Name: #3 Rota Vicentina - HISTORICAL & FISHERMEN´S TRAIL ALENTEJO - PART1
Location: Santiago do Cacém, Portugal

Vicentina Travel

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1 review

Duration: 8 days

Group size: 1 - 16

#3 Rota Vicentina - HISTORICAL & FISHERMEN´S TRAIL ALENTEJO - PART1

Santiago do Cacém, Portugal

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Vicentina Travel

Email address verified

1 review

Duration: 8 days

Group size: 1 - 16

This program combines the historical and the fishermen´s routes of Rota Vicentina, providing the best hiking experience with a lot of diversity along the way. It starts inland and it reaches the coastline after 3 walking days. If seeking the best of both worlds, this is the solution, once it will take a journey of non-tourist places to beautiful coastal villages and landscapes. This tour´s possible to extend South, heading the very Southern corner of Europe the mythical Cape of Saint Vincents which provides the name of this route. Self-guided hiking is an adventure without any stress.

You travel where you want, with whom you want, and when you want without having to worry about the organization or the logistics.

We live and run our programs in the most beautiful part of Portugal where Rota Vicentina exists.

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By booking with a local company you are contributing to a sustainable way of traveling.

Briefing
20 minutes meeting at the first hotel with our local guide.
7 nights B&B
7 nights bed and breakfast using local owned accommodations, small hotels and guesthouses, all with private bathroom.
Map & Guidebook
information package including daily booklets with techincal information + file with contents per day.
1 Dinner
Second night on this program includes dinner. However, dinks are not included.
Luggage transfer
all our programs include luggage service from hotel to hotel.
Local Support
Use our guide to clarify any doubt you may have, using SMS, personally at the briefing or using whatsapp.
GPX files
perfect to be used in any cell phone, providing another funny way to discover the area.

DAY 1
DAY 1
Arrival to Santiago do Cacém
Briefing at the Hotel

Arriving in Santiago do Cacém, situated inland of Alentejo’s coast is well worth exploring, it is an interesting town, a passage point for walkers since the medieval age, it is nowadays the council’s head office; great panoramic views over the city and towards the hill with the castle and city’s church on top. Now we also have 90% of our routes marked on the field in Costa Vicentina Route, this way you can get more of all this hiking and exploring experience.

Overnight: Santiago do Cacém

Meals included: Breakfast
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DAY 2
DAY 2
Santiago to Vale Seco
DISTANCE: 20Km/12,5Miles;

DURATION: 6h;

CLIMB 456 M;

DESCENT: 501 M;

Time to start your adventure, following the inner Alentejo’s coast, this path will take you through forests and montado (forests of cork oaks) areas, where you’ll have the chance to take a close look over this very important tree; there’s also the chance of seeing some species of bird who use the montado areas to settle their nests.

Overnight: Vale Seco

Meals included: Breakfast + Dinner (drinks not included
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DAY 3
DAY 3
Vale Seco to Cercal do Alentejo
DISTANCE: 20Km/12,4Miles;

DURATION: 5h;

CLIMB 295M;

DESCENT: 338M;

The third day brings a strong rural feeling to the walk, passing by many farms and cultivated fields, a good opportunity to see a different rhythm and lifestyle. Walking through forests, open cultivated fields, olive fields, small dams, and reservoirs of water. Before getting to Cercal the path takes you around the beautiful Campilhas damp, a nice place to refresh and go for a quick swim on the warmer days.

Overnight: Cercal do Alentejo

Meals included: Breakfast
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DAY 4
DAY 4
Cercal to Porto Côvo
DISTANCE: 17Km/10,5Miles;

DURATION: 5h;

CLIMB 289 M;

DESCENT: 417 M;

Now it’s time to go closer to the sea, this stage is the connection with the fisherman’s trail. After the first km of small farms and their beautiful cultivated gardens, we can even feel the eucalyptus in the air as we pass by a plantation. We’ll know the sea’s getting closer as soon as we find some flat cereal fields, with the blue already on the horizon.

Overnight: Porto Covo

Meals included: Breakfast
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DAY 5
DAY 5
Porto Côvo to Milfontes
DISTANCE: 20Km/12,5Miles;

DURATION: 6h;

CLIMB 167 M;

DESCENT: 149 M;

Wonderful walk along the coastline always with an amazing sea view. Starting in a very picture historical village called Porto Côvo, passing a small Island called "Ilha do Pessegueiro" with the option to go by the beach taking the hard sand or going a little bit more inland by the dunes path. You will find some stunning beaches, and some of the deserts, and after that, almost at the end, you have a fishing arbor in the "north area" of Vila Nova de Milfontes.

Overnight: Vila Nova de Milfontes

Meals included: Breakfast
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DAY 6
DAY 6
Vila Nova de Milfontes to Almograve/Longueira
DISTANCE: 18Km or 15Km using the Ferry Boat option;

DURATION: 5h;

CLIMB 263 M;

DESCENT: 283 M;

In the morning with your body full of energy, you have 2 solutions to start the journey:

A) Catching a small ferry-boat to do the river crossing, or,

B) Crossing through the bridge, taking the path from the beginning.

Both options will lead you to an easy day walking crossing fields and small cliffs, with access to several beaches, heading to Almograve, further South.

Nice place to have lunch and enjoy the local gastronomy. After lunch, it´s time to go and explore the Almograve beach. Almograve is a really small place so depending on the season we may need to pick you up there to have a second night in Vila Nova de Milfontes (don´t worry we will assume those transfers from/to) Almograve/Longueira.

Overnight: Longueira/Almograve or Vila Nova de Milfontes (Longueira & Almograve has limited options for overnight)
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DAY 7
DAY 7
Almograve to Zambujeira do Mar
DISTANCE: 21km/13Miles;

DURATION: 6h;

CLIMB 203 M;

DESCENT: 193 M

Depending on your overnight place:

From Milfontes: After a morning transfer to Almogave,

From Almograve/Longueira, you will be once again exploring the landscapes along the unspoiled coastal Alentejo. Passing by Zambujeira's fishing arbor (Entrada da Barca – on route). Allowing you to walk next to the cliffs with panoramic sceneries, where you'll be able to watch cliff-nesting storks. You can use the small village of Cavaleiro to make a stop, buy some supplies and enjoy a good and homemade local dish, just before heading West to the beautiful lighthouse of Cabo Sardão. The end will be in Zambujeira do Mar, with one of the most amazing urban beaches in Portugal.

Overnight in Zambujeira do Mar

Meals included: Breakfast
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DAY 8
DAY 8
DEPARTURE

Possible to add extra nights along the trail or to develop a tailor-made proposal?

Connections to Faro and Lisbon are available. Check our instructions for how-to and from, above on this same page.

If any doubts, let us know and we will figure out a solution.
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DAY 1

Arrival to Santiago do Cacém

Briefing at the Hotel

Arriving in Santiago do Cacém, situated inland of Alentejo’s coast is well worth exploring, it is an interesting town, a passage point for walkers since the medieval age, it is nowadays the council’s head office; great panoramic views over the city and towards the hill with the castle and city’s church on top. Now we also have 90% of our routes marked on the field in Costa Vicentina Route, this way you can get more of all this hiking and exploring experience.

Overnight: Santiago do Cacém

Meals included: Breakfast

Vicentina Travel

1 review

We are experts on hiking and cycling holidays in the SW of Portugal, along the Rota Vicentina for INDIVIDUALS and SMALL GROUPS. We are founders of this route and based in the area of Vila Nova de Milfontes. Proudly working from the earth of the SW Coast of Portugal. Book locally contributing to a circular economy. 95% of our programs are self-guided, however, we also provide guided (FRENCH, GERMAN, and ENGLISH) and tailor-made programs in this area. Feel free to get in touch! We are proud to share our little SW corner of Europe.

Walking the Rota Vicentina was an experience well worth the effort. We were often on the coast where the scenery was spectacular, the beaches lovely and had mostly cloudless days (late September). The trail varied from being very sandy along cliff tops to rocky paths and roads both gravel and paved. Markings were mostly easy to follow and it was great to arrive (tired) in a different community every night. It felt as though we saw a unique part of Portugal. Our luggage would be waiting for us and we would have had only a small day pack to carry. In the evening It was not difficult to find really good places to eat. Would strongly recommend this trip.