Explore Porto & Gerês National Park: A Local’s Guide to Portugal’s Natural Wonders

We will meet in Porto, at a suitable location for everybody in the group, somewhere downtown. If there are other transportation needs, we will adjust accordingly and make sure everybody is included. We will visit an attraction in town, chosen by the group, (my suggestions would be Palácio da Bolsa or one of the world-renowned wine cellars) and can try Porto's most iconic dish, Francesinha, in one of its best restaurants, Casanova, for lunch. For those whose diets do not include meat (like me), there are fortunately vegetarian and vegan options. If we prefer, we can also eat somewhere else. After lunch and a stroll through the historical centre, we will travel by (rental) car to our accommodation in Campo do Gerês (1h30).

After lunch and a stroll through the historical centre, we will travel by (rental) car to Campo do Gerês (1h30), reaching our accommodation for the remaining nights. This will be our basecamp for the remainder of our trip, from which we will move to the nearby waterfalls, miradors, and nature treks.

During our second day, we will visit a few nature spots! We will have complimentary breakfast at the Pousada. After breakfast, we will visit the Pedra Bela mirador, with stunning scenic views of the surrounding mountains and rivers. We will then visit the nearby Arado Waterfall, one of Gerês’ highest and most impressive, before embarking on a hike to Poço Azul (9km roundtrip), a fantastic trek through one of the park’s most beautiful canyons, the impressive Rio Conho Valley. Lunch will need to be prepared beforehand, as there are no places to procure food along the trail. Vegan, vegetarian, and any other options can be arranged, depending on whatever needs anyone might have. I am myself vegan, so feel free to ask for whatever you need! In case we have time and energy after the hike, we can visit some nearby waterfalls and rivers, depending on whatever the group prefers doing, or return to our accommodation and enjoy each other’s company after a satisfying day out and about in nature! We will then drive back towards our accommodation and have dinner at one of the nearby restaurants.

On our third day, we will blend in some beautiful nature spots with one of the parks most iconic villages, Castro Laboreiro. We will again have breakfast at the Pousada. We will then drive to and hike through the Mata da Albergaria, one of Portugal’s best preserved broadleaf forests, a magical woodland crisscrossed by streams and rivers, wild horses, waterfalls, and even an old Roman road, which connected Asturica Augusta (present-day Astorga, in Spain) to Bracara Augusta (present-day Braga, in Portugal). During this walk, we will visit the stunning Cascata de São Miguel, known to many as Cascata da Portela do Homem, a crystal clear waterfall, with the magnificently blue water of the river Homem carving a deep pond within the mountain, with great views from the nearby bridge. We will then cross the nearby border into Spain, in order to visit Os Baños, a small Galician village on the other side of the mountain, home to one of the regions best hidden gems! A publicly open and free open-air hot spring, where locals go daily for their spa session, where we can enjoy the magnificent scenery, chatting while halfway deep in balmy, soothing warm waters in peace, regaining our strength. We will then have lunch either on sight (prepared lunch or at the nearby restaurant) or in Lobios, the closest village, a short drive away. After lunch, we will visit Castro Laboreiro, back in Portugal, one of the region’s most beautiful villages, perched atop a cliff overlooking a deep valley, with waterfalls abound and a medieval castle with great views and steeped in history. After this visit, we will drive back to our accommodation, with a final stop at the same hot springs, if the group so desires. If the group so prefers, we can visit the Castro Laboreiro village before and finish the day at the hot springs. We will then have dinner in one of the nearby restaurants.

On our last day, besides the usual bemoaning about having to leave, we will, after breakfast at the Pousada, much like the previous days, visit the village of Soajo, with its stunning "espigueiros", stone-carved granaries dotted across the landscape, and one of its most beautiful waterfalls, Poço Negro! We will then visit Lindoso, the last stronghold town before the Spanish border, with its magnificent medieval castle, overlooking the Serra do Soajo and some of the parks best landscapes. We will either have lunch in town, if the group so chooses, or at some beautiful spot on the road, before driving back to Porto (1h30).

We will return to Porto by car, dropping our rental car at the airport. We can then take either public transportation or an Uber/Bolt/taxi downtown, depending on what the group decides, before we say goodbye and conclude our trip.