This one week tour features three of the most beautiful and remote rivers of Northern Portugal - the Tamega, the Paiva and the Vouga.

They flow through wild and hidden landscapes and extremely ancient areas, both in historic and geological terms. The areas are of difficult access and this has preserved the large diversity of the local fauna and flora.

Our tour brings us into closer contact with the hidden secrets of the rivers, and the natural and historical-cultural surroundings.

We use old trails, historic rail routes and newer innovations such as the remarkable Passadiços do Paiva which allow access to previously unexplored areas.

Our two centres, at either end of the tour, anchor the rivers and are intimately connected with them.

Our first centre, Amarante, also known as the princess of the Tamega, is a beautiful town with an amazing combination of tradition, history and nature.

The river Tâmega runs through this town which has a magical fairytale feel to it, with elegant turreted buildings and trees drooping into the river. From Amarante we travel to our second centre, Aveiro.

En route we stop by and walk the extraordinary Passadiços do Paiva. The Passadiços are in the middle of a classified area by the European and Global Geoparks Networks, under the auspices of UNESCO, a remote and wild area of rugged beauty bisected by the fast flowing, “frisky” river Paiva of the cool, clear waters.

Finally, at the end, we come to the Ria of Aveiro where the river Vouga meets the ocean in the wide estuary that has been worked for centuries for fishing, salt collection and seaweed harvesting using the colourful “barcos moliceiros”.

Aveiro has often been called the Portuguese Venice due to its canals and charming bridges. The town itself is famous for its ceramics, many examples of which are visible everywhere. This is truly a sensational tour combining the best of what nature and humankind working in harmony together can create.