Our Paiva Walkways Private Tour will dazzle you.

The Paiva Walkaways were the winner of the World Travel Awards in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019!

It is a 8 km boardwalk through ruggedly beautiful scenery in Arouca Geopark, a UNESCO Geological site. Zig-zagging down rocky hillsides, hugging cliff faces and winding along the left bank of the Paiva River, the walk is easy and the stairway that go up and down the valley are stunning!

After the walking, is time to get back the energy you spent with a delicious traditional lunch in a typical Portuguese restaurant.

Have an unforgettable day with our Paiva Walkways private tour.

Get ready to be amazed by one of Europe’s most beautiful river walks! Paiva Walkways follow the Paiva River for 8 km, offering glorious views and an incredible connection with nature.

Visit Paiva Walkways with time and tranquility. Paiva Walkways (Passadiços do Paiva) are a tourist equipment located in the municipality of Arouca, integrated in the territory of Arouca Geopark and allowing the observation of the Paiva Valley.

The private tour allows us to tailor the departure time to your preferences and the characteristics of your group. In the case of multigenerational families or just groups of friends with a different interest in walking, this is the ideal solution!

The trip from Porto is through Arouca. By choosing to travel with us on a private tour, you will have the opportunity to visit this village a little more calmly, famous for its 17th-century monastery (built over a former 10th-century building) and its delicious cuisine, where regional delicacy stands out. “Castanhas Doces”, “Roscas” or “Barrigas de Freira” and arouquesa PDO meat.

After this introduction to the region, our suggestion is to continue on our way towards Paiva Walkways, starting at the entrance to Areinho.

The Walkway route is approximately 8 km long and has an imposing staircase in the Paiva’s Gorge area, just after the Alvarenga bridge, which allows a fantastic view over the valley and, at the beginning of the descent, over the Aguieiras waterfall.

After this initial challenge, the route becomes much more accessible, providing an easy walk through the river beach of Vau, from which the riverbed widens and the gorge gives way to a more open landscape. At Vau you will have the opportunity to rest for a while if you wish and enjoy the famous suspension bridge from which you can watch the river upstream and downstream.

The pace of the walk will always be set by you, with the constant accompaniment and care of our guide. Here you can leave the route if you want a shorter program or due to physical / weather conditions, etc.

By choosing the private option, you can also create different “difficulty levels” for the various elements of your group. If the group’s availability for walking is heterogeneous, we can start and finish at different points, grouping again for a fantastic lunch!

The tour continues along the banks of the river, where you can see a series of rapids such as the rapid of the wall, the rapid of the “Três Saltinhos”, the rapid of the “Escadinhas” or the largest and most famous “Gola do Salto”, where the riverbed presents a 3 to 4 meters difference, forming a very difficult obstacle, which is integrated in competition of sports of Bravas waters, and being advised against its use in commercial activities of these sports.

Your tour ends at the Espiunca River Beach, where we will have the transfer available to Alvarenga. In Alvarenga we have a typical meal that will help us recover all our energy!

We propose a menu consisting of regional entrees (cheese and sausages), followed by the typical Arouquesa steak, a piece of PDO beef of exceptional quality and a good selection of desserts. All accompanied by the region’s fantastic green wine and finished with a local liqueur tasting.

Overall, we can say that this is a perfect option for those who want to enjoy the nature, culture and cuisine of this region with all comfort and at your own pace.

Join us. Do a Private Detour!