Rota Vicentina: The Fishermen's Trail
- Walk Portugal’s famous Rota Vicentina along the Alentejo coast
- Follow the footsteps of Portuguese fishermen to wild and rugged beaches
- Overnight stays in cosy and authentic casa-style guesthouses
- Spot white storks nesting on the cliffs and rocky islands of Costa Vicentina
- Watch the sunset whilst enjoying a glass of ‘vinho’ and some tasty seafood
Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive Vila Nova de MilfontesThe small village of Vila Nova de Milfontes can be reached by bus from Lisbon Airport (2.5h). This historic town, with its impressive 17th-century fortress is a charming place to spend your first night. Enjoy wandering through its narrow jumble of streets lined with delightful cafes and restaurants.
Villa Eira is a small guesthouse with 6 elegantly decorated rooms, 4 apartments and a Villa that is located around 300 metres from the nearest beach. Expect a small scale accommodation with an imtimate and tailored service.
The 17th Century family run Casa do Adro is just 2 minutes from the beach and offers a warm welcome, delicious breakfasts and a rooftop terrace on which to relax.
Raminhos Guest House is located in Portugal and offers a relaxed, comfortable and welcoming space. There are stunning views of the garden from the modern common roomas well as spacious and luminous rooms offering TVs, Wi-Fi, a safe and private bathrooms.
After breakfast, a taxi will pick you up and transfer you to the start of the trail in Porto Covo. Your first day’s walking is all about beaches, sand dunes and deserted coves. From the rough pebbly beaches at Aivados to the golden sand dunes of Farol, you will be amazed at the diversity of coastal landscapes and plant life on this section. Some tougher walking along the dunes is rewarded by fantastic coastal views and the chance to feel the sand between your toes if you feel like casting off your walking boots! Arrive back in Vila Nova de Milfontes for another overnight.
Ascent: 54m / Descent: 75m
Villa Eira is a small guesthouse with 6 elegantly decorated rooms, 4 apartments and a Villa that is located around 300 metres from the nearest beach. Expect a small scale accommodation with an imtimate and tailored service.
The 17th Century family run Casa do Adro is just 2 minutes from the beach and offers a warm welcome, delicious breakfasts and a rooftop terrace on which to relax.
Raminhos Guest House is located in Portugal and offers a relaxed, comfortable and welcoming space. There are stunning views of the garden from the modern common roomas well as spacious and luminous rooms offering TVs, Wi-Fi, a safe and private bathrooms.
Enjoy a more relaxed day as you walk via the Mira river to Almograve. The lush vegetation and wildflowers covering the local hillsides in this area mean that it is rich in birdlife, including Alpine, Pallid and Common Swifts. If you wish to take it easy you can also shorten the day by taking a boat across the Mira River. This section of the coast is gloriously undeveloped and apart from some pockets of agriculture, there is scarce evidence of human presence.
Ascent: 88m / Descent: 96m
Vicentina Rooms is just a short stroll from the beach via a wooden walkway amongst the sand dunes. It has simply furnished rooms and a lovely outdoor pool in which to relax after a hard day’s walking.
Casa Isa is a few steps away from Almograve Beach and features rooms with views over city. All 6 rooms include a balcony, a cabinet, and a couch..
Today's walk offers a change of scenery as you walk past ochre sand dunes and high cliffs home to over twenty species of birds, followed by a section through some fragrant pine forests. A highlight is sure to be capturing the sight of the nesting white storks—this coastline is the only place in the world where they nest! Stop off at Cape Sardao Lighthouse and marvel at the fishermen perched precariously on the cliffs as you perhaps enjoy a picnic lunch. If you are staying in Herdade do Touril you will finish early and take a slight diversion inland or if not continue down the coast. Entrada da Barca is next, a natural harbour, overflowing with fishing paraphernalia and a collection of wooden fishermen's huts. Finally reach Zambujeira do Mar, a pretty little seaside village.
Ascent: 178m / Descent: 198m
Almograve to Touril: 16km, +97m/-129m
A beautiful farmhouse accommodation in lovely surroundings featuring a saltwater swimming pool and comfortable rooms and suites set in a whitewashed house.
With the sea just 50 meters away and the Fishermen’s Trail right next door. Here you will find 8 double or twin rooms, all equipped with private bathroom, fridge and air conditioning.
On the ground floor you can taste the regional breakfast, always with Alentejo bread, in the dining room or, weather permitting, in the outdoor patio.
A small hotel with a privileged location 500m from the beach. Enjoy relaxing in their Andalucian style inner courtyard at the end of your day's walk and experience a lovely "home away from home" atmosphere.
Dipping up and down to the sea on narrow cliffside paths, today’s walk is an invigorating one, with some of the best views on the whole of the Fisherman’s Trail. Pass by several beaches, a natural fishing harbour and the spectacular Ponta em Branco. From this viewpoint, you look over Odeceixe beach with the mountain tops of Foia and Monchique as a backdrop. A taxi will pick you up from here to transfer you into the centre of Odeceixe with its dazzling blue and white windmill (Moinho) occupying a prominent position at the top of the town and offering the perfect viewpoint over the pretty whitewashed village.
Ascent: 305m / Descent: 320m
Casas du Moinho is a lovely collection of restored village houses spread out amongst the village. Relax at the outdoor swimming pool with a view over the windmill of Odeceixe.
Featuring a garden and views of inner courtyard, Odeceixe Verde Guesthouse is a recently renovated bed and breakfast set in Odeceixe, offering city views, a sun terrace and a 24-hour front desk. All units feature air conditioning and a private bathroom with a walk-in shower. Buffet and continental breakfast options with fresh pastries, fruits and juice are available every morning at the bed and breakfast.
A charming little guesthouse right in the centre of Odeceixe run by the lovely Celeste. Rooms are simple but very cosy and comfortable.
If you wish, you can take it easy today and relax by the pool at your lovely hotel or soak up the atmosphere of the laidback village of Odeceixe. The main square has plenty of bustling bars and cafes in which to enjoy some refreshments or there are also many craft shops in which to peruse. Alternatively enjoy a short walk to Odeceixe beach which takes you past the Seixe River and agricultural heartlands, where friendly farmers will give you a wave, before following fishermen trails along the coast to the beach at Odeceixe. This broad sandy beach is perfect for swimming!
Ascent: 93m / Descent: 75m
Casas du Moinho is a lovely collection of restored village houses spread out amongst the village. Relax at the outdoor swimming pool with a view over the windmill of Odeceixe.
Featuring a garden and views of inner courtyard, Odeceixe Verde Guesthouse is a recently renovated bed and breakfast set in Odeceixe, offering city views, a sun terrace and a 24-hour front desk. All units feature air conditioning and a private bathroom with a walk-in shower. Buffet and continental breakfast options with fresh pastries, fruits and juice are available every morning at the bed and breakfast.
A charming little guesthouse right in the centre of Odeceixe run by the lovely Celeste. Rooms are simple but very cosy and comfortable.
After breakfast, make your way back to either Faro (1h 30) or Lisbon Airport (2h 30) for onward travel.
This trip has a carbon score of 10kg per person per night, meaning it’s one of our best trips! For comparison, a carbon count of 10kg is equivalent to 18 lattes. Here at Macs, we pride ourselves on being a responsible travel company and continue to adopt, develop and innovate ways to positively impact the environment. Find out more information on how we've carbon counted our trips.
Other Information
Is it for me?Perfect for those who would like to explore wild and unspoiled Portugal. The walking is moderate with some more difficult sections of walking on sand, and a few steep ascents to cliff-top paths and some exposed sections, although the sea views make up for the effort! Stay in a mix of traditional small hotels and casa-style guesthouses offering warm Portuguese hospitality.
Classic Routes | If you’re the active, outdoorsy type, who’s interested in taking on the great routes of the world or looking for a challenge, then our Classic Routes are for you. We’re talking the West Highland Way, Tour Du Mont Blanc and the Passau to Vienna Danube Cycle Path, to name but a few!
Inn to Inn Walking | Walk from place-to-place changing accommodations each night. Generally staying in B&Bs, inns, and guesthouses.
Solo Travellers, Families with Teens
The minimum age for this tour is: 16 Years
This trip is graded ‘moderate’ overall with the average daily distance being 18km. You will be walking for between 3 to 7 hours a day on undulating terrain, with some short ascents and descents, and often on sand which does make the walking quite tiring at times. The first day from Porto Covo to Vila Nova de Milfontes and Day 3 to Zambujeira do Mar are graded as difficult due to their length and the fact that they are fairly energy-sapping days with a lot of walking on sand. We do not recommend this trip for anyone with vertigo since some of the cliff top paths have steep drop-offs.
Stay 1 night in a small 3* hotel, and 5 nights in traditional guesthouses with a focus on a personal service and welcome. These accommodations are subject to availability and therefore alternatives of an equal standard may be offered.
Single Rooms & Solo Walkers
If you require single rooms we would be happy to accommodate you although there is a single room supplement payable.
We also welcome solo walkers on this tour, again a supplement is payable.
Meals
Breakfasts are included each day. Packed lunch items can be bought locally from markets or cafes. We include 1 dinner on the night in Touril as it is a little distance away from local restaurants. On other evenings, dinner can be purchased in each town with many restaurants serving delicious seafood dishes!
All trails are well way-marked but you will be provided with detailed turn-by-turn directions, GPX tracks and maps in our GPS Macs Adventure smartphone navigation app. Simply download the routes to your phone for offline use and off you go!
- 1 Night in a 3* hotel and 5 nights in casa-style guesthouses
- 6 Breakfasts
- 1 Dinner
- Bag transfers as per your Itinerary
- Maps, route notes, GPX tracks, access to our smartphone app & info pack
- 24-7 Emergency telephone support
- Travel to Vila Nova de Milfontes and from Odeceixe
- Lunches, drinks and snacks
- Dinners (apart from in Touril)
- Personal equipment
- Additional nights before, during or after the walk
- Airport Transfers
This tour is available to start on any day of the week from March through to June, and then from September to November. The temperatures during these months should be very pleasant. We do not offer the tour in July and August due to high temperatures at this time of year, and the higher risk of forest fires. But please bear in mind that temperatures can still be high, with a risk of forest fires, around these peak summer months.
The temperatures during spring and autumn should be very pleasant. We do not offer the tour in July and August due to high temperatures at this time of year, and the higher risk of forest fires. But please bear in mind that temperatures can still be high, with a risk of forest fires, surrounding these peak summer months.
By Air: The nearest airport is in Lisbon. From Lisbon Airport you can take the bus or the metro to the city center (approx. 20 minutes) and from there by bus to Vila Nova de Milfontes (approx. 2.5 hours).
Private Transfers: We can arrange a private taxi transfer from Lisbon or Faro airport for you at an additional cost.
By Air: Odeceixe is between Lisbon and Faro Airports and easily accessed from both. You can take a bus from Odeceixe to Lagos (1h) with Redes Expressos Buses and then another bus from there to Faro with Eva Bus (2h).
To get to Lisbon Airport, you can take a direct bus with Eva Bus or Rede Expressos which operate twice daily and take 4-5 hours.
By Taxi Transfer: We can also arrange a private transfer from Odeceixe to either Faro or Lisbon Airport for you at an additional cost. Again, please ask us for more details should you require this.
Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.
The reviews for this tour up until December 2019, are based on a previous itinerary. As of December 2019, minor changes and improvements have been made including getting the routes all checked and route notes re-written.
It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care
We suggest you book as soon as your plans are finalised as Portugal is extremely popular during the Summer.
This tour is suitable for walkers with good physical fitness and is graded ‘moderate’ with average daily distance being 16km. You will be walking for between 3-7 hours per day on undulating terrain, with some short ascents and descents, and often on sand which does make the walking quite tiring at times.
Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.
Your detailed information pack will be sent to you after you book. This has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes and a day pack.
This tour is available from March-June, and then again from September to November. Any time within this period is ideal for walking. We do not offer this tour in July and August due to the high temperatures at this time of year.
You can use public transport or a local taxi to continue to your next overnight stop.
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