Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Rock Climbing, Paragliding & Adrenalin Sports
In the far north, the granite peaks of Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês (
Click here
)
are a
climber's paradise. Other popular places are the schist cliffs at Nossa Senhora do Salto,
east of Porto; the 500m-tall granite Cántaro Magro in the Serra da Estrela (
Click here
)
; the
limestone crags of Reguengo do Fetal near Fátima ; the sheer rock walls of Penedo da
Amizade, just below Sintra's Moorish castle; the dramatic quartzite ridge of Penha Garcia
(
Click here
)
, near Monsanto in Beira Baixa; and Rocha da Pena (
Click here
)
in the Al-
garve.
Grupo de Montanha e Escalada de Sintra
(
www.gmesintra.com
)
. The latter publishes free download-
Paragliding is also popular in the north. Two prime launch sites are Linhares (
Click
here
)
in the Serra da Estrela and Alvados (
Click here
)
in the Parque das Serras de Aire e
Candeeiros.
Several local adrenalin-sports outfitters have English-language websites.
Eco-aware, Sesimbra-based Vertente Natural (
Click here
)
offers trekking, canyoning,
canoeing, diving and rappelling.
Capitão Dureza
( 239 918 148;
www.capitaodureza.com
) This outfit located outside of Coimbra organises high-ad-
renalin activities including rafting, canyoning, abseiling (rappelling), mountain biking and trekking.
Freetour
(
www.freetour.pt
) This Leiria-based agency organises rafting, canyoning, abseiling, mountain biking and
trekking, plus paragliding and skydiving throughout Portugal.
Trilhos
(
www.trilhos.pt
) A Porto-based company promoting environmental tourism, offering climbing, caving, canyon-
ing, trekking and other adventure sports.
PENNILESS PEDALLING
Fancy a ride without spending a euro-cent? An increasing number of Portuguese towns have adopted
free bike
programs
. In places like Aveiro and Cascais you can show up at the local free bike agency, provide a photo ID,
fill out a short form and presto! - off you go on your very own bicycle.
Boating
Along the coast, especially in the Algarve, pleasure boats predominate, offering
everything from barbecue cruises and grotto tours to dolphin-spotting excursions. Inland,
Portugal's rivers, lagoons and reservoirs offer a wide variety of boating opportunities, in-
