Portugal Rafting Adventures

Portugal Rafting

photo from our Portugal rafting trips

The North of Portugal is particularly popular for rafting as it has spectacular mountainous scenery and clean, fast flowing rivers. We currently offer two Portugal rafting trips: if you’re relatively new to rafting or if you’re coming as a family then we’d recommend our rafting trip on the Rio Minho. If you are an experienced rafter or looking for more of an adrenalin rush then we’d suggest a trip down the Rio Paiva.

Rafting in the Rio Minho

The Minho River is an excellent rafting river for beginners combining a number of white water rapids with calmer stretches to learn new rafting skills and enjoy the beauty of the valley, dive and swim in the water. The route starts in Spain, a few kilometres over the border then heads down river for 18km weaving across the Spanish and Portuguese borders. The trip takes between 2 and 5 hours depending on the speed of the current and the number of stops made.

The best time for rafting on the Minho is from March to November when it is warmer so that you can enjoy a dip in the river. However it is possible to raft all year round bearing in mind that the route will be faster in winter as the water levels will be higher.

The rafting trip could be combined with other activites such as rappel (abseiling), bridge jumping, paintball, canyoning or hiking.

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Rafting in the Rio Paiva

The Paiva River is known as the best rafting river in Portugal and our rafting trip is a 10km descent from Arouca to Castelo de Paiva e Cinfaes. This route was picked to combine a really exciting stretch of the river with safety and convenience (accessibility). The meeting point can vary but is usually 45 minutes from Porto and has good access.

The Paiva River is characterised by its steep granite laced banks, dense green vegetation and unspoilt natural beauty. It is one of the clearest rivers in Europe and there is an abundance of fish, birds and you may even catch a glimpse of an otter or other wild animal. The river’s rocky landscape, considerable slope, winding journey and relatively narrow bed offer lots of rafting fun and natural obstacles including water falls, waves, holes, bends, trees, jumps etc. It is however safe for relatively inexperienced rafters and has varied grades of difficulty.

The river is fed by the rain water and the rafting season usually starts around the end of October and finishes in the beginning of June. This rafting trip can also be combined with a number of other fun activities.