Tours

Our Tours and Retreats

Choose Happiness Adventures offers self-guided walking tours along the various routes of the Camino and cycling tours of both routes for the Caminho Português.

The Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of St. James, is the name of the pilgrimage routes to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Tradition has it the remains of the saint are buried in the Cathedral of Santiago.

In addition to our tours on the Camino de Santiago, we offer other walking or driving adventures in Portugal as well as Yoga Retreats in beautiful spots around the world.

Please click on our Vacation/Yoga Retreats tab to view our current retreat offering.

Camino Francés

The French Way or the Camino Francés is the route with the most deep-rooted historical tradition and it is the most popular one. The main routes of the Camino Francés in France and Spain were described in detail around 1135 in Codex Calixtinus, an essential book on Jacobean cultural tradition.

Caminho Português da Costa

The Portuguese Coastal Way or Caminho Português da Costa is a stunning alternative route of the Portuguese Camino de Santiago. This route, which heads north following the Atlantic coast of Portugal and Spain, was used by Queen Isabel of Portugal (1271 – 1336) to make at least one pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

Caminho Português Traditional

The Caminho Português is a fantastic route for pilgrims looking for a more rural and less crowded experience on the Camino de Santiago. A wide range of landscapes await on this section of the Camino, as we walk from Portugal into Galicia. This Camino route passes many lovely rural villages with magnificent Baroque churches and interesting historic towns, such as Barcelos and Ponte de Lima. You will walk past terraced fields, lush forests, vineyards and peaceful sleepy villages.

Vacation/Yoga Retreats

The main purpose of a vacation/yoga retreat is to help break away from the everyday life and move into a space that helps to discover and reestablish oneself by growing spiritually as well as physically. It releases limitations, fears and takes to a world of new possibilities. The best part about a Vacation/Yoga Retreat is its easy accessibility for all as it doesn’t restrain people based on body type or age. It relieves a person from the stressful life without following any stringent course, but by following a few optional Yoga Asanas.

Explore the Douro Valley

Explore the picturesque slopes and valleys of this UNESCO World Heritage Landscape. Follow unpaved roads and footpaths walking village to village. Enjoy picnic lunches and visits to local wine estates where you will be able to sample award winning table, port and moscatel wines. The Bread and Wine Museum will give you an appreciation of local traditions and wine production. Witness the year round activity involved in tending the vines.

The Atlantic Coastal Route

Explore the Costa Verde Coast of Portugal. Walk northward from Porto to the little town of Caminha on the river bordering Spain. You will experience the beautiful sometimes rugged Atlantic Coastline, small fishing villages and seaside resort towns. At times during this adventure you will head inland to walk through fields, forests and villages. This tour has relatively short walking distances which allow for leisurely days with plenty of time to explore the towns and villages and possibly even take a break while walking for a swim or some beach time.

Camino Costa da Morte

The Camino Costa da Morte pre-dates Christianity, as pagans would head to Fisterra on the Costa da Morte (Coast of Death) where they believed the sun died and the worlds of the dead and the living became closer. This route is much less travelled than the other routes.

Camino Inglés

The Camino Inglés was mostly used in the past by pilgrims coming from Northern Europe, Britain and Ireland, this route was also an important trading route. On this tour, you will enjoy nice coastal views for the first two walking days. This is a lovely route which is less travelled than the other main Camino routes.

Finisterre Muxia Extension

The Finisterre Muxia Extension is a unique Camino Route as it begins in Santiago de Compostela. It is generally added on to the route pilgrims take to reach Santiago in the first place. On our tour we will begin walking back to the cathedral from the wild Atlantic shore of Muxia where we can view the beautiful and famous Nosa Señora da Barca (Our Lady of the Boat) church. This circular journey qualifies you for the Compostela. This tour is for those who have limited time to walk a Camino.

Peneda-Gerês National Park

This beautiful national park in the northern region of Portugal will have you exploring picturesque authentic villages in the foothills of the Amarela Mountains. You will view ancient community farming practices using terraced plots and vineyards. You will also view some of the ancient water mills that were so important for the grinding of corn and wheat in the self-sufficient communities within the park. You will see a natural pool where you may wish to take a dip. You may even see some long-horned cow and flocks of sheep as they wander about grazing in the countryside.

Alto Minho Adventure

This self-guided walking and cycling tours will help you experience the highlights of both the coastal and inland parts in the Minho region. Very few visitors get to fully appreciate this gorgeous green landscape and the fascinating culture of the region. This adventure begins and ends in the beautiful coastal city of Viana do Castelo. You will delight in the sights and tastes of this region as you cycle and walk. This is a truly beautiful region of Portugal.

 

Get Inspired for Your Next Trip with Choose Happiness Adventures

If you've ever dreamed of walking a section of the Camino de Santiago, but have been stopped by the uncertainty of how to begin planning such an adventure, let us do the planning and guide you on one of our upcoming tours.

The Camino is a place of journey, a place of transformation. Each year hundreds of thousands of people of varying backgrounds walk the Camino de Santiago. Yes, some people walk the Camino for religious reasons, others walk for spiritual reasons, some walk just because it is a long walk and then others walk to solve one of life’s questions or to simply get away from it all. No matter what your reasons for taking on the challenge of the Camino, you will enjoy your time and return home with a sense of pride and extreme accomplishment.

Have you wondered about a Vacation/Yoga Retreat? We offer Vacation/Yoga Retreats in beautiful locations around the world. Our Yoga Teachers are Yoga Alliance Certified and have completed at least 200 hours of intensive teacher training. A Vacation/Yoga Retreat may just be the answer to opening the door to a wonderful new world for you. Why not check out our current offering and join us on an experience of a lifetime in a glorious part of our world.

On our trips, you will experience the wonders of the Camino or the country of our current Retreat, you will feel the relaxed life of the region, you’ll explore the small towns in the area, you will dine on magnificent local food and wine. At the end of each day, you will feel a sense of satisfaction.

view photo gallery

Our Current Tour Offerings

Choose Happiness Adventures is offering self-guided walking and cycling tours on the Caminho Português. Choose your own dates and the route you would like to walk or cycle to Santiago de Compostela from Porto to Santiago de Compostela.

If walking a pilgrimage is not for you, we offer self-guided walking tours and a self-driving tour in the northern area of Portugal as well.

We offer self-guided and cycling tours year-round. (See descriptions below)

For Autumn 2020

We are once again offering a week-long Vacation/Yoga Retreat in the Minho Region of Portugal. Our yoga retreat blends good health with good living! Stay in a stunning country estate in the unspoiled Minho countryside. This restored seventeenth-century manor house is situated within an extensive vineyard within walking distance to the oldest village in Portugal, Ponte de Lima.

We are also offering another Vacation/Yoga Retreat on the Italian island of Sicily with several side excursions included. Our villa is located outside the small village of Trecastagni on the south-eastern slopes of Mount Etna and offers stunning views of the volcano and of the Sicilian coast. The villa has plenty of space to relax or mingle with others, it is up to you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~