We thought this was really good. Conímbriga was more extensive and more interesting than I thought it would be. Sérgio was one of the best guides we have had the pleasure to meet. He was informative, insightful, and a pleasure to be with. We have seen many Roman sights over the years. This trip ranks right up at the top.

It is a beautiful forest that is accessible to everyone. The guide did give it an extra dimension. We have been to beautiful places and viewpoints. The guide told interesting things about the forest and the history surrounding the Bussaco Palace. He told it in a pleasant and understandable way.

This was a really great trip. Book a train to Coimbra, and it’s absolutely worth it to find this hidden gem. Sergio was a great and very friendly tour guide with plenty of insights to share! Lunch with green wine was also a highlight! Monsanto is a beautiful village with some very extreme visuals and a lot of history. I felt sorry for the other people we saw checking it out without Sergio to tell them all about the history of the village. Great for solo travelers! I was honestly a bit reluctant when I realized I had to pay the same as two people, but when you realize he only does private tours and thus if you book solo you’re the only person on the tour, you realize that for the amount of time he’s spending, this is what makes it worth it and even makes the solo option available. So whether you come alone or bring friends, family, etc. along, I highly recommend this tour while you’re in Portugal!

What a great experience this was! Sergio was our guide and he was so knowledgeable about the area. The hike was beautiful and in the morning it was so quiet and peaceful. The villages were fun to explore and the whole tour felt like a very unique, like a side of Portugal that many travelers overlook. I would highly recommend! One tip to pass along- if it looks like there is no availability when you check the tours online, email Adventure Forte Tours directly. They were flexible with us and able to accommodate our schedule.

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!

One of the best tours we have done Very informative Next visit will definitely book more tours with this company! Learnt so many interesting facts concerning not only Coimbra-but Portugal 🇵🇹💐

Sergio was amazing! I didn’t realize it was going to be a one on one tour, so was very pleasantly surprised. He did a great job with the destination villages and really knew his stuff!! Also, you can really tell y he enjoys his job, because the villages, cafes and restaurants that he frequents for his tour all the people know him. He is very personalble and friendly which is a perfect combination on a one on one tour. Cheers and I wish you much success! Thanks for a great and informative tour!!! Carolyn

This is a great half day tour with excellent information. Sergio was really knowledgeable and you don’t go into all the places, but he is able to give you a wonderful commentary and focused on the details.

Sergio is a fabulous guide. Courteous, knowledgeable of the geography, history, plant and birds or the region. We had a lovely day and thoroughly enjoyed our guided tour with. Sergio. Well worth the cost. Thank you!

Fantastic tour, it was great having a personal guide to give us all the info and history about beautiful Coimbra! The tour guide answered all our questions and had personal experience attending the university and was able to share some fun stories.

This was a great experience. It was a great way to get out to Lousa. I enjoyed getting into the mountains, and the Schist Villages we visited were charming, and each had their own character. Sergio was knowledgeable about the history, the geography and the flora and fauna. He was a safe driver and a pleasant host. I felt like the trip was tailored to me, as he answered my questions and followed up on my interests. He took beautiful photos which he shared with me too. I highly recommend this trip.

Portugal is so much more than Lisbon and Porto and our day spent with Sergio touring the Schist Villages of Lousa was one of the best days of our three week Portugal vacation. The sheer beauty and fascination with the Schist villages is hard to explain but should never be missed. Sergio was one of the best tour operators we have ever hired and he made sure to share both the history and stories of these villages and kept us engaged through the entire nine hours of the tour. He also made sure to take us to an amazing restaurant where we dined and had one of our best meals on our trip. Make sure to leave the city's and explore the mountains and beautiful countryside of Portugal.

The motto of Aventuras Fortes sums it up: "More than just a tour; an adventure." We would both say "More even than an adventure: a treasured experience." From the beginning of the journey to Conimbriga Sergio was helpful and considerate, ensuring we approached the vehicle in the most convenient as well as safe way. On arrival there was little delay and we were escorted throughout the tour with helpful commentary that showed how well he understood the site and its history. The tour followed a gradually revealing route through the buildings outside the late defensive wall, with explanations of why our approach was from their rear. On reaching the front entrance we could see each building layout clearly as well as how it had been overshadowed by the wall that eventually failed in its purpose of defence. Beyond the wall we were of course impressed by the governor's residence and the gymnasium area but both seemed insignificant compared with the magnificence of the merchant's house. How heartbreaking it must have been to have built such a mansion and then have to abandon it before the city was overwhelmed by an enemy. The whole narrative was given to us in an understanding way, and the care Sergio took of two elderly people on a site with deep steps and uneven surfaces was exemplary. The final visit to the site museum to see objects found by excavation added mush of the human dimension to a long-lost city. We are both very grateful and recommend Aventuras Fortes heartily.

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!