An Adventure Through The Schist Villages Of Lousã

Well, what a lovely half day tour we had with Sergio! We were shown 2 very different villages, both amazing in their own way. Sergio gave us plenty of information and took us around the first village but we were left to wander around the second one at our leisure which we appreciated. It was a lovely experience. Sergio spoke excellent English and was a very friendly and enthusiastic guide. He was always willing to answer any questions - we learnt so much that afternoon! Would definitely recommend this tour - a fabulous 4 hours!

We had an enjoyable day visiting 4 villages, enjoying a traditional lunch , great views of the mountains and valleys . Our guide Miguel was knowledgeable and showed interest in us . We highly recommend the tour

Great day with Sérgio. He is knowledgeable on a wide variety of subjects. I really enjoyed learning about some of the landscape challenges with invasive species and fire on our drive. The villages are beautiful and we enjoyed exploring them. Like nothing I have seen before. I definitely recommend Sérgio for a super experience.

Sérgio was a perfect and kind tour guide. He was so knowledgeable about Portuguese history. We toured around the mountainous region and explored the historic villages where goat herders lived for the season. The dwellings were lovely 🥰.

Amazing tour. If you're thinking about it, stop and just book. This tour was amazing and he took us to two different places. All villages look basically the same, but the one he took us too wasn't built up at all so you see how it was before it's all remodeled and tourist take over.

We were surprised that this was a private tour, so well worth the money. Sergio was very pleasant and knowledgeable and even took pictures himself which he later forwarded to us. This allowed us to enjoy the activity freely. Great driving skills, do not attempt at home!

We recently had the pleasure of visiting the Schist Villages and it was truly a memorable experience. The scenery is absolutely stunning — charming stone houses, peaceful forests, and breathtaking mountain views everywhere you look. The villages feel authentic and wonderfully preserved, offering a glimpse into traditional Portuguese life. Our tour was well organized and relaxed, giving us enough time to explore, take photos, and enjoy the atmosphere without feeling rushed. It’s the perfect destination if you enjoy nature, history, and beautiful small villages off the beaten path. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Portugal who wants to experience something unique and truly picturesque!

"We have an absolutely wonderful tour experience! Everything was incredibly interesting, and our guide was very engaging and friendly. The entire tour was just perfect—I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Highly recommend it!"

We visited 3 of the villages and it was interesting to see the differences. It is an area that if you have the weather you could have a great time exploring the trails. Sérgio was great company and we were well looked after.

We had an incredible, informative tour of two Schist villages with our tour guide Sergio. After our tour we received numerous photos (taken by Sergio) that documented our day in the villages. We had family visiting from Canada and this tour was a very impressive reflection of life in Portugal in the Schist Villages of Lousã!

An excellent afternoon in an area we knew little about. Collected promptly, great commentary on the drive to the mountains followed by a wealth of knowledge shared about these villages. An illuminating experience added to by the sharing of wonderful photographs taken and restaurant ideas. Fascinating.

Sergio was an exceptional, friendly, knowledgeable guide. He made sure that we had ample time to explore and capture some great photos of a truly memorable day. Highlights were a visit with a local resident in Gondramaz and coffee at a bar/cafe in Talasnal. Highly recommended this tour.

Our guide Fatima was fantastic! She was very accommodating and extremely knowledgeable about the history and practices of the region. We learned a lot and appreciated experiencing this unique part of the world.

We had a great experience visiting the Xisto Villages with Sergio and his jeep. He is very knowledgable about the regions and about Portugal history in general, and kept it interesting and entertaining while we visited Gondramaz and Talasnal, and drove through the panoramic roads and dense forests. We loved the experienced and recommend to everyone!

We highly recommend leaving the cities for an afternoon with Sergio in the Lousa mountain area. We visited two schist villages, Gondramaz and Talasnal. Very different from each other, both are a treasure. Sergio is knowledgeable of the history and details of the villages, the people, the mountain and all it offers the area. The roads are mountainous and Sérgio is an experienced, safe driver. A perfect afternoon in a beautiful, historical area of Portugal.

Great adventure! Sergio was knowledgeable, super guide and really made the trip extremely interesting. He was a wealth of information and was easy to talk to. Highly recommend, you won’t be disappointed.

Fatima was our guide and she arrived at our accomodation promptly, drove us safely, and was wonderful company. She was very informative about the Coimbra district as well as the the villages themselves. We visited Gondramaz and another 1 which I can’t name but was also fascinating. We thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and rate it as a highlight of our month in Europe. Thank you Fatima, we highly recommend your tour

We were picked up at our hotel in Coimbra and transported to charming remote mountain villages. Sergio was knowledgeable, professional, personable, patient w our questions and enthusiastic about his home region. He is a very competent driver, both on the streets of Coimbra as well as the narrow, winding roads above Lousa - and his jeep is very clean! This experience exceeded our expectations.

The tour was great. Sergio was very knowledgeable and professional and the villages were interesting and picturesque. He even sent photos he took which was a nice added touch.

We had a great afternoon and really enjoyed the tour. Sergio and Fatima are amazing guides. We learned a lot about the history of the schist villages and as it was a private tour we could also chat about everything else. They even brought a DSLR to shoot beautiful photos of our trip and sent them to us for free. I can strongly recommend the tour to everyone who planned a stay in or around Coimbra!

The tour exceeded my expectations, Sergio was very knowledgeable and made a pleasant day , we had plenty of time to look around , take Photos and even to stop for a beer. Sergio even bought us a cake 😃

Sérgio was very knowledgeable regarding the history and culture of the Schist villages. He “brought them to life”. Was very patient answering our questions (and we had a lot!).

Sergio is a special guide. He is passionate, knows a lot about ecology and history, is patient, generous and drives safely. If you want more than a guide for your adventures in central Portugal, no one better than Sergio.

Sergio and Fatima did an excellent job showing us the Schist villages. They are both friendly, knowledgeable and have excellent English skills. They are also good drivers. The villages are very beautiful and interesting to walk around. We learned a lot of history and about local plants and geology. A great afternoon activity.

Sergio was such a friendly and knowledgeable guide. He knew we were both geologists so he took the time to explain the local geology to us. He knew so many details about the schist villages and the differences in their present day uses. It was a joy have chosen this tour.

Sergio was a super nice guide with a great deal of information on the environment, the history of the area, flora and fauna. His vehicle was clean and sturdy, and we negotiated the rough roads beautifully. He tailored the tour to my interests. I learned so much and enjoyed myself thoroughlly. I highly recommend the tour!! Plus, he took photos and uploaded them, so I didn't have to, and could focus on the activity,

There was three of us on the tour and right from the start he made us completely comfortable. Glad we got the chance to see.

First off, it was so easy to book our tour. We weren't sure of the weather, so booked a tour 2 days prior. Sergio picked us up at our hotel and drove us up the Lousa mountain. The mountain and Schist villages were beautiful even in the rain. Sergio was very knowledgeable about the area's history, flora and fauna, and answered all of our questions. He also took a lot of awesome photos which he sent to us after the tour. On our way to the second Schist village, the roads were blocked by downed trees from the previous night's windstorm. No worries, Sergio had a plan B - we visited an artists' "sanctuary," instead. He knew the roads like the back of his hand and was a very safe driver. We highly recommend Sergio and this tour.

I highly recommend this excursion with Sergio! He is a knowledgeable, friendly young man who was a pleasure to spend time with, and who provided a comfortable, hugely enjoyable and immensely interesting afternoon in the Schist Villages of Serra Lousa! He is a very good driver and the tour was very relaxed and well-paced, allowing me time to enjoy soaking up the incredible ambiance of these charming, historic time capsules that have been so lovingly restored. This makes for a wonderful day trip from Coimbra. Book it!

Sergio, my guide was terrific. He picked me up on time, was professional, knew the area really well and was very personable. The villages have a unique history and the countryside was beautiful. I would highly recommend this tour to see a different part of Portugal.

We had a fantastic and personal experience on this tour, as it was just the two of us. Our guide, Sergio, was punctual and knowledgeable. We started with a visit to the Moorish Castle viewpoint, followed by the abandoned village of Candal, which felt mystical with its pristine condition, streams, and charming paths. Next, we saw the picturesque windmill farms, and then we explored the lively Talisnal village with its quaint shops, trails, and beautiful scenery. Sergio made the experience memorable, and we highly recommend him!

Sergio is very knowledgeable and accommodating guide with intimate knowledge of the roads, forest, history and traditions of the community visited in the Lousa area. Loves what he does and shares his knowledge along the way. I always opt for local guides and Sergio was superb in every respect of the tour. I will entrust him with my entire family on the next visit.

We had a fantastic jeep tour of the Schist villages with Sergio! He was incredibly knowledgeable about the area, and took us up to the top of the mountain. We explored the local houses and he even took us to see some wild salamanders. He gave us plenty of time for photos, and even took some himself. We would 100% recommend this tour, if you're in Lousa or Coimbra.

We thoroughly enjoyed our day trip to the Schict Villages of Lousa. Sergio was awesome. He was very flexible with our timings and showed us around and gave us all the local tit bits. I would highly recommend this tour. Don't think twice before booking it.

We had an amazing day with Sérgio. He was a pleasure to tour with and a very informative and helpful guide. Bonus that he took pictures for us he sent to us after. Would definitely recommend!

Lovely fella. We think his name was Sergio. Great communication and information shared along the way. We enjoyed the villages and history. A unique afternoon.

It was nice to take a break from the busy city and see the storybook like villages. Fatima was so kind and we enjoyed the time with her.

We saw 2 villages with Sergio - Candal and Talasnal. The former has 7 residents and it is refreshing, quaint and different. The latter is slightly more commercial with lots of options for lodging. Time has really stood still in these rural villages and Sergio really educated us across a few hours on the shale villages. His passion, knowledge and enthusiasm for rural living really came across and I would recommend this to anyone who wants to uncover a hidden national treasure. We really enjoyed meeting and hanging with you!

It was a fabulous tour and our driver was fantastic. Always felt very safe and have us lots of information. Thank you can't recommend the tour enough.

We really enjoyed the picturesque drive out into the countryside, past farms and villages as we went towards Lousa mountain. Sergio is a good driver who handled the drive up the mountain with ease. The villages are quite charming and well worth visiting. Sergio is very knowledgeable about the region and is an excellent guide - he doesn’t rush you, gives you lots of time to walk around and take pictures, and even sent us pictures afterwards that he had taken of our day. We had time to stop in the first village for coffee in a tiny and unusual cafe, to sample a local pastry, and to watch the wild boars roam around. In the second village, we sampled some liqueur and honey on homemade bread that a local woman had made. An unexpected culinary tour as she is not always around! I would definitely recommend taking this tour; it was a fun, informative and relaxing way to explore the area.

Our 4 hour tour with Sergio was wonderful. He picked us up, was very personable and gave us a lot of history and interesting information about Schist villages, vegetation, and living in the area. He was able to answer all our questions. He was a very safe driver, including the trip up the mountain. It was nice to see the countryside, and walking through the Schist villages was very interesting. He even took photos and sent them to us a couple days later!

Sergio was a fantastic tour guide. We went on a private tour and were taken to two different shale villages. We had never seen anything like them before! Sergio provided us with just the right amount of natural and cultural history. We highly recommend this tour as a part of a trip to Coimbra.

Sergio was our guide to the Schist Villages - he was very engaging and knowledgeable about the important and unique aspects of these little villages. It was a very relaxing tour. I highly recommend this tour if you want an activity that involves learning about local, unique cultural attractions and incredible views of the valley!

The go to place of you want to decompress and de stress from everyday life. The stillness and the quiet is what you notice first. The natural water streams in the mountain makes for a continuous symphony of music!! It was a four hours day trip for us with Sergio who did excellent job of explaining the unique characteristics of the shale structures that made up these houses in Lousã . Do yourself a favor on your next visit to Portugal and visit these villages with Sergio

Sergio was our guide on the mountaintrip “Lousã Villages - Aventuras” Better compagny we cant think of. Sergio is a great guy with lots of knowlegde within nature, histori, architecture and a great driver too - we felt completely safe on the narrow mountain roads. Helle and Nicolai

We had an amazing time on the tour. The villages were beautiful and amazing to see. Our tour guide Sérgio Forte was amazing and made the experience so memorable. I would definitely recommend this tour.

We don't think there is any more fulfilling tour than this. Sérgio guided us through two characteristic villages (Candal and Talasnal). I think this is a special off-season project. There were still up Christmas decorations on January 4th, so we were able to enjoy a quiet and relaxing sightseeing experience. As a nature guide, he not only tells us about the native cork trees, the endemic animals of the mountain and the Schist Village, but also tells us about the characteristics of the Coimbra region. He send us a lots of photos after the tour.

We had an excellent morning touring the schist villages of Lousa with Sergio! Sergio is a fantastic guide - he is very friendly and personable and we enjoyed chatting with him. Sergio shared a lot of history about the area and took us to two villages. He took pictures throughout the tour to share with us and help capture the memories. Definitely would recommend this tour to others wanting to experience the Schist Villages!

This is a wonderful and very interesting tour! Amazing guide! Sergio is so knowledgeable! Get out of the cordless and see these unique villages!