Portugal’s Adventure Travel Paradise Away From The Crowds: Minho With Portugal Active
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Loading... - Juliana Alessandro
- 23 Mar 2023
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Sunset over Armada Lodge, one of the villas that's exclusive to Portugal ActiveCOURTESY OF PORTUGAL ACTIVE
It was an adventure trip to Cape Town that led Ricardo Viana to develop his travel company, Portugal Active. He saw a “lot of similarities” between the South African city and his hometown of Viana do Castelo, in the far north of Portugal. “I realized that this is a small paradise that no one values, internationally” he says.
“There’s a mountain in the city center, cold water, great conditions for kite surfing but also the opportunity to be [regular] surfing ten minutes away with zero wind, and it’s a city that’s an activity hub,” he explains. I would add proximity to some very good wineries, because his base is in the Vinho Verde wine region, and some very good traditional restaurants, because we’re talking about Portugal here. (His family name is a happy, on-brand coincidence.)
In 2017, just barely out of university, Viana invested €5,000 of his earnings as a kite surfing instructor to set up a beach shack for bike rentals and tours. The entrepreneur is rightly proud of the fact that his business has grown organically since then, without the help of banks or institutional investors. This means he has been free to do what he wants, or, rather, what his clients will want. Read More…
