Being outdoors isn't only good for your physical health, it can also recharge your batteries and create lasting memories if you take the time to enjoy it with your friends and family. Here are 5 weekend trip ideas that can help you avoid beachy crowds, get your blood pumping, and maybe even pick up a new skill or two!
Fabulous National Park:
Gerês National Park is a protected area that offers amazing hiking, crystal-clear natural swimming pools, oak forests, mountainous scrambles, and jaw-dropping stargazing. This area features remarkable botanical diversity and is home to rare and endemic species that include the gold-striped salamander, the endangered Iberian wolf and wild goat, and more. Definitely worth the trek up north.
Water Skiing:
The Water Ski Academy in Tomar was founded in 2018 and since then, their team has been teaching the art of water skiing to families and friends, ensuring everyone has a fantastic experience and a lot of fun in the process! If you're thinking of staying a few days, just 30 meters from the dock, is a lake house called "A Casa do Avô" that you can rent. It fits up to 12 people in two suites and one bunk-bed room.
Natural Swimming Pool:
Just a bit away from thecharming town of Viana do Castelo, there's a spot you shouldn't miss. A five-minute scrabble down a steep stony track opens up to reveal a vast azure pool called Ponte de Sao Joao, Rio Coura. Here you can dive from huge rocks and swim into quartz caves via pools that are filled by a gushing waterfall. From Covas (Coura bridge) follow the N301 west towards Caminha. After 1.5km you'll pass over an old bridge. Park on the roadside and you'll find the path, though slightly overgrown, on the right.
Awesome Local Playground:
For kids of all ages, the Parque Recreativo do Alvito playground is a must. Pirate ships, wobbly slides, and a cool tramcar among other play features await exploration and engagement, while an on-site café slings ice creams, pizzas, tostas, and more. Settle in for a coffee and a chat while thekids play, or join them on the swings— it's a garanteed good time for all, until it's time to leave.
Tailored Hikes:
Sintra Treks can organize just about anything, anywhere for both large and small groups, tailored to fit the capabilities of the crew. Sintra Treks was founded in 2013 and has been offering guided walks all over the region ever since. They understand that you don't have to go far out of Lisbon to get off the beaten track and find yourself amongst stunning scenery. These guys take you, via local trails, to unexplored wild spots and hidden coastal alcoves you'll want to mark on your map and return to over and again.
