Sagres Tours and Trips

Susi was a superb guide, hands down the best I’ve had with Explore (and I’ve been on several Explore trips.). She’s the kind of person who’s just made for this kind of work (although she has done other work as well.). The kind of person I’d want to be friends with outside of an Explore trip, that is for sure. She made the whole trip enjoyable. I’d just bet she could have done that if our hiking weather was bad (but it wasn’t.) I don’t think we had any issue the entire trip (except maybe the one day the hotel didn’t have coffee at breakfast because the machine broke, so we just had some at a cafe during a short break period.). However, she gave me the impression that she had the confidence to deal with issues if they happened our way. I told her at the end of the trip, in a note that I included with my tip, that she completely made me forget that I was turning 68 in November. She made 38 miles over five days seem like a walk in the park. She was always encouraging, also solicitous (but not excessively so.) Susi is Austrian but lives in Barcelona (and travelled a lot in Europe) so that was a plus for me in getting intel over dinner for future travel plans. She knew plenty about Portugal as well and helped fill in my information gaps nicely. I think you will be fortunate to keep her working for Explore. She will make travelers want to come back for more. I understand she has done biking and cultural trips, as well at the hiking ones, which didn’t surprise me a bit. She’s enthusiastic about all of it.

Cycling this pristine coastline was an absolute privilege in many ways .The geography was stunning ,more importantly the Exodus leadership , Joao and Victor , our support were superb and facilitated a great group dynamic .The accommodation was very comfortable at the end of a hard days cycling and meals arranged were more than adequate

The perfect balance along the gorgeous coast of Portugal! Superb host in Joao and his wingman, Vitor, who led us down beautiful mostly dirt trails. We had just the right amount of side adventures for variety and uniquely enjoyable places to rest our heads each night. Excellent dining with everyone, too! Whether experienced or novice, you’ll love it! We completed our trip September 13th.

This was a wonderful trip which exceeded my expectations in many ways: the diversity of landscapes, the variety of walks (cliffs, headlands, dunes, rocky paths) and the knowledge and care of our local guides.

Why isn’t the southwest coast of Portugal talked about worldwide as a gorgeous destination? The scenery was spectacular day after day. This trip, just completed yesterday (Sept 13, 2026) was easily one of the best cycling trips we’ve ever taken. Our guide João Colaço and support man-of-many-skills Vitor delivered a perfect, memorable experience with every minute detail organized and managed with forethought and professionalism. The riding had its challenges, and I would encourage anyone waffling between e-bike or regular bike to opt for the ebike, which made the climbs very comfortable. Our e-bikes were the best e-bikes we have ever ridden, with ample power and comfort, while taking a beating on some of the gravel roads. The food, organized by João and Vitor, was as amazing as you might imagine, from fresh fish to octopus to lamb, shellfish, and fruits and pastries. Accommodations were lovely and uncrowded, all locally owned and very charming. João’s daily briefings included expectations for the next day as well as updates on weather and wind, and cultural and historical notes. He has a vast knowledge of Portuguese history and culture and entertained us with his orientations to all the local spots. He and Vitor are truly exceptional guides, and I can’t commend them highly enough.

This was our sixth Exodus trip (and overall one of the best). The walks were interesting with spectacular scenery and varied wildlife (both flora and fauna), and we learnt a new definition of the term 'more or less flat'. The hotels were all good, the first two full of character and the final one in a great location with magnificent views over Sagres harbour and with extraordinarily helpful staff. The hotel breakfasts offered great variety and were excellent fuel for the mornings’ walking. The non-walking activities were well-chosen and interesting. There were visits to a ceramics workshop and an artisan olive oil presser which were fascinating and the tasting at the high tech Vicentino winery very near the Alentejo coast offered a different dimension. The wines were very good, with a noticeable salty tang. The walks were on paths that were generally good or very good, other than about 1km on day 6 which is over broken rock, but trail shoes or boots should have good treads as some short sections were quite loose and eroded (and could have been slippery if the ground had been wet). We were a little late for the best of the wild flowers on the dunes but they were still very varied and attractive. We saw storks nesting on rock pinnacles just offshore (apparently the only place in the world where they nest on sea stacks) and were lucky enough to see three peregrine falcons on one of the coastal walks. Overall, this was a great week with friendly and amusing companions from Canada, Scotland and England and superlative guides. If we did it again, we would probably go in the late Spring rather than the early Summer, both to have slightly more varied wild flowers and (perhaps!) to avoid walking in 34 degrees in the hills, but we would thoroughly recommend the trip.