Portugal 4X4 Adventure

The whole length of Portugal off the tarmac, in your own 4×4. Ten days running south west to north east, from the Atlantic cliffs of the Vicentine Coast to the forested hills beyond Braganca, crossing six natural parks and reserves on the way.

The ground changes completely as the route climbs inland. It begins on the coastal tracks of the Vicentine Coast Natural Park, where the Atlantic does the talking, then crosses the rolling cork-oak farmland of the Alentejo and climbs into the Monchique mountains. North of there the route works over the Tejo and the Douro into the quiet corner of the country almost nobody visits, where the terrain turns properly mountainous.

Some of the nights are wild camps, in spots the operator knows and a visitor would never find alone, which is much of what you are paying a guide for. Lake kayaking is built into the days, and the trip opens with a welcome barbecue and briefing the evening before day one and closes with breakfast the morning after day ten.

Active 4×4 Adventures include all three meals a day throughout, every campsite fee, the wild camping nights and the kayaking. You bring the vehicle and its fuel and get yourself to the start. The price is per person based on two adults sharing a vehicle, with a supplement for a single traveller or a third adult. For a first long overland trip in your own vehicle, Portugal is a forgiving place to do it and the variety across ten days is hard to beat.