Portuguese wine is the result of traditions introduced by ancient civilizations; the Basto and Douro regions remain two of the main wine-producing regions of Portugal, complete with wonderful landscapes and a rich history to discover. This walking tour takes us from the atmospheric city of Porto, through the UNESCO World Heritage Douro Valley, where famous port wine is produced and on to the Terras de Basto, home of Portugal’s ‘young’ vinho verde wine. With leisurely walks, wine tastings and cultural visits throughout, this tour is the perfect introduction to the country that once dominated world trade routes.
Grade: 1 (Leisurely) Each day, we walk for 2 to 5 hours (excluding the sightseeing day). The terrain and type of path will vary from manmade paved tracks and tarmac, to dirt roads. The walks are easy and taken at a leisurely pace, although some short ascents and descents should be expected. Please be aware that the Douro region can also be very warm, possibly reaching 30 degrees in the summer months between June and September. Walking hours stated in the itinerary are given as approximates only. Timings stated include lunch and photo stops and will vary depending on the pace of your group. Some of the drives, although short, follow twisty mountain roads. You may find our Fitness Training Guide a useful reference:'>http://www.exodus.co.uk/assets/pdf/Exodus_WT_Fitness_Training_Guide.pdf
The trip begins in the beautiful historic city of Porto, famous for one of the most appreciated wines in the world - Port wine. Porto is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned for its old architectural and landscape value. Today, depending on the arrival time of the group, we might have some time for a quick orientation tour accompanied by the tour leader. A full day of sightseeing in Porto is scheduled on the last day of the itinerary. Overnight in Hotel Vila Gale or similar.Please note that the 20th April departure 2019 will start at the Douro Scala in Mesao Frio. A group transfer from Porto will be provided at a set time for flight inclusive clients as well as land only clients wishing to join. Full joining instructions and meeting time in Porto will be communicated prior departure.
After breakfast, we will transfer to Cinfães (approx. 1 hour 30 minutes journey) for our walk in the Bestanca Valley. Within the valley is Portugal's hidden gem, the Bestanca River, with plenty of waterfalls, a medieval stone bridge and villages that have retained the beauty of their rural location. There are many walking paths in the valley, allowing us to combine several different routes, but the highlight is the walking trail of 'Vilar de Mouros', which passes through the medieval bridge of Covelas and Biodiversity Stations. We then transfer to our 5-star luxury hotel at Mesao Frio (approx. 1 hour journey) via a scenic road that follows the Douro River.
We start the day with a short transfer (30 mins) to Quinta de Tedo, a winery farm from the 18th Century in the heart of the Douro region. We will have a guided tour of the winery grounds, following a walking trail that offers beautiful views of the Douro and Tedo river, vineyards and olive groves and plenty of opportunities for some bird watching. After lunch and an included wine tasting at the winery we transfer to the town of Regua, where we visit the interesting Douro Museum, an ideal place to learn about the history, culture and identity of the UNESCO World Heritage Douro wine region. In the afternoon we transfer back to our hotel.
This morning we transfer (approx. 40 mins) from the hotel to the start of today's walk in Povoação, driving through the beautiful roads along the north slope of the Douro Valley and its side affluents. The Corgo walking trail is located on the heart of the Douro wine region and here we will be walking most of the time along terraced vineyards with unique views of the Corgo river. We end the walk at Quinta do Vallado winery where we have the chance to enjoy another wine tasting experience (optional). In the afternoon we transfer to Vila Real (20 mins) to visit Casa de Mateus, a palace set in beautiful gardens considered to be one of the finest examples of baroque architecture in Portugal. Later we continue by bus through the Alvao Natural Park, stopping to take in the views of the 200m high Fisgas do Ermelo, one of the largest waterfalls in Europe. We stay overnight at a 4-star hotel in Mandim de Basto, where we can enjoy a stunning infinity pool and views.
Our walk today takes us through Quinta das Escomoeiras, a traditional winery in the green wine region set on the banks of the Tamega River. Here we are greeted with uninterrupted views of the forest-covered mountains of the Terras de Basto region. We will explore the woodlands above the river and return to Lourido and the Quinta's welcome Adega via the Ecopista, a former railway track which is now a walking and cycling route. We finish our walking with wine tasting, to appreciate the organic 'Vinho Verde' or green wine.
This morning transfer by minivan (10mins) to Levada do Piscaredo, a waterway dating back to the 13th Century where we will start our walk. These rural constructions were indispensable for the irrigation of the fields of the Terras de Basto region, due to water scarcity in the past. We follow the waterway to the center of Mondim de Basto village. In the afternoon we visit one of the main shrines to the Virgin Mary found in northern Portugal: the Senhora da Graca, also known as Chapel of Monte Farinha. The chapel is perched in front of granite mountain range at almost 1000m high.
In the morning we travel back to the vibrant of Porto. After a guided visit of the historic centre and Port wine cellars (wine tasting included), the rest of the day is free for further individual sightseeing or optional actvities, such as a boat ride along the Douro river; overnight at Hotel Vila Galé.
Our trip ends in Porto in the morning of day 8.
During your holiday you stay at the following hotels. If you'd like to extend your time at any of these or, if you'd like to enhance your stay with an upgraded room, just let us know at the time of booking.
To find out more call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347, use our live webchat or email usa@exodustravels.com
Our aim is to provide holidays that are unbeatable for choice and flexibility. We've listed our most popular travel options below, however you aren't limited to these - we can tailor-make virtually any holiday to suit.
To find out more about the travel options available call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347, use our live webchat or email usa@exodustravels.com
Here at Headwater we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can continue to develop, and where necessary improve, our services and ensure our holidays continue to be the best they can be. As this is a relatively new holiday, we don't yet have any customer reviews available from our customers, but here are the comments that have been received from previous Exodus travellers.
This was my first solo trip across the “pond” with a custom trip arranged and set up by agent Sue Flemming. I had heard good things about how she looked after her clients and she did not disappoint. She was on this trip and ensured that we got where we had to without losing track of anyone and ensured that we had a good time.The two guides, Rita Caetano and Lina Ferreira were superb. For such a young gal, Rita went above and beyond to make the trip safe, enjoyable and with good humour. Lina was absolutely an excellent guide as well and so knowledgeable about the area, flora and fauna and if she didn’t have the exact answer, she would look it up and tell us as soon as she knew the answer.
Excellent tour. I would recommend this tour.
If you're looking for a relaxing trip with a varied itinerary and enjoy sampling the local brew this may well be the trip for you. Some of the walks were a little more challenging than others but the pace was leisurely with fabulous scenery. On 2 days we got back to the hotel by 3pm so had time to relax and enjoy the infinity pools.
A very well organised trip with excellent guides, wonderful weather, good hotels and food all bound together with a group of varied, vibrant and interesting companions.
A really wonderful holiday with very different walks and enjoyable/informative visits to wineries well led by Ricardo and András. We enjoyed the holiday with a diverse and fun group that mixed Brits with Aussies and Canadians - keep doing this Exodus it added another dimension to our trip.We enjoyed fantastic weather and it was good to be able to relax in hotels with excellent facilities - two infinity pools overlooking breathtaking scenery in one.Lunches at the quintas were excellent especially the organic winery.
Well thought out Itinery, beautiful scenery, fab Hotels and Great leaders
Fantastic trip in Porto and the Douro valley. Varied walks....every day a different type of walk and scenery, and numerous wine and port tastings.....what’s not to love!There’s a good mix of walking, and sight seeing....nothing too strenuous. For those of a certain age....a visit to The Mateus Palace, where the infamous Mateus Rosé used to be produced, was fun....the palace is featured on the label of the wine....Accommodation is in 4/5* hotels.....some better than others....but plenty of free time to relax or explore the area. Highly recommend.
A wonderful week of walking with great guides, interesting co-hikers, very nice accommodation in a very lovely setting.
The Douro Valley is a spectacular region to discover with stunning views and lovely walks. On either side of the Douro River terraced vineyards cover the landscape - this is the only area in the world where Port wine is produced and on this holiday we learnt about the Portuguese history and culture surrounding the process. Several of our walks ended up at a local Quinta (wine farm) where we had the opportunity for wine tasting with a lunch on the terrace which everyone enjoyed. It was a very relaxing and interesting week of walking, with varied routes each day. We barely saw another walker on any of the routes so it felt as though we had the region to ourselves!
You can be confident that our pricing includes all the standard requirements of your holiday and many additional extras. Always ensure that you are comparing like for like when booking your holiday.
Find out about The Headwater Price Promise to ensure you're getting the very best value for money.
This 7 night guided walking holiday includes:
All breakfasts, 2 dinners and 3 wine tastings
All accommodation
All transport and listed activities
Flights from London (if booking incl. flights)
Transfers for group flights
How to book:
For further details, or to check availability, speak to our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or complete our holiday enquiry form (we'll contact you at a time that's most convenient for you).
To enquire about this holiday, or for further information, call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 or complete our holiday enquiry form.
| Sep 2019 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 7th Sep | US$2349 | Check availability |
| 21st Sep | US$2349 | Check availability |
| Oct 2019 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 5th Oct | US$2279 | Check availability |
| Apr 2020 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 11th Apr | US$2349 | Check availability |
| 25th Apr | US$2349 | Check availability |
| May 2020 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 9th May | US$2349 | Check availability |
| 16th May | US$2349 | Check availability |
| Jun 2020 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 6th Jun | US$2399 | Check availability |
| 20th Jun | US$2399 | Check availability |
| Sep 2020 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 5th Sep | US$2399 | Check availability |
| 19th Sep | US$2349 | Check availability |
| Oct 2020 | Tour only | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd Oct | US$2349 | Check availability |
The prices quoted for each individual departure supercede those published in our current brochures. Air prices are subject to change and we advise early booking to obtain the best prices. Please see our Planning your holiday and What's included in the price? pages for additional information.
This holiday is operated by our sister company, Exodus
7 nights 4 and 5-star hotels, all rooms en suite
5 days short gentle walks and 1 free day
Group normally 6-16, plus leader. Min age 16 yrs
Well marked trails and paths
Travel by private air-conditioned minibus
Due to the tailor-made nature of our holidays, we need a little more information in order for us to check availability for . Simply complete the form below (fields marked * are mandatory) and a member of our sales team will contact you (when it's most convenient for you) to provide availability information, travel options and an accurate price. Of course there's no obligation, but if you do wish to proceed with a booking they will be on-hand to assist you throughout the process.
Alternatively, you can call our sales team on 1-800-267-3347 to discuss your requirements in more detail.
