July 2017 - Trekking tour in the Pyrenees, Aigüestortes National Park, Spain

Trekking tour in the Pyrenees, Aigüestortes National Park, Spain - July 2017

Moderate/Challenging Level - level 3 in 5 max
7 days of moderate hiking, 6 nights in mountain huts + 2 optional nights in Barcelona (hotels)
Tours in 2017: 1st Jul 2017 - Reservation Deadline: 15th May 2017
or gather your group and select your own schedule

Check our photo gallery from previous tours

Aigüestortes National Park (Spanish Pyrenees)

Aiguestortes National Park is located in the central area of the Spanish Pyrenees and is the only national park in Catalonia.
Its territory is divided between the municipalities of Vall d’Aran, Pallars Sobirá, Alta Ribagorça and Pallars Jussà, about 200 km’s West of Andorra.
Was created in 1955 and today covers an area of approximately 40,000 hectares also considering the peripheral protected areas.
Is a natural space of great beauty where both water and granite appears in their maximum splendor in surprising combinations.
With a high concentration of ridges often around 3,000 m high, as is the Punta Alta (3,015 m) and the Contraix (2,960 m), you will find a high contrast with the deep green valleys where streams flow with crystal clear waters.

The trail

The trail is approximately 75 km long and is divided into 7 journeys/days.
Is a 7 days long loop trail which goes through hills and valleys where you will find crystal clear water lakes that reflects the silhouettes of impressive granitic mountains.
The average elevation of the route lies on the quota of 2,500 m, sometimes reaching very close to 3,000 m.
During the course the hike you will have the opportunity to visit 8 mountain refuges among which 6 we will use to spend the night and dine.
The use of mountain huts allows you to do not have to carry excessive weight in your backpacks because there you will find very good food, shower and a place to sleep. More than that, these huts are also a meeting point for travelers from various points of the globe and the talking and exchange of experiences creates unforgettable moments.
The comfortable pace and moderate distances make this an accessible hike to most trekkers, even with little experience.
The map image above gives you an idea of the trail we will walk where the each colour corresponds to each journey/day.
The 1st and 8th nights will be spent in hotel on the outskirts of Barcelona Airport.
The remaining nights will be spent in mountain huts in Aiguestortes National Park, in the Spanish Pyrenees.
In each hut is possible to sleep and they will provide dinner, breakfast and the lunch for the next day.

Questions & Answers

How does it works?

You can join me for a pre set tour or gather your own group and establish your own schedule.
Reservation forms and respective payment will be received until Reservation Deadline.
Reservations are only considered effective with the respective payment.
I will provide all required information’s in order to help client’s to prepare their travel.
Clients will be meet at the Barcelona Airport upon their arrival and, at the end of the tour, they will be taken to the airport as well. Different arrangements (ex: pick up and drop off at a certain hotel) can be agreed case-by-case.

Accommodations and meals

The included six nights will be spent in mountain huts during the trekking tour.
Extra/optional nights in Barcelona, or any other location, can be agreed. Please contact us for more details.
In the mountain huts you will find a place to sleep, ward style, where you will get a mattress, a pillow and blankets. We suggest you to bring your own light sleeping bag.
In these huts you will be served with very good meals. You can have both breakfast and dinner in the hut and lunch is provided early in the morning, picnic style for you to carry in your backpack.
From Day 1 dinner to Day 7 lunch you will have all three meals per day included in the base price.

Luggage and backpack

Each client has a volume/weight luggage quota of 60 liters and/or 30Kg.
During the walk you will carry your backpack with only what you will need for the duration of the hike.
Your remaining luggage can be left in the town's lockers.

Clothing, footwear and other individual items

We will be glad to provide you all the information you may need to help you to better prepare your travel.

Transfers during the tour

There will be a logistical support vehicle allocated to the tour.
The transfer Barcelona/Tour/Barcelona is included in the price.

Detailed Program

The Detailed Program is part of the documentation that the participant receives when the tour is confirmed.

Plane flights

You can purchase directly your plane flights.

Please bear in mind: last minute reservations can result in increased costs and booking difficulties.

Mountain huts

There are many kinds of mountain huts and the experiences we have had in some places are not necessarily equal to the experiences we will have in Aigüestortes National Park.
In the context of mountain huts at an European level, we will find a set of huts with very good conditions, very good management and very well attended.
Some are stone and masonry construction, with wooden interior for greater comfort level and most of them providing warm water for showers.
With capacities to between 20 and 70 people, depending on their size, they offer a set of miscellaneous services not losing their mountaineer charisma.
Each hut has its own management so you can find small differences in the rules. These rules are extremely important when so many different people get together in small places.
The photographs here used can give an idea of the appearance of some of the huts used during this tour. To those that do not have previous experiences using mountain huts, this is an excellent opportunity to start.
We can provide you all informative support to help you to in the preparation of your travel.
Those who already have other experiences will be probably pleased with the conditions they will find here.

Tours in 2017

Tour Dates / Reservation Deadline
1st Jul to 7th Jul 2017 / 15th May 2017
or gather your group and select the schedule with lower prices, ask me :)

Price and reservations

Tour Base Price: 700€

Includes: Accommodation (6 nights in mountain huts during the tour), breakfasts from Day 2 to Day 7, lunches/picnic from Day 2 to Day 7, dinners from Day 1 to Day 6 - all provided by the mountain huts. Vegetarian options must be informed upon reservation.

Does not includes: plane tickets and everything else that is not expressly mentioned as included in this information page.

Single room supplement:  not available because there is not such possibility in the mountain huts where we will stay.

Reservation value and procedure: 350,00€ - Remaining amount paid in full until 90 days before tour’s first day.

All above mentioned prices includes guide, insurance and VAT plus usage of the equipment if needed and if that is stated in the specific information of the event.

Cancellation

The costs of cancellation are as follows:

90 days before 1st Tour Day – 0% of reservation

89-60 days before 1st Tour Day – 25% of reservation

59-45 days before 1st Tour Day – 50% of reservation

44-30 days before 1st Tour Day – 75% of reservation

29 days or less before 1st Tour Day – 100% of reservation

To cancel your reservation it is mandatory that an e-mail is sent from the same e-mail address used for the reservation.

The amount will be transferred back to the same account used to the reservation.

Informations and reservations

Email - david.monteiro@iberactive.com

Cell Phone: +351 914 794 553 (also in WhatsApp)

Skype: monteiro.david

Legal information

“Iberactive” is a registered trademark of the Travel Agency
Iberhills – Eventos e Viagens, Unipessoal Lda
Rua Professor Mira Fernandes, Lt 1543 – 5Dto
1900-383 Lisboa
Portugal

Tax Identification Number (VAT number): 513 891 099

Bank Account:
Novo Banco SA (Lisbon, Portugal)
IBAN:  PT50 007 0000 0031 3261 0162 3         SWIFT / BIC: BESCPTPL

Also payable via PayPal

Operating with the following licenses: RNAVT: 6246 and RNAAT 338/2016 of the Portuguese Tourism Authorities
Certified as "Turismo de Natureza" by ICNF

Check our photo gallery from previous tours

What to do and what to visit at Porto in one day?

What to do and what to visit at Porto in one day?

The most common answer you will have when asking such question to a “tripeiro” is: “you can’t”.

“tripeiro” - the natives of Porto are known in Portuguese as "tripeiros"

You will understand that the answer results from loving too much the city and when you will visit it you will easily get the reason why, it’s a gorgeous city, very photogenic in fact.

However sometimes the reality is that we only have one day so we will have to cook with the potatoes we have.

By reducing the time to just one day we will have to select only a few places to go in a wide variety of interesting sites.

My suggestion for you is: a morning walk, a lunch with products from a local market and a monument/museum visit during the afternoon.

Does it seems like a plan?

Yes, it will be a busy day.

Morning walk in Porto:

Please download a map that will guide you on a walk where you can visit some of the most iconic sites in Porto. Please  print the map in a A3 format or use it in your smartphone as a pdf.

Is a 6,5Km (4mi) stroll, perfect for a sunny morning and it will leave you enough time to stop for pictures and a coffee on the way.

The suggested walk will take you to several spots where you can take panoramic photos from Porto.

In a future post I will describe what can you see during this walk by identifying the numbers you can see written on the map.

Lunch with products from a local market:

During your morning walk you can visit a market identified as number 3 on the map, is the Bulhão market.

There you will find fresh products like fruits and vegetables and around there you will also find some old traditional groceries shops. I’m sure you can get there plenty of items to arrange a snack for you.

Monument/museum visit:

During the afternoon I suggest you to visit one of the following monuments/museums:

Museu Soares dos Reis, Palácio da Bolsa, Torre dos Clérigos, Museum and Gardens of Jardins de Serralves or Casa da Música.

Enjoy your day and do not hesitate to send me an email you case you need to exchange some ideas.

David Monteiro

Link to the original source

Escaroupim, some days are forever

A day at Escaroupim, Portugal, and you will feel that some days are forever.

Not too far from Lisbon, driving around 45 minutes north, you will find a tiny little village called Escaroupim.

It sits at the left bank of the river Tagus, Tejo in Portuguese.

Escaroupim is one of the several “aldeias avieiras” along the river. I guess you don’t know what an “aldeia avieira” is but in a later article I will explain.

At this traditional village you can take a boat that will drive you through the several river channels where most of the birds go for their late afternoon bug meal … amazing scenario.

On top of all we get to know more about the local birds with the entertaining explanations.

It really doesn’t matter if it’s cold or warm because the boats have covers that can be putted on or off.

What it really matters is the time of the day and sunset is king.

A day to remember.

David Monteiro

Link to the ariginal article

Cliché photo of a waterfall at the Azores

Some shots are irresistible.

Cliché photo of a waterfall in the Azores

I was at Flowers Island, at the Azores archipelago that belong to Portugal, spending days of vacations and, contrary to the rest of the year I was not in the mood for physical activities, which I do all year round. I wanted to enjoy being there, the place and the tranquility.

But, after two days of heavy rain and being confined to this cheap hotel room the relaxation was starting to annoy me a great deal.

We had planned to spend two days at Corvo island but it was impossible to go out or to arrive to Flores, boats and planes are not running because of the bad weather. So, that tour went down the drain.

After this two days the plan were to go spend some more days at Fajã Grande, the opposite extreme of the island.

With so much rain the soil couldn’t absorb more water and the creek and waterfalls were pumping of life in movement and colors.

On our way to Fajã Grande at a certain moment I saw another waterfall but without realizing how far I was a didn’t pay too much attention, it was just another one and … who care for pictures of water falling from a cliff?

I was not for cliché photos were at that time until I reached the road that is close enough ear the water falling and that was really far anyway.

Ok, I was totally convinced to stop and photograph the scene.

David Monteiro

Location: Waterfall of the “Ribeira Grande” and viewpoint of Fajãzinha, Flores Island, Azores archipelago, Portugal

Link to the original article source

Aigüestortes National Park at the Pyrenees - Spain

The Park's correct name is Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park but usually is referred as Aigüestortes because the name is quite long.

Is located in the central area of the Spanish Pyrenees and is the only national park in Catalonia.

Its territory is divided between the municipalities of Vall d’Aran, Pallars Sobirá, Alta Ribagorça and Pallars Jussà, about 200 km West of Andorra.

Was created in 1955 and today covers an area of approximately 40,000 hectares also considering the peripheral protected areas.

Is a natural space of great beauty where both water and granite appears in their maximum splendor and in surprising combinations.

With a high concentration of ridges often around 3,000 m high, as is the Punta Alta (3,015 m) and the Contraix (2,960 m), you will find a high contrast with the deep green valleys where streams flow with crystal clear waters.

The first time I visited this park I didn’t know what to expect, I thought this was another Pyrenees park as beautiful as the others I knew. I was wrong.

In between my circle of friends it was not very known and back then I couldn’t find much information about it so it took me a while to be interested in going there.

I remember to join a group of friends to climb the Vignemale and after that, because I still had a few days to spend so, together with my friend Carlos Queirós we decided to visit the park.

The first two days was quite foggy so I couldn’t really appreciate the place but on the third day it was just amazing, it was like walking in a postcard, I

My company logo was inspired in the mountains of the park and my active tourism entrepreneurial endeavor was begun, important landmarks for me.

Have fun,

David Monteiro

Link to the original article source

A hard day at Sierra de Gredos - Spain

A hard day at Sierra de Gredos - Spain

The wind was blowing tremendously strong intensifying the wind chill effect and the fog was preventing us to see more than 50m ahead.

I knew the summit Almanzor was not too far from the point where we was standing but we were still missing the most difficult part to climb.

The team was not prepared to overcome such a difficult task and, on top of that there was no point to continue.

I knew everybody was eager to reach the top … we were so close …

"THAT IS IT GUYS … WE HAVE TO RETURN"

It's hard having to "stop the fun" especially when I knew that everybody had traveled from so far away to climb this mountain but I know today that was the right decision at that time.

(one day earlier)

I can't say the day before was sunny and with a blue sky, was not. Was kind of foggy day but good enough for a ice climbing introduction and I had the opportunity to explain all the techniques I was supposed to and, at the end was a wonderful working day.

We spent the night at the Refúgio Elola, the local mountain hut and I remember the substantial dinner we had, was something like a goulash in a Spanish way, whatever that is.

The climbing day was supposed to have better weather but Nature has its mysteries and during the night the Gods might had some disagreement in between them.

I slept regularly, in mountain huts I never sleep deeply but the fair amount to rest. Anyway, inside the mountain hut one cannot have the perception of the weather outside.

We left the hut around 5am, just before sunrise. It's always better to start walking with hard snow.

There was no way to see the clouds and or to assess the weather for the next hours.

Around 8am the weather was already giving us a hard time and we was right before being exposed to the most severe area, we was about to be at the north face of the mountain, the windiest part.

Half an hour later I had all the team tide up to a rock, all prepared to climb the last section but there was when I realized the team couldn't continue and you know the rest.

I'm joining a picture of the place but with god weather so you can understand where was we :)

The mountain is still there so we will try another day.

David Monteiro

Link to the original source

Walking from Fuenterrabia to San Sebastian - Spain

Walking from Fuenterrabia/Hondarribia to San Sebastian/Donostia, Basque Country, Spain.

I loooove to walk … that is obvious … however is not an absolute truth because there are walks I love more than others and some walk I hope not have to do them.

Each walk has its charm but for a walk to enter into my favorites gallery the walk has to have something special like a story, History, superb views, extraordinary places or, something less objective, has to have that je ne sais quoi that will make it special.

The Spanish Basque Country is widely known by its gastronomy and there there is also a quite long and beautiful coastal line.

When I first started to analyze the trail from Hondarribia (Fuenterrabia in Spanish) to Donostia (San Sebastian in Spanish) I didn't know what to expect so I was open to whatever I could find.

Hondarribia is a Spanish Basque village at the border with Hendaye a French Basque village and, in between these two Basque villages, you can find the river Bidasoa. Is a village full of life where you will find a lot of bars with amazing pintxos.

There's a trail here that will take you directly do Donostia, always along the Cantabric coast and that was the trail I first thought about doing. Has 30 Km with 1400 m of elevation gain, challenging but not too difficult.

In the meantime, I realized that not too far from the trail there was quite a good number of elements that are quite interesting to visit while doing the walk and that could increase the charm of the walk, decrease the length, reduce the elevation gain a little bit and increase the charm ... looks like a good deal.

The trail ended up having 27 Km with 1100 m of elevation gain. Is still a challenging walk but with added value. Not too bad, I knew that some of my clients would love to do it.

Now I know that I can either do the trail in one shoot or split it in two wonderful walking days.

During the trail you can visit/see:

• Higuer lighthouse 
• Guadalupe Sanctuary
• Jaizkibel
• The six Carlist Towers
• Donibane de Pasaia
• Cross the river Oiartzun in a cute little ferry
• La Plata lighthouse

And, before crossing Donibane de Pasaia you can have lunch in a wonderful terrace by the river Oiartzun mouth looking to the sea.

Arriving to Donostia will be time to have a deserved bath and a nice meal. One thing that you will find in abundance in Donostia is restaurants where you have a superb dinner.

I already did this walk with clients and they loved everything. For sure I will repeat it.

Enjoy yourself.

David Monteiro

Location: San Sebastian, Spain

Link to the original article

Walking in Ervamoira wine farm - Portugal

Walking in Ervamoira, a wine farm in the Douro Valley, Portugal where they produce Port wine and table wine.

It'spectacular and unexpected to see a planted vineyard where is so warm and so dry that only olive, almond and fig trees could grow and nothing else can.

The merit belongs to Ramos Pinto the famous Portuguese wine makers.

José Ramos Pinto was looking for a more flat estate to able to have a mechanized vineyard structure and found this estate that, at that time was called Quinta de Santa Maria.

The farm was "re"baptized as Ervamoira, like the book from Suzanne Chantal.

This is one of the warmer and dryer areas in Portugal so you may want to avoid the summer months because it will be to hot to walk. During winter it can also be too cold … extreme temperatures, very characteristic of inland regions of the northeast regions.

This area, called Fôz Côa, is quite known due to an impressive set of prehistoric drawings. In case you want to visit the engravings you will need to go to the Tourist Office at Vila Nova de Foz Côa and get a guided visit.

Remember, above all this is a wine region so taste the wonderful wines you can find here, both table wines and Port wine. I tasted (several times) their white Port wine and is delicious. 

A special thanks to Sónia Teixeira the official guide of the Ervamoira and a lovely host.
From Chãs to Ervamoira's premises is a 7,5 Km walk with 390 m descent (blue line of the map) and from Ervamoira's premises until Chãs is a 9 Km walk with 375 m  ascent (red line of the map), taking into account that you might want to see the engravings in the meantime.

Enjoy yourself.

David Monteiro

Link to the original article

Group travels are like wine and friends

Our shared life experiences, like those we may have during group travels, have a special place in our hearts, they have their own little house there.

They are so special that to access to those memories in full we will need the set of keys we own together with those folks we shared the moments.

We can even remember those moments by ourselves, revive all the details in the comfort of our homes, post the pictures in a blog or tell about those magnificent adventures to friends that will listen all the words we will say … but it will never be the same, there will be always something missing.

However it only takes a couple of seconds after joining our adventure buddies and the keys will open all the doors of the house and the sun will fulfill our hearts with joy and laughter.

A good wine will always be a good wine but it gets much better when shared with friends.

Carpe diem.

David Monteiro

Article source

Visiting Portugal - where to go, what to visit?

Where to go, what to do when visiting Portugal?

I believe that this must be the question I answer more often in this context.

Of course the answer will always depend on who is asking, not everyone enjoy doing the same things.

Not only will depend on individual preferences but also depends on the time and money you have available to spend in this country.

My reply could be very different for those who want to come to Portugal for walking vacations or for those who want to come to Portugal to spend some time on the beach or visiting museums.

However, I will try to simplify the idea and try to draw a plan to the visitor who wants to come to Portugal have active vacation but not necessarily for walking in the countryside. Will be a plan for a visitor who values visiting areas with some History, who values tasting the cuisine and local wines and is also interested on cultural differences.

I will also consider that this visitor prefers to see the sites in a more relaxing way rather than jumping from site to site in a frenetic race ... more quality instead of quantity.

In relation to the time I will consider two possibilities: 7 days and 14 days.

For any of the options I find it fascinating to do the trip from North to South, in which the city of arrival will be Porto and Lisbon the departure city where there are more flight connections with the rest of the world.

7 days: 2-Porto; 1-Guimarães; 1-Fátima/Óbidos; 2-Lisbon; 1-Sintra/Cascais

14 days: 2-Porto; 1-Guimarães; 1-Viana do Castelo; 1-Pinhão (Douro Valley); 2-Coimbra/Fatima/Óbidos; 3-Lisbon; 2-Évora and surroundings; 1-Sintra/Cascais; 1-Setúbal/Tróia/Arrábida

Each of these sites has a remarkable History, different customs and so typical gastronomy and wines to accompany and I will write about these places on this blog.

Come with me to meet Portugal.

David Monteiro

Article source

Salto do Cabrito, a handsome waterfall, São Miguel, Azores

One cannot imagine this walk’s beauty before you did it. Its name is Salto do Cabrito, near Ribeira Grande at São Miguel, Azores.

The trail is marked to be done in the opposite way than the one I usually do it but I have my reasons. So, start walking at Caldeiras da Ribeira Grande where you can find some fumaroles making bubbles on the outdoor water tanks you can find there is a pleasant way of start this adventure.

I find quite annoying walking on the tar roads. However the surroundings are so lovely that it really doesn’t matter … or maybe I say so because I love the Azores.

Anyway, by the time you arrive at the small electric plant you will have to climb some stairs to walk on a platform on top of some big tubes/pipes.

Well, you can find it odd but you will love it. It will allow you to have a top bottom prespective that will be even better inside of a small canyon you will have to cross.

At the end of the canyon you will find a handsome waterfall called Salto do Cabrito “little goat’s jump”.

A gorgeous place.

David Monteiro

Location: Caldeiras, Ribeira Grande, São Miguel, Azores

Article source

Cape Roca - The westernmost point of Europe's mainland.

Have you ever been to the Europe's mainland westernmost point?

Quite close to Lisbon you will find some trails along the sea coast that will give you the sensation of “I’m at the end of Europe” and, in fact,  you are at the westernmost point of Europe mainland, the Cape Roca (38°46’49.59″N   9°29’56.19″W).

From the Cape Roca, or arriving here, you will find many walking trails and on each one with different kind of photo spots or interesting things to see.

Coming from the south you can find a XVII century fortress named Forte do Guincho, one of several military buildings that were part of the Portuguese coastal defensive line built after the revolution of Dec’1640 called “Restauração da Independência” – restoration of the independence.

An interesting flower to look for and to care for, is the Armeria pseudarmeria. This species is at risk of extinction both because tourists pick them up due to its beauty during blooming and also because it only grows along these cliffs, which is quite of a restricted area. Photo from PNSC (Parque Nacional Sintra-Cascais – Natural Park Sintra-Cascais).

Granite is king on this area, offering us magnificent cliffs often with more than 150m/492ft (+/-) high and with standalone rocks that looks like guardians of the coast, always searching for the enemy boats at the horizon.

The sun sets at the west so one can take amazing sunset photos from the Cape Roca or very impressive photographs of the waves hitting the rocks.

I usually come here with Portuguese guests that will participate in mountain hiking tours to get to know them better prepared while they walk the trail on the map posted here. Depending of what particular trail you will choose, you can have an easy or difficult trail.

Have fun,

David Monteiro

Location: Cape Roca, Portugal

Article source

Accessing to the right photo spots for photography in Lisbon

For a traveler photographer, accessing to the right spots to shoot is often a problem for many reasons and in Lisbon that it is not different.

It starts by needing to know where the place is and to how get there but is it doesn’t end here. Occasionally, a different angle looks like a new approach in fact new because there are not many photos or none taken from that particular location and we wonder why.

Personal safety and equipment safety are concerns that one have to bear in mind and some locations are not the best places to go with expensive photography equipment.

Also there is the “time” constraint. So many places to go and so little time to spend.

As a local photographer I’m offering tours for photographers depending on their specific or general interests.

If you are spending a couple of days in Lisbon or in the surroundings as you may well know, that is not too much time to photograph so you better take the most of it.

Give me a call.

David Monteiro

Article source

River Bestança, beyond the Douro Valley wine region - Portugal

The Douro Valley wine region is the oldest demarcated wine region in the world.

Is was established in 1756 by Marquis de Pombal, the Portugal's prime minister during the time of the king D. José I.

In the previous post I described a walking tour trail I lead once in a while that takes place in the demarcated wine region. It's a wonderful place where you can see all the landscape covered with vineyards.

However the demarcated region does not cover completely the Douro Valley and there is a part of the valley that was not "affected" by the rules of the demarcated region and the landscape is totally different, although being so close to each other.

The river Bestança valley is a hidden jewel even for Portuguese people. Here the trails are old paths that were used by farmers to access to their farming lands or where they still go with their cattle.

In the river Bestança Valley you can find both the lifestyle of 100 years ago but also quite interesting hotels, like the case of Hotel Porto Antigo or manor houses that are totally equipped to receive guests.

Diversity is probably one of the strongest characteristics of the Portuguese territory where one do not have to go too far to be in a completely different scenario.

Enjoy.

David Monteiro

Article source

Walking the Congost de Mont-rebei, halfway to the Pyrenees - Spain

Nothing better like a nice walk to stretch your legs during a long van transfer, even better if is the Congost de Mont-rebei.

After a long flight there is nothing worse than being seated in a car for 4 hours driving to doesn't matter where. But that is what can happen when you are travelling to the Pyrenees after landing at the Barcelona Airport if you don't have a backup plan.

Of course you can fly to a closer airport like Huesca or Zaragoza. However there are not many flights to those airports and at the end it can take more time than getting there by car.

So, what to do to, at least to soften the long car ride? The answer is to stop somewhere nice for a walk and enjoy the place and instead of a long drive you just add an extra interesting day.

I was searching for a walk halfway to the Pyrenees because of the above reasons and this place caught my attention, is the Congost de Mont-rebei.

The Congost de Mont-rebei is the narrowest canyon of the river Noguera Ribagorzana, right in between the provinces of Huesca and Lleida, Spain.

Is located in a quite remote hills and until the beginning of the XX century there was no roads to connect some local villages or with the existing roads it was a very long ride. So, in 1912 a walking trail was built in the canyon to connect Corçà to Alsamora and other tinny little villages.

Later a river dam was also built and the first trail was flooded (you can see that in one of the photos) and was needed to built a new trail again but now in a higher altitude. In 1984 the second walking trail was finished allowing the people to cross from one side to the other.

More recently an iron bridge and some catwalks were added.

The trail (red line) is not too far from Tremp, has 13 Km to each side without relevant elevation gain. Obviously you can do a shorter distance because the most beautiful part of the trail is  the canyon and it goes until the first 8 Km.

Allow me to suggest you to take a sandwich or something else to bite, you will find a perfect place to do it, like my colleague in the photo.

Have fun.

David Monteiro

Location: Tremp, Spain

Article source

Climbing our way up to Canchal de la Ceja - Spain

The day was perfect to climb up to Canchal de la Ceja. The ice was hard, the snow was very firm and the sun was shining ... just perfect.

Sometimes is just a question of luck, some other times it's a result of a good planning but when you get a little of both you might get the best of all, like the day we spent at Laguna del Duque, not too far from Salamanca.

The access to the parking area is some how bizarre because you will need to remove an apparently locked chain that makes you wonder if one day you will arrive there and find it really impossible to open.

At Solana de Ávila you will find a narrow road that will lead you to the weirdest parking area and from here facing the dam wall, on your left you will find a trail, that's the one.

Please be aware that on the right side of the dam wall there's a hut you can use in case of emergency.

Usually I do a trail on the right side walking up to the summit, is a nice trail, not too difficult at all, accessible to most of the walkers.

On that day we wanted a more "vertical" wall so the left trail would suite us much better, a more technical way offering a moderate challenge.

The summit, Canchal de la Ceja is the highest point of the "Sierra de Bejar y Candelário" with 2428m and climbing up here via the Laguna del Duque is the most challenging way.

The day started quite foggy and I was not very enthusiastic but by around 10 am the sun came out and the day just turned to be perfect.

It was such a nice that I will repeat it.

Who will join me?

David Monteiro

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Are you planning to visit Lisbon in one day?

Are you planning to visit Lisbon in one day? 

You know the answer: that is impossible. However, what to do when a day is all the time we have to get to know Lisbon? Of course we will have to make the most of the available time.

I will leave here my suggestions on how to divide the time during a one-day visit to the city and the best way to structure my suggestions is to divide the visit in: morning, afternoon and after dinner.

In this post I will not include meals or lodgings because I will write about hotels and restaurants later.

Morning

- One monument visit: Jerónimos Monastery - this monastery is classified as UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built by King Manuel I in 1502 and it took about 100 years to be built. Is the maximum exponent of Manueline architecture, also known as the Portuguese Baroque.

- One tasting: Pastéis de Belém - as a result of the Liberal Revolution of 1820, in 1834 the convents and monasteries were closed. Was in this context that someone went to a sugar refinery close to the Jerónimos Monastery and put a few cookies on sale, these cookies are today known as the "Pastéis de Belém" and they must be the better worldwide known Portuguese sweets.

- The first walk: Baixa and Chiado - are two typical neighborhoods of the city and good representatives of the society of 18th and 19th centuries. Start by the view from the Viewpoint of São Pedro de Alcântara and walk downhill until the Camões Square and after this walk along the Garrett Street and end at Rossio. It is certainly a beautiful journey through Portuguese Romanticism and also a good opportunity to visit Baixa (downtown), the neighborhood that was built after the great earthquake of 1755.

- The second walk: Alfama and São Jorge Castle - Alfama is a medieval district and has been inhabited since the foundation of the city so it is here that we can find the oldest buildings in the city. Walking through the narrow streets of Alfama and observing its inhabitants is to know the typical Lisbon. Start your walk at the São Jorge castle and hence find the Miradouro das Portas do Sol from where we can see the roofs of Alfama, the quarter where we will walk until Terreiro do Paço.

Note: using a city map will help you making sense of all this names I’m mentioning.

Afternoon

Having walked in the morning, for the afternoon I will suggest more cultural moments for the afternoon, so I will propose a Museum and the Oceanarium visits.

- Museum of the City: it was easy to propose a visit to the Museum of Ancient Art (Museu de Arte Antiga), which is the most common suggestion you will find in terms of visits to museums. However, I believe that this Museum, being an excellent Museum, does not offer something unique to those visiting Lisbon, here you will find excellent pieces that could be in any major European Museum but not necessarily Portuguese pieces. So I will propose a visit to the City Museum, a small museum, whose collection is not something extraordinary but has the particularity of being a very nice space and the collection is Portuguese, this is a truly Portuguese space.

- Oceanarium: is the second largest aquarium in the world which is by itself a sign of being something that you can hardly see elsewhere and has an extensive collection of marine creatures. It is located at Parque das Nações, which is an ideal area for a late afternoon beer and to end the active day.

After dinner

The visit to the city will not be complete without a stroll through the area of nightlife where you can have a drink and hear some music.

Of course there are several areas in the city where this may happen but without complicating too much the explanation I would say that is in the Bairro Alto where you can find more diversity of bars.

Personally I love bar “Pavilhão Chinês" (Chinese Pavilion), one of the most beautiful bars I know.

Join the fun in Lisbon.

David Monteiro

Please check the original article at my blog in Wordpress