Portuguese Camino

This is a walking trip. You need to be in good health to complete the walks. Please ensure you bring sturdy walking shoes and comfortable clothes. To make the most of the trip, it's best if you have at least a moderate level of fitness.

There are sections on the walk where it will not be possible to call in a taxi or any other transport.

Your main luggage will be transported between stops, but you will still carry a daypack with the essentials, such as water, snacks, a raincoat and so on.

The diversity of the seasons here makes for incredible scenery, but the weather in this region can be unpredictable. It’s best to wear layers at all times of the year in case conditions change during the day.

While this route is called Portuguese Camino, most of the walking is done on the Spanish territory.

We recommend packing light and smart for this trip as you'll be required to carry your own luggage at times, which can include going up and down multiple flights of stairs, and across cobblestones.

1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip and subject to availability at the time of booking.
2. We will transport your luggage between hotels, but you are only allowed one bag/suitcase of maximum weight 18kg. No items should be strapped to your luggage, such as shoes, walking poles, etc. Transport of any extra luggage will incur a small fee charged at the Welcome Meeting.

As well as your underwear, toothbrush and other items you always need to pack for travel, below are some items that you specifically need for this trip.

https://www.intrepidtravel.com/packing-list

MAIN LUGGAGE
You need to bring your main piece of luggage as well as a small to medium backpack for day’s walks (25-30 litres). One with waist strap would be most comfortable for all included walks

ESSENTIALS

- Day pack: for carrying essentials during activities
- Trekking clothing: A mixture covering lightweight clothing and some warm layers is recommended. Your activities will take place in the outdoors, where weather may change quickly. Lightweight, comfortable, and quick drying clothes for the activities are best. Laundry facilities may not be available on every day basis, so make sure you have a few cycles of clothes.
- Wind and waterproof jacket, waterproof over trousers.
- Hiking boots with a good grip, ankle support and waterproof membrane that are comfortable to walk for an entire day
- Walking Poles for support on steep uphill sections and longer descents
- Comfortable shoes or Sport sandals for shorter beach walks or evenings spend around accommodation
- Light jacket, fleece and base layers
- Breathable, non-cotton hiking t-shirts
- Long hiking pants or zip-offs
- Nylon hiking shorts
- Water bottle or bladder of 1-2 liters capacity: you will need water during activities and it’s best to avoid buying unnecessary plastic.
- Sun protection: sunscreen, sunglasses, sunhat or bandana
- Torch/flashlight/headtorch
- Toiletries

RECOMMENDED

- Personal medical kit. A larger kit will be on hand with your leader, but we recommend you carry items such as mild pain killers, antihistamine tablets and any personal medication you may need
- Personal reusable fork and spoon set. Many hotels in North America issue disposable cutlery with meals. We encourage all travelers to help reduce plastic waste by bringing your own cutlery set (fork and spoon only)
- Ear plugs & eye mask
- Camera with spare batteries/power bank: You will have access to power to recharge your electrical items daily
- Travel eco-friendly wipes/hand sanitizer

OPTIONAL

- Swimwear
- A good book, a journal and music player

VALUABLES

Please try to avoid bringing unnecessary valuables. It’s also recommended to bring a copy of all important documents e.g. air tickets, passport, vaccination certificate, etc. and keep the copies separate from the originals. While not valid, a photocopy makes it very much easier to obtain replacements if necessary.
If you need some further tips for packing, you can always check out our ultimate packing list.

WATER BOTTLE

Please bring your own water bottle to refill along the way (1-2 liters capacity recommended). The sale of bottled water contributes to an enormous environmental problem around the world. In addition to the water in bottles, the production of a 1 liter plastic bottle takes 2 liters of water and 200ml of oil. A large proportion end up in limited landfill or discarded in waterways and natural environments.

You’re in for a hiking trip and a good level of fitness is essential. We don't ask travellers to complete a physical participation form for this trip however we do ask you read through the trip notes carefully to ensure that this trip is the right trip for you. You must be comfortable hiking up to 8-9 hours a day, with many steep uphill sections, uneven, rocky terrain and in unpredictable weather.

If you’re already a regular exerciser, it might be an idea to up your game a little. Run those extra laps, or take few longer walks, ideally with a day pack on your back. If you’re not exercising so regularly (2-3 times a week), it’s important to start in the weeks leading up to your departure (4-6 weeks prior at least). Your best choice would be to start walking regularly 2-3 times a week including at least one longer walk (up to 15 km). It’s important to not only walk on flat surface, so if you cannot access a hilly terrain easily, walking up and down the stairs is a good replacement. Top that up with some general fitness exercises and any other cardio related classes and you will see a huge progress in your fitness levels.

Hotel Moov Porto Centro, Praça da Batalha, Porto, PORTUGAL

Situated in a historical Art Deco building from 1839, formerly housing the cinema Águia D’Ouro, Moov Hotel Porto Centro offers modern rooms with free Wi-Fi. Rooms are decorated with cinematic photography and each has a desk and a private bathroom.

Alternate Joining Point

If you arrive at Porto International Airport (airport code OPO) your best way to arrive at our hotel is by metro line E. The ride takes about 25 minutes. Exit the metro at Trindade station, from where it is another 15 minutes by foot to the hotel. Alternatively taxis are readily available outside the arrivals hall and the drive should take 15 to 20 minutes, depending on traffic.

Pre booked arrival transfer from Porto airport: If you have pre booked an arrival transfer, your transfer driver will be waiting in the arrivals hall holding a board with the Intrepid Logo or your name. In case of flight cancellations, changes, if you experience severe delays at immigration, baggage collection or customs, or if you are not able to find the driver, please contact the transfer operator directly on Intrepid Operator Number: +49 8024 467 9540 and dial 1 for Transfers.

Hotel Miradoiro de Belvis, Rua das Trompas 5, Santiago de Compostela, SPAIN, Phone: +34 981554340

Miradoiro de Belvis is located on the edge of the beautiful Parque de Belvis and is just 9 minutes walk from the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. There are many bars and restaurants within walking distance. Rooms at this hotel include en suite facilities, wifi, tv and hair dryer.

Alternate Finish Point

Due to local regulations departure transfer cannot be pre-booked and local taxis must be used.

Taxi fare from your hotel to the airport will cost approximately EUR20-30. Please ask your leader or hotel staff for assistance in arranging a taxi.

Breakfasts included: 9

Lunches included: 

Dinners included: 1

While travelling with us you'll experience the vast array of wonderful food available in the world. Your group leader or local representative will be able to suggest restaurants to try during your trip. To give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat, generally not all meals are included in the trip price. This also gives you more budgeting flexibility. As a rule our groups tend to eat together to enable you to taste a larger variety of dishes and enjoy each other's company. If you have dietary requirements and/or food allergies, please let your booking agent know prior to departure.

While travelling with us you'll experience the vast array of wonderful food available in the world. Your group leader will be able to suggest restaurants to try during your trip. To give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom to eat, generally not all meals are included in the trip price. This also gives you more budgeting flexibility. As a rule our groups tend to eat together to enable you to taste a larger variety of dishes and enjoy each other's company. There's no obligation to do this though.

Food in Europe is varied and differs significantly between countries and regions. Expect to sample delicious local meals in almost every location you’ll visit on this trip. However, if you do not feel like having a local delicacy, world type food is also widely available, especially in bigger cities. European diet is mostly meat based; vegetarians might find the menu selection less varied than they would see at home. Vegetarianism is not as common in this region and choices may be limited to soups, salads, bread, cheese, fruit, yoghurt, eggs etc. Vegans and those on gluten-free diets will find this region very challenging and may need to supplement meals with their own supplies from supermarkets and markets. Wherever possible we will cater for dietary needs for included meals, but there may be times when those with special requirements may need to provide their own.

European breakfasts are often basic and may simply include bread/toast or pastries, butter, jam, coffee/tea/juice (or similar.)

Part of this trip will lead you through the coastal part of Portugal and Spain therefore you can expect delicious and fresh seafood being available in most of the places. If you are not in to a seafood diet, there will be other options ready to choose from too.
As this is a walking trip, it will be a good idea to stock up on snacks you can fuel on during the day; mixed nuts, energy bars and sweet fruit are usually the best choice for this sort of activity.

SUMMER
Summer temperatures can be extreme in many of the regions visited (over 40°C/104°F), which can be uncomfortable. It’s important to use sun protection and drink plenty of water. Please carefully consider the time of the year you wish to travel and your suitability to that season.

SHOULDER SEASON
In contrast, weather in shoulder season can be unpredictable, and snow is not unheard of at higher altitudes. If you travel at the start or towards the end of the European season please pack accordingly with warm and/or waterproof clothes (preferably layers). The advantage of travelling during this time is that there are less tourists around.

While we always endeavour to provide the best possible holiday experience, due to the nature of travel and the areas we visit sometimes things can and do go wrong. Should any issue occur while you are on your trip, it is imperative that you discuss this with your group leader or local representative straight away so that they can do their best to rectify the problem and save any potential negative impact on the rest of your trip.

We recognise that there may be times when your group leader or local representative may not be able to resolve a situation to your satisfaction - if this is the case, please ask the group leader or local representative to speak to their direct manager.

You may also choose to provide details in your online feedback, which we ask you to complete within 30 days of the end of your trip. Please do be aware that it is very difficult for us to provide any practical help after the trip is completed, so informing us while still travelling will give us the opportunity to resolve the issue in real-time.

For general contact details please use the following page: https://www.intrepidtravel.com/contact-us

If you experience severe delays at immigration, baggage collection or customs, or if you are not able to find to the driver, please contact our local operations office : Intrepid Operator Number: +49 8677 918 6657 and dial 1 for Transfers

In case of a genuine crisis or emergency, you can reach our local office on the numbers below:

Intrepid's Local Operator: +49 8024 4679 540

The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation.

Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available.

We've sourced our accommodation very carefully and picked the best possible hotels in line with the Intrepid style of travel, but please note that service and accommodation in Europe may be different to the standards you are used to. Your accommodation may not always have private en suite facilities or air-conditioning. European hotels generally don't provide kettles or fridges and in particular destinations, rooms may be rather small.

OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION
The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances.

TWIN SHARE
Accommodation on this trip is on a twin-share basis. We pair up solo travellers with another traveller of the same gender as per the gender marker on each of their passports. Please note there may be times where facilities will be shared rather than ensuite (even when you book single room supplement).

CHECK-IN TIME
Throughout the trip we request that our hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination.

PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION
If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (if available), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights.

This is a walking trip so the most of transportation is going to be done on foot. From Porto to Oia, where the walking starts, you will be transferred by a minivan. There may also be small sections that we will cover by taxis, to either the start of the walk, or from the end of it, only to avoid walking on busy roads.