~ Prices & practical information week program ~
Costs Full Caminho:
€ 820 **
(we offer sliding scale tariffs - see below)
Costs Half Caminho:
€ 380 **
(we offer sliding scale tariffs - see below)
* Due to the difference between Portuguese wages and those of our participants from other countries we offer sliding scale tariffs. We aim to make this experience available for all income realities. Pls don't hesitate to send an email for more info.
* There can be variation in total sum of costs due to the prices differences between the choice of rooms.
The costs are the sum of:
- Fee for the organization, hiking guide and insurance during the hikes.
- Seven overnight stays from Saturday till Saturday to be booked independently (information provided).
- Three meals a day starting at dinner on Saturday and ending after lunch on the next Saturday to be paid at the various establishments.
- Transfers costs for a few taxi rides during the week.
Full Week Hiking Program.
Three hiking days, one rest day, three hiking days.
Average distance per hiking day: 19 km
The group gathers in Carapito the evening before the first walking day.
Hiking of the first 3 days starts at 9h the next day.
Day 4 is a day of rest.
After the rest day the group continues for 3 more hiking days.
3 Day Hiking Program.
Same as the first 3 days of the full week. Starting either in Carapito at Terreiros da Santa Cruz on the evening before first hiking day or at the source of the Dão on the morning of the first hiking day.
Daily program* (roughly).
7h30 am Breakfast
8h30 am Start of the day’s walk
12:30/13:00 Lunch and resting time
14:30 Continuation of the walk
19:00 Dinner
* In the case of 27+ celcius temperatures we start an hour earlier
Sleeping arrangements.
Throughout the Dão valley you can stay in simple yet comfortable Bed and Breakfasts or Hotels. Information about where you can book your overnights will be provided.
Meals and food.
Included in the sum of costs are 3 meals per day which include breakfast at the hotel or at a local café, picnic lunch provided by the hotel or bought at a local supermarket and dinner at the hotel or a restaurant in the village. We recommend hikers to additionally bring some of your favorite hiking snacks. Most things are easy to get here and can be replenished in Penalva do Castelo (hiking day 3) or Caregal do Sal (hiking day 5).
To bring:
Backpack between 30 and 40 ltrs, clothes appropriate for the weather conditions, hat, sunscreen, containers for 1.5 - 2 ltr. water, your favorite hiking snacks.
Group.
The walking group will be a maximum of 8 people including the guide.
Trail and terrain.
For the most part the Caminho do Dão is set out on unpaved rural paths and roads. At times these are rougher and more uneven than others and the grade of difficulty varies between easy and moderate. The height differences average about 300m per day.
Getting around.
When setting out the trail the goal was to move through the valley on foot as much as possible. On two days of the trail there are no places to sleep with a group and therefore the choice was made to stay at the best and nearest option possible and use taxi’s to get to and from, resulting in 3 very short taxi rides.
To get to the starting point we will make an effort to help hikers organize a taxi together or make sure you have all the information you need to travel to the nearest public transport stop in Fornos de Algodres and take a taxi from there. From Santa Comba Dão, where the Caminho ends on Saturday, you can travel to your next destination by train or bus.