Salandini's Portugal Trip Report

No início do mês de Março tive o prazer de partilhar alguns percursos portugueses com um grupo de franceses e suiços. Possivelmente, no final de Maio serão anfitriões quando fizer a minha primeira abordagem aos Alpes italianos. Aqui fica o "Portugal River Trip Report" feito por eles.
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Friday march 2nd 2007, Geneva airport, 5 am. We are a group of paddlers from Geneva and Annemasse (F). Without loosing a second we unload the cars. 5 kayaks and all our material. We have an early plane to Lisbon. After a quick check-in and a pleasant flight we get our cars, both equipped, as planned with roof racks. The stress of the trip being gone we drive to the north where the rivers are.
What we are going to discover is much more wonderful than just beautiful rivers. We discover a land, a culture and very friendly local paddlers happy to share with us the beautiful runs of their region.
We'll go from one river to the next. The water levels are good, rather high. One must admit it rains often between november and april in Portugal. This land is the first to receive the rains from the Atlantic. And it seems this season has been specially rainy.

During our stay we paddled:
-The Vouga 1* a nice warm up run class IV
-The Sex Up on the Paiva, a classical "must do"
-The Beça 2* beautiful and intense run in a gorge
-The Olo 1* over-flooded
-The Ribeira de Cavez, a white water pearl, class IV, IV+
-The Rio Cabril varied, yet interesting
-The Louredo "warm-up", the run above the Louredo 1*
-The Cavado, my favorite during this trip, rapids and slides on granite on the edge of a national park
-The Garganta on the Paiva, a great classical white water run
* guidebook: "Portugal Kayak" from Rui Calado

The community of portuguese paddlers is small but very active. Portugal has an excellent white water potential, and still hasn't revealed all it's secrets, but many runs are now menaced by future hydroelectric works.

We thank Rui Calado, Rafael, Pedro and Jorge Rabiço for their precious help during our trip

Felix Salandini

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The arrival at Lisbon airport Photo by Elizabeth

Elizabeth in the Vouga 1 Photo by Matthias Thomann

Felix in the Vouga 1 Photo by Matthias ThomannStephane droping in the Beça 2 Photo by Matthias Thomann

Felix sliding in the Classical Cávado Photo by Matthias ThomannRabiço finds his way on the Cávado Photo by Matthias Thomann

Elizabeth doing the line in Cávado's major slide

Photo by Matthias ThomannRabiço had dicided to run the Beça bakwards
Photo by Mathias ThomannFelix doing an even more stange aproach
Photo by Matthias ThomannStephane well protected in the rocky Cabril
Photo by Matthias ThomannIn the Cabril Felix did a strange face when he run The Mr. Drossage rapid
Photo by Matthias Thomann

Cávado is fun !!! Photo by Matthias ThomannThe safiest way in Vouga's big dam Photo by Matthias ThomannLaurent thought that the first one of Cávado would be easy !!!
Laurent, Water and Granit, in the Vouga's big sequence !
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Thank you all guys for chare your experience with us !!!
Hope you enjoy my photo coments ...

Felix, Matthias, Laurent, Stephane and Elizabeth ... expect to see you soon !!!!

Jorge Rabiço