Carefree self-guided walking and geocaching holidays with a personal touch.
Self-guided walking, trail running or geocaching tours with luggage transfers.
Centre based, self-drive self- guided walking holidays.
Tailor-made walking holidays to meet your individual needs.
Drive 'n' Hike self-guided walking holiday based at three locations for 7 nights.
Itinerary.
Day one: Collect a hire car on arrival at Lisbon or Faro airport, before driving to your hotel at Mina de São Domingos, near Mértola in the eastern Alentejo.
Days two & three: The choice is yours each day. No need to drive anywhere, there are two marked circular routes, the "Miners' Route (Circular)" (14km, 4 hours, easy) and the "Around the Cork Plantation (Montado)" (14.5km 4-5 hours easy), which both pass close to the hotel gates. A little further afield there are more circular walks to choose from. If you fancy a challenge, head for the magnifcent Pulo do Lobo (Wolf's Leap) cascade in the heart of the Guadiana Valley Natural Park, where there is a marked circular walk (5.5km, 3 hours, difficult), just 45 minutes drive away. At night, you can watch the night skies, the hotel has an observatory featuring a GPS and computer-controlled 14”MEADE LX200 telescope for guests to use, (subject to availability and weather conditons - charges apply). Next to the observatory, there is an area for amateur astronomers and astrology lovers to set up their own equipment.
Day four: A one hour drive to your next hotel in Moura. During the drive, we recommend you take the opportunity to walk along either the "Watermills and Fortresses of the Guadiana" (15km, 4-5 hours, moderate) or the "Trail of Azenha da Ordem (Watermill)"(13.5km, 3-4 hours, moderate). Both are near Serpa along the way.
Day five: The choice is yours. If you not want to drive anywhere, there is the "Route of Água da Moura" (8.5km, 3 hours, easy) which starts very close to your hotel or 45 minutes drive away there is "From Serra Colorada to Cerro do Calvário" (17km, 5-6 hours, moderate), where you could take a quick excursion past the old border post into Spain.
Take the opportunity to visit the medieval castle of Moura during your stay.
Day six: A 90 minute hour drive to your rural hotel in Alandroal. During the drive, we recommend you take the opportunity to walk along either "Across the Living Heritage of Mourão" (8.3km, 2.5 hours, easy) or "Writings in Stone and Lime" (13km, 3-4 hours, moderate) at Monsaraz. If you really feel fit, why not hike one before lunch and the other in the afternoon.
Day seven: Again, the choice is yours today, with three trails all within 10 - 30 minutes drive. Their names intrigue and whet your appetite: "Conquest of Terena" (15.2km, 4 hours, moderate), "The Fantastic Serra d'Ossa" (17.3km, 6-7 hours, difficult) or "The Hermit of Serra d'Ossa" (22.7km, 7 hours, difficult).
Take the opportunity to visit the medieval castles of Alandroal and Terena, the border fortress of Juromenha, and the royal Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa during your stay.
Day eight: At the end of your stay you return the hire car to the original airport. This holiday can easily be extended with extra nights at any of the locations, so that you are able to experience more of this remote region.
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