Waterfalls, Heritage and Nature in Gerês Park - from Porto

Extremely disappointing experience

I had a very frustrating experience with this tour operator after booking through Viator. A few weeks before the trip, I confirmed the pick-up point, received the ticket, and the payment was successfully deducted from my account, so everything seemed perfectly in order. However, on the day of the tour, the guide never showed up. When I called their office, they initially claimed they had no record of my booking. After asking them to double-check, they eventually found the reservation in their system, but then told me they were already fully booked for the day. I was assured they would look into possible solutions, but instead of helping, they simply cancelled the booking and refunded the money. While I appreciate getting the refund, that doesn’t make up for the wasted day and the lack of support. What made the situation even more disappointing was that when I tried calling again to see if they could help arrange an alternative or recommend another option, they completely stopped answering the phone. Overall, very poor communication, lack of accountability, and no effort to assist once things went wrong. If you actually want to go on your planned tour without stress, I strongly recommend booking through a different operator.

Response from the operator: Hi Louise. Thank you for your derogatory comment on a tour page that you never took! Which nevertheless helps us improve our services and customer support. Indeed, there was a synchronization failure between our API booking center and VIATOR, for which we apologize once again, as it is a technical issue beyond our and your control. And since you decided to comment on the situation, this also allows us to explain some details that you don't mention, but that actually you are aware: - Something like this has never happened to us before. We value and honor our customers and work with 5-star reviews on ALL our tours, both on and off this platform. - When you called me, I wasn't at my office! It was weekend and I was on the field with another tour. And that was the reason I couldn't spend more time talking or messaging with you. (I assume you wouldn't want your guide to ignore you and spend time on the phone instead of doing the tour or the driving...) - As we didn't had availability, I canceled your tour so that you could quickly receive your refund. - Then you told me I should pay for an Uber or Taxi so that you could do the tour...?! - Wait a minute - So... I returned the money, explained what happened and offered my sincere apologies (all within about 15 minutes), and yet you continued to call and send threatening messages throughout the morning, demanding payment from my company to an external transportation contracted by you?! - so money back and free tour at your will under threat??? - I'm sorry, but we don't agree with threats or half-truths. We were sincere and honest with you! And although you are not entitled to comment (since you didn't take this tour with us), you did, and only to create a negative image of an activity and company that you actually had no contact/experience with, which is regrettable... In any case, I send you my best wishes, and I want to assure you that we are working on constantly improving our front and back office so that situations like this do not happen again. BR, Ricardo Costa

via Viator

Wonderful nature

The landscapes are beautiful and hiking trails numerous. The waterfall is sublime as well as the forest. We loved the ride

via Tripadvisor (translated)

A Wonderful Day full of Nature's Beauty

This tour was a chance to see the beautiful flora of Portugal and be amazed by the cascading waterfalls and fast-flowing streams. While it took over an hour to arrive at the National Park, it was worth it. The scenery was stunning. Our guide gave many history lessons along the way. The lunch stop in a quaint village offered traditional Portuguese food.

Response from the operator: Hello Judi. Thank you so much for your kind words, company, generosity and for the lunch! :) (that big beef that even though we shared it between the 3 of us there was still some left!) I don't remember if I thanked you properly at the time... I hope to count on you for a future visit, where we can visit other equally stunning areas of the Park! Thank you again. It was a pleasure meeting and guiding you. BR, Ricardo Costa

via Viator

We had a really enjoyable...

We had a really enjoyable time with Ricardo. He led us on several walks to different areas of the park, lovely villages, good lunch spot and was very informative. Highly recommend touring with him.

Response from the operator: Hello Peggy! It was also a pleasure to meet you and show some good spots in Gerês National Park. I hope you got some good photos (despite the day being a bit grey), and that you keep a little bit of this natural Portugal in your hearts. Thank you so much for your kind words and sympathy! All the best, Ricardo Costa

via Viator

A lovely tour of Gerês national park.

We had a most enlightening fall tour of Gerês national park including seeing beautiful waterfalls, eating a local delicious meal in one of the small villages, plus a coupe of interesting hikes. Our Guide, Bruno, gave us interesting history. We had a splendid time! We highly recommend the tour!

Response from the operator: Hi Carla. Thank you so much for your kind words! The National Park is definitely one of the most pleasant visits in the north of Portugal. We are happy that you were able to make the most of the park's diversity, key attractions and lesser-explored areas. The support of a good guide is important, but no less special is undoubtedly having friendly and interesting visitors like you. On behalf of Bruno and myself, thank you again for your visit and company! See you soon, Ricardo Costa

via Viator