A2Z Adventures blog

Our new 5 day walking and mountain biking tours are a great option for a shorter stay in Portugal or for those who wish to extend their stay in Lisboa or Porto, getting to know one of the most pristine areas in Portugal - the Schist Villages region.

Starting at only 300€, these new tours can be adapted to your specific needs and, because you will stay in only one inn, you won´t have to deal with constant transfers.
Low-cost flights from several major airports in Europe to Lisboa and Porto make these tours even more appealing.
Now is the time - discover Portugal with us!

For more information and prices, please go to www.a2z-adventures.com

Here´s another (very) good reason to visit Portugal - Wine Spectator magazine just ranked “Quinta do Crasto Reserva Vinhas Velhas 2005″, a wine from the Douro region, number 3 in their list of “Most exciting wines of 2008″!

From Wine Spectator:

In 2008, we reviewed more than 19,500 wines from around the world in blind tastings. More than 5,300 of them earned outstanding ratings (90 points or higher on our 100-point scale). We then narrowed the list down based on four criteria: quality (represented by score); value (reflected by release price); availability (measured by case production or cases imported); and an X-factor we call excitement. But no equation determines the final selections: These choices reflect our editors’ judgment and passion about the wines we tasted.

Fourteen countries are represented, making the 2008 list the most diverse group in the history of the Top 100, which debuted in 1988. Quality remains high, with an average score of 93 points, consistent with the past two years.

Peneda-Gerês National Park, in Portugal, received the important PAN Parks certification. PAN Parks was created by WWF. With this certification, Peneda-Gerês National Park, joins the European network of best wilderness areas!

PAN Parks is the world’s first operational, third-party certification system under WCPA (World Commission on Protected Areas) Framework for Management Effectiveness. PAN Parks sets an important benchmark for high standards of management in protected area management.

The magnificent Peneda-Gerês National Park is a wild and dramatic place consisting of two main mountain ranges Peneda and Gerês with rural villages scattered around. Brooks and waterfalls are common at every mountain slope as the park is crossed by several rivers.

(PAN Parks)

A2Z Adventures takes you to Peneda-Gerês National Park.

Join us in our Gerês, The Sheppard´s Way Hiking Tour.

Having fun in the Roman ruins of Miróbriga, the Canadian way!

The Tour de Portugal (Alentejo Coast and Hills of Algarve, September 2008) was absolutely fantastic and far exceeded my expectations.
It was fantastic from beginning too end.

Everything you did exceeded my expectations from getting picked up at the airport without asking, providing unbelievable biking routes and maps, great unique hotel experiences  to being great people too spend a week with.

I would recommend this trip too any bike rider looking for fun and adventure.

Geoffrey Glotman - Vancouver, Canada.

Best holiday I have ever had!! The part of Portugal that our guides Pedro and Marco lead us through is a amazing unspoiled part of Europe with beautiful meandering roads that seemed like they were our own.

The riding was challenging and very enjoyable with great stops to view the historical sites along the way. The hotels they chose because of their very different surroundings and aesthetic made the trip so wonderfully eclectic and every meal was outstanding.

Ross Bonetti - Vancouver, Canada.

When your guide tells you to go to a football match dressed in green (Sporting Lisboa) and the stadium has 60.000 people dressed in red (Benfica fans) you should think twice…

Sporting and Benfica are Portugal’s main teams and also huge rivals from the same city.

The brave Canadian gang from our recent Alentejo Coast and Hills of Algarve bike tour went to the game… wearing green. They will never forget this crazy night in Lisboa!

Thanks guys, you rock!

Pedro

A2Z Adventures never stops!

Last week (August 30-September 7) we organized the 2008 Historical Villages of Portugal Mountain Biking trip, sponsored by Gary Fisher and Centro de Portugal; 9 days with 7 days of riding, covering more than 500 km of trails connecting 10 Historical Villages of Central Portugal.

Check out the stats of the last days of riding:

Stage 7: Piódão-Castelo Novo, 86,5km done in 6h30min, average speed 13,2 km/h.

Stage 6: Linhares da Beira-Piódão, 76,7 km done in 6h29min, average speed 11,8 kmh.

Stage 5: Marialva-Linhares da Beira, 66 km done in 4h40min, average speed 14,2 kmh.
Stage 4: Almeida-Marialva, 73 km done in 5h.
Stage 3: Sortelha-Almeida, passing by Castelo Mendo, 90 km done in 5h44min, average speed 16,9 kmh, 8h30min total time.

The “peloton” had 9 bikers (eight Portuguese and one Swiss). During this intense week of riding, riders had the Gary Fisher support tent waiting for them after the day´s ride, with fresh fruit and Isostar energy bars and isotonic drinks. The mechanics from Central Bikes and GarBike were also there to look after the bikes. Some local mayors, from Aldeia Nova, Celorico da Beira, Dornelas do Zêzere and Arganil, offered snacks to the riders. We would like to thank them for the gracious support.

Like it happens every year, the Grande Rota had some sections that were paved recently. We are working on the re-routing of this great ride, to avoid asphalt and also offer even more fun trails do next year´s group. We gathered geo-referenced information of signing faults along the way so we can make a re-routing proposal to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Grande Rota.

The weather was not so hot as last year, so we had less dust and less flat tyres (not so dry = less thorns).

During the farewell dinner, in Fundão, along with the diplomas, we gave away a brand new Gary Fisher mountain bike worth 880€ - this bike was offered to Sérgio Silveiras by Bicimax, Gary Fisher´s distributor in Portugal.

Next year we may have some more surprises. Stay tuned and visit www.a2z-adventures.com

Grande Rota das Aldeias Históricas Gary Fisher 2008

A A2Z Adventures de novo em actividade… esteve no terreno, de 30 de Agosto a 7 de Setembro, a edição 2008 da Grande Rota das Aldeias Históricas patrocinada pela Gary Fisher e pelo Centro de Portugal. Foram 9 dias e 7 etapas a pedalar, cobrindo mais de 500 km de trilhos passando por 10 Aldeias Históricas do Centro de Portugal.

Eis um resumo das últimas etapas:
7ª etapa: Piódão - Castelo Novo: 86,5km done em 6h30min a andar, velocidade média 13,2 kmh.
6ª etapa: Linhares - Piódão: 76,7 km done em 6h29min a andar, velocidade média 11,8 kmh.
5ª etapa, Marialva - Linhares da Beira: 66 km em 4h40 a andar, velocidade média 14,2 kmh, 6h30 tempo total.
4ª etapa, Almeida - Marialva: 73 km em 5h a andar ;
3ª etapa, Sortelha - Almeida, passando por Castelo Mendo: 90 km em 5h44min a andar, velocidade média 16,9 kmh, 8h30min tempo total.

O pelotão teve a participação de 9 ciclistas (8 portugueses e um suiço) que no final das etapas foram recebidos na Tenda Gary Fisher, onde frutas frescas, barras e bebidas energéticas Isostar os esperavam. O staff mecânico das lojas Central Bikes e Gar Bike esteve também no final de algumas etapas de modo a todas as máquinas estarem a postos diariamente. Algumas autarquias locais ofereceram lembranças e snacks aos participantes como a Junta de Freguesia de JF Aldeia Nova, CM Celorico da Beira, JF de Dornelas do Zêzere e CM Arganil. Obrigado a todos.

Como noutros anos, a rota apresentou alterações de condições em diversas secções com alguns pavimentos melhorados (mesmo asfaltados) mas sem apresentar zonas muito degradadas que impedissem a sua ciclabilidade. O calor este ano não foi demasiado forte, chegando mesmo a registar-se um dia de temporal na passagem pela serra da estrela, o que levou a menos pó e menos furos que em anteriores edições. A organização recolheu ainda informação geo-referenciada sobre as faltas de marcações de modo a apresentar um projecto de renovação pela altura do décimo aniversário da GR…

No jantar final, em conjunto com a entrega dos diplomas de participação, foi sorteada uma bicicleta Gary Fisher no valor de 880€ (oferecida pelo importador da Gary Fisher, a empresa Bicimax) que foi ganha pelo Sérgio Silveiras, um dos finalizadores da Grande Rota.

Para o ano prometem-se mais algumas surpresas…

Ride your bike, practice Yoga every day and learn how to prepare traditional Portuguese meals in this very special tour. Combine fun with a healthy lifestyle while visiting one of the most beautiful and remote regions of Portugal - Beira Baixa.

Check out the complete itinerary here.

This great trip now costs only 1500€.

This price includes: all accommodations, 6 dinners, 1 picnic, 2 guides, all Yoga and Cooking classes, transfers, A2Z Adventures t-shirt and water bottle.

The dates 2009 dates are: April 18-25 and June 21-28.

The number of spots is limited and the deadline for registration is August 15. Don´t miss our great Historical Villages Trail mountain biking trip that happens August 30 - September 7, 2008.

This is one of the most challenging mountain bike rides in Portugal - we are talking about 535 km (335 miles) of pure mountain biking, through the remote 12th Century Historical Villages of Portugal region. September´s 08 edition of this ride is sponsored by Gary Fisher and has a very interesting price!
And one of the participants will take home a brand new Gary Fisher Genesis hartail bike, worth 880€.

Glenys Rendell, from Australia, trying to convince Manuel Francisco to take her up the hill in his tractor. In the end she had to ride her bike…