• Serra da Estrela

The Route of the Glacier Valleys – 5 Days

  • Type: Walk Trekking
  • Duration: Estrela Sierra - 5 Days
  • Price from: 1750€

Calendar: Booking is on request from April to November.

The Estrela Sierra is the highest mountain in mainland Portugal. It´s Natural Park stretches over a vast 101 000 hectares and is the largest in Portugal.

In our walks in this region we meet it’s immense glacial valleys, shaped about 20.000 years ago , some of its most remote villages and the overwhelming views of it´s summits , with almost 2,000m above sea level, which extend for hundreds of kilometers. We also meet its people, customs and traditions as well as the taste of their delicious gastronomy, full of tradition.

Join us on this fascinating journey through our highlands.

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Day 1 – The Travel to the Estrela Sierra

Casa das Penhas Douradas

Casa de São Lourenço

 

Our journey starts with the travel of about 3,5 h from Lisbon to the Serra da Estrela Natural Park, the biggest and highest in all Portugal.

The hotel will be the Casa São Lourenço or the Casa das Penhas Douradas. With breathtaking views over the ancient glacier Zezere Valley, one of the longest in all Europe. “Rustic comfort, good taste, easy display and flavor, kind simplicity… and poetry, some poetry…”, together with an amazing author design, this is the words that best define this 2 charming 5 and 4 star Mountain Design Hotels (depending on the clients choice).

It will be here that our travelers will be accommodated in the next 4 nights. It will be also here where the first dinner* of this journey will happen.

* This first dinner isn’t included in the final price.

Details

 

Beginning: In a place/hour in Lisbon to be defined

Duration: About 3,5 hours

 

Day 2 – The Loriga Canyon

 

Walk Trekking

Serra da Estrela

 

In this day 2, our hike starts in “Loriga”. This ancient village was occupied by the Suevi, Romans, and Moors and they all left their influences in the region.

We will follow old shepherds paths to reach the so-called “Covões de Loriga”, 4 large staircase depressions, excavated by the unimaginable forces of huge glaciers that here shaped dramatically the landscape around us.

The massive rock masses of granite around us and the endless views are a fair reward for our effort to reach the lagoons and puddles of “Loriga” at about 1,700 m above sea level.

Here we reach the last third of the ascent of this spectacular glacial valley, known as the “Canyon of Loriga”. Now, we are close to the highest point of the Estrela Sierra and also of mainland Portugal, called Tower.

From here we can enjoy the terrific views from all the Loriga valley, a fair reward for all the effort we have done.

The dinner will be in a local restaurant with beautiful views. The good homemade food of this restaurant would make us feel at home.

Details

Beginning: 08:30 am

Duration:  7 hours

Difficulty: Hard (Hard)

Walk Trekking

Walk Trekking

Day 3 – The Glacier Valleys 

 

Serra da Estrela

Serra da Estrela

 

This day 3  starts in one of the most symbolic and beautiful places of the Estrela Sierra.

Located at the beginning of the “Zêzere” Glacial Valley, 13 km long and where the glacier was 300 meters thick, this is the place where the “Zêzere” river takes shape. Formerly it was a lake originated from glacial sediments. It is a very attractive area due to the surrounding vegetation mostly composed of birch trees, which has the particularity to create an ecosystem with rich biodiversity.

With the imposing glacial valley on our backs, we follow a path, going up, with undergrowth until we reach an amazing plateau, surrounded by huge granite walls with about 400 meters high. It’s here that the Zezere river borns.

After a steep but spectacular ascent, our picnic will be at a 1.860m high. Here we will enjoy one of the most amazing views of these three days. Here we are right in the heart of the mountain and from here we will start going down to a zone with several lagoons and our hike will finish in one of them.

After the hike, we will go to the summit of the Estrela mountain. From here we can enjoy the wider horizon of the whole country, where on clear days our view extends to “Gato Sierra” in Spain, about 200 km as the crow flies in the east side and to the sea in the west side.

The dinner will be in a local restaurant inside the Manteigas vilage.

Details

Beginning: 09:30 am

Duration: 5 hours

Difficulty: Serra da Estrela(Hard)

Serra da Estrela

 

Serra da Estrela

Day 4 – The Route of the Beeches

 

Serra da Estrela

Walk Trekking

 

This will be the last hike of our journey, however, before, we will visit the “Burel” Factory in the Manteigas village. “Burel” is the oldest handmade woolen weave in Portugal and this factory, besides recovered this ancient Portuguese woolen manufacture, also recovered some old machines from the 18th century.

After, our hike starts right in front of the formidable Zezere glacier valley which offers us an overwhelming view. Following along a track used by the shepherds to lead their cattle to the grazing places we will find the imposing monumental Oaks that surround the “Capela de São Lourenço” (St. Lawrence Chapel), a place of pagan reminiscences, related to the worship of trees and the sun in the summer solstice. This place offers a magnificent panoramic view of the accumulation of mountains that extends to Spain.

After crossing a watchtower with beautiful architecture design, we dive inside a dense Beech forest, planted by the Forest Services of Manteigas at the beginning of the twentieth century. This unique forest of great beauty, with its kaleidoscope of greens in the Spring and yellow-brown in the Autumn, makes us feeling like we are in a fairytale forest.

The rest of the day will be in the hotel where our hikers can rest or enjoy the beautiful SPA. The farewell dinner will be in a typical local restaurant at 1.600 meters high, where we can try the real flavors of the delicious food of this region.

 

Details

Beginning: 10:30 am

Duration: 3 hours

Difficulty: Serra da Estrela(Moderate)

Walk Hike Portugal

Walk Hike Portugal

Day 5 – The Farewell Day

 

Serra da Estrela

Serra da Estrela

 

This will be the day that we say goodbye to the Estrela Sierra. Behind our hikers will bring in their memories some of the highlands of Portugal, their people, their traditions and mostly a piece of what we, Portuguese, are.

 

 

 

Prices Per Person

Price Per Person from 3 people on the Casa das Penhas Douradas: 1.750

For a single room, it has to be paid an extra of 250€.

Price Per Person from 3 people on the Casa de São Lourenço: 1.900

For a single room, it has to be paid an extra of 300€.

Note I: This price already considers the applicable legal VAT tax.

Note II: For less than 3 people the price is on request. 

Calendar

Booking is on request from April to November

Booking Confirmation / Payment

 

Following your contact, you’ll receive from us a confirmation email informing that we still have availability for the pack you want (if available). The payment can be done by PayPal (click on the button on the bottom of our website home page) or Bank Transfer. In this last option, you will receive our bank identification account for which should be made the transfer of the value. For the bank transfers payment from abroad, please ensure that all bank and other charges on the transaction are paid at your end so that the correct amount (in Euros) is received by us. Once we have the booking confirmation transaction confirmed, we will send you an email with a Tour Booking Agreement and a receipt concerning the paid amount.

Schedule of payments:

  • 30% of the total amount to confirm the booking
  • Final payment is due 30 days prior to the activity date

Cancellations / Changes

 

Since the Walk Hike Portugal develops an outdoor activity, these are exposed to the climatic/environmental conditions and constraints that these impose. Thus, the Walk Hike Portugal reserves the right to change itineraries or activities, if weather conditions may threaten our customer’s safety, as well as our team members. Below are some examples of weather / environmental condition that may or not allow our walks or part of them:

  • Torrential rains
  • Strong thunderstorms
  • Strong winds
  • Landslide
  • Falling trees
  • Fires
  • Floods
  • Earthquakes
  • Sea storms

In these cases, the walks will be run on another date to match or replaced by another, if possible. If the cancellation of the tour is an inevitability, either because the persistence of weather phenomena / environmental mentioned above, or customers inability to schedule, we will refund 75% of the amount paid, provided that cancellation occurs within 24 hours before the beginning of the purchased holiday pack, except all the costs with accommodation, flights or any other costs already paid by Walk Hike Portugal. The remaining 25% will be for Walk Hike Portugal pay the logistics/bookings costs to imply in all our walks.

In case the reason is due to withdrawal by customers, Walk Hike Portugal return 100% of the amount paid provided that it occurs until 60 days before the tour date. If the withdrawal occurs until 45 days before the tour date we will refund 75% of the amount paid. If the withdrawal occurs until 30 days before the tour we will refund 50% of the amount paid. If the withdrawal occurs later than 30 days before the tour we will not refund any of the amount paid. All these refunds don’t include the costs with accommodations, flights or any other costs already paid by Walk Hike Portugal.

If the client does not arrive at the appointed day, the Walk Hike Portugal disclaims any responsibility for non-performance all activities considered in the program booked by the customer, as well as the return of any amount for the money already paid by the customer. Walk Hike Portugal also reserves the right to reschedule all program of activities of the booked program tour, according to what they understand to be the most viable option.

This program requires a minimum of 4 participants (beyond the guides). If this number it won´t be reached the Walk Hike Portugal reserves the right for not doing the program. If so, the amount of the 30% paid for the booking confirmation will be returned, in full.

Per day is Included

  • All transfers (including from and to Lisbon)
  • Accommodation in a twin bedroom
  • All meals included in the program (breakfast, picnic lunch, and dinner), except the dinner on the day one in the hotel
  • track Guides (depending on the number of participants)
  • The legally required Personal and Liability insurances

Advised Equipment (depending on weather)

  • Comfortable and warm clothes that allow different layers
  • Trekking shoes/boots
  • Hat for sun or cap
  • Waterproof/Wind stopper
  • Sunglasses
  • Sunscreen