Extreme Serra do Gerês – Hiking

Our adventure begins in the small village of Xertelo. We follow an old “levada” and several trails used by the shepherds the will Lage dos Bois and Sesta de Lamalonga here the landscape passes from peaks to valleys and meadows where we can observe horses and cattle.

We climbed up to “lavaria das minas dos carris” used to wash the rocks from the mine of Carris to extract wolfram, where at the top we can see the ruins of the mines and the village that served the workers. We will then make a stop to refresh ourselves in a small dam and have lunch.

Once the forces are restored, we continued towards the Spanish border to reach the highest point of Gerês and second highest in continental Portugal, the Pico da Nevosa at 1548 meters high. Here we can glimpse distant mountains such as the mountains of Suido, Paradanta and Faro de Avión in Galicia and to the northeast the mountains of Manzaneda in the province of Asturias and the one of S. Mamede in Portugal.

For the return we will use the trails available along the Garganta das Negras, passing through Curral da Matança to Chã de Susana where the trail improves. Here we will have as company the enormous “mariolas” (piles of stones) that characterize that area. We will finally reach the road that will take us back to Xertelo.

This walk is particularly demanding both technically and physically. This is why prior hiking experience is required and participants should be in good physical condition. On the way we will find steep slopes and more difficult terrain in some areas. The length of the walk may vary depending on the physical conditions of the participants and the season.

The route does not allow meals in catering units and it is, therefore, the responsibility of each one to carry the food and drink necessary for the entire journey.

It’s advisable to wear comfortable clothing and footwear suitable for high demanding hiking.