Already in June, at the height of the long, hot days, and departing from Porto, an eight-day tour awaits those who enjoy birdwatching and hiking, equipped with binoculars to see what appears.

We will explore a bit of the Serra de Montemuro, its mountain trails near the riverbanks. We will go to the Douro Valley, to Carrazeda de Ansiães, because we can’t miss the chance to find the very rare and highly localized black wheatear, and we will walk down to the Tua River to see abandoned thermal baths, the São Lourenço thermal baths. We will also visit Freixo de Espada à Cinta, in the Douro International Natural Park, to see the griffon vultures, the Egyptian vulture, and the black stork up close, and hike along the Douro cliffs in breathtaking landscapes.

We will continue to the Serra do Barroso, where we will witness an incredible community festival that also includes a 10 km hike with the residents and the priest to São João da Fraga, a small chapel atop a cliff. On the Mourela plateau, we will also see the birds of the high mountains in the far north of Portugal. Finally, we will pass through the Gerês mountain range, walking through its holm oak forests to a waterfall perfect for refreshing swims.

These will be eight days of birdwatching, hiking, and contact with the rural world of northern Portugal. We will enjoy the local cuisine, stay in rustic but comfortable village houses, and seek to be not tourists, but travelers, in search of the authentic and still no seen Portugal.