
Participants: Minimum 5, maximum 16
includes: 7 accommodations, 6 dinners, 1 picnic, daily snacks, 2 guides, van support, transfers, maps and documentation, GPS track, insurance, A2Z t-shirt and water bottle and VAT taxes.


OPTIONS:
Single supplement: 250€
Extra hotel night in Porto: 100€

Peneda-Geres National Park, Portugal Hiking & Trekking

Peneda-Geres National Park, Portugal Hiking & Trekking

A2Z Adventures (View My Profile)
Because we are a Portuguese company, we take great pleasure in showing our charming country and taking you to those unique places that only locals know about. We run bicycling and walking tours in Portugal since 2006.
But you can also join us for a hiking trip in the Alps, Patagonia or the Himalayas or for a grueling bicycle ride in the Pyrenees, Patagonia or Turkey. You choose!
At A2Z Adventures we love what we do and we only run trips that we love to do ourselves.
It´s that simple.

We are a small tour company. And we are proud of it. We try hard to, as often as possible, work with local people and organizations to help the local economy grow. One per cent of our revenues is donated to non-profit organizations that work towards the development of small communities.
Fun, knowledgeable and with at least five years of experience, our guides will make sure that you have a great time, in total safety. They come from very different backgrounds, have different personalities, but there is one thing they all share: their love for traveling and the desire to show you their favorite places in the world.