Porto & Peneda-Gerês National Park

This tour includes 5 days of moderate walks. The circular route on Day 5 is the most strenuous, but you have the option to shorten this to 15.5km once you reach the village of Cidadelhe by taking a taxi back to your accommodation (payable locally). The walks take you through mountainous terrain and remote highland villages, and you will stay in a mixture of 4-star hotels and village guesthouses. The tour finishes in a comfortable 4-star hotel in Porto, with time to explore the city.

Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!

Multi Centre Walking | With a mix of loop and point-to-point walks stay 2 or 3 nights in one place which offers the chance to slow down and really explore a destination.

National Parks, Off the Beaten Track

This tour is graded moderate and includes daily walks of 12-19km. It is suitable for most people that are in good physical condition. Some of the walks are not well way-marked but you will be supplied with turn by turn route notes, GPS tracks and detailed maps so you will have no problem following the route each day. The terrain on this route is varied and you will follow a mixture of shepherd trails, Roman roads and pilgrim paths. It can be rocky underfoot at times and there are some exposed sections, so a head for heights is needed. The route is mainly undulating, but there are steep ascents and descents, which require a good level of fitness.

We use handpicked accommodation in Ponte de Lima, Castro Laboreiro, Peneda, Lindoso, Viana do Castelo and Porto, which are a mixture 4-star hotels and comfortable village cottages, where the warmest of welcomes and traditional hospitality will make your stay extra special. All rooms are comfortable and have a private bathroom. 

Single rooms & solo walkers

If you require single rooms within your party we would be happy to accommodate you although there is a single room supplement payable. This tour is not available for solo walkers. 

Meals

All breakfasts and 5 packed lunches are included (due to limited lunch options on the walks). Packed lunches usually include sandwiches, fresh fruit and a snack, and are sourced locally. For dinner, you have the choice of eating at local family-run restaurants in the towns and villages, or at the hotels and guesthouses. You can also purchase souvenirs or snacks in village shops, such as cheese, sausages, olive oil, jam, honey, cookies, herbs and wine.

This route isn't well way-marked and you will not see many walkers on this route. Detailed route notes and maps will be waiting for you at your first accommodation. You will also have access to the Macs Adventure Smartphone App, enabling you to follow the route using your phone's GPS so you will have no problems finding the way. You can simply download the GPS tracks to your phone for offline use and off you go! 

This trip is available from 1st March to 31st October. The summer months of July and August can be hot, making walking quite uncomfortable, so we recommend travelling outside of these months. In the spring there will be lots of wildflowers and snow on the highest peaks, creating a perfect backdrop for photographs. It's also a time of enormous agricultural activity, with villagers preparing their fields for crops and herdsmen walking their flock through the mountains. Autumn sees the grape and corn harvest, as well as the change of colour in the trees. Both spring and autumn offer excellent conditions for walking. This trip is not available in the winter months as some of the hotels and guesthouses are closed.

By Air - Porto Airport (or Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport) is the most convenient airport for this trip, with regular flights from and to almost all major European cities.  

Getting to Ponte de Lima

From Porto Airport, you can take a Barquense bus directly to Ponte de Lima. Or if you're already in the centre of Porto, you can make your way via a Rede Expressos bus to Ponte de Lima from there, which takes 1.5 hours.

If flying into Lisbon Airport, you can take an airport shuttle bus to the Santa Apolonia Train Station and then a train to Porto (approx. 2.5 hours), to then make your way to Ponte de Lima.

Macs Adventure can arrange private transfers to your accommodation in Ponte de Lima. Please contact your Destination & Adventure Specialist for details.

Porto Airport is approximately 11km from the city centre. From Porto, you can use the metro, bus, shuttle or taxi to reach Porto Airport terminal.

If you're flying home from Lisbon Airport, take a train from Porto (approx. 2.5 hours) to Santa Apolonia Train Station in Lisbon, then an airport shuttle bus, metro or taxi from there.

Macs Adventure can also arrange private transfers to Porto or Lisbon Airport. Please contact your Destination & Adventure Specialist for details.

Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation, giving you the freedom to walk each day with just a day pack. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person. Please ensure that you do not bring more than one bag of 20kg as if this occurs, the luggage transfer company will ask you to pay an additional fee for an extra bag.