PR3 hike from Ermelo to Figas de Ermelo

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
7
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
2
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
10
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
0
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
4
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
70 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
157th/454
Top 40%
continent
Europe
country
Portugal
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$10 (typically $10 - $20)
Time of year visited
August
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Forests Hiking Waterfalls
All Tags
Hilltop towns Isolation Mountains Swimming
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐

Summary

If you’re staying around the Duoro, or maybe Porto, I’d really recommend this 5 hour roundtrip hike from the beautiful mountain town of Ermelo to the waterfalls in the heart of the Alvao National Park.  Clearly signposted all the way, you’ll get some great views over the nearby mountains, walk through some of the gorgeous forest and reward yourself at the top with a swim in the natural pools and waterfalls.  Best of all, you’ll have it largely to yourself as, from what I saw, there are only see a few people along the way.

Overall a great hike for a break away from the various wine tours!

Highlights

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#1 Wandering through the pristine forests with that gorgeous smell of pine in the air

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#2 Looking out for miles around and being able to see the surrounding mountain tops in the distance

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#3 Tantalising views of the waterfalls on the way to the top of the hike

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#4 Reaching the top of the waterfall and being able to jump in for a refreshing swim in the natural pools

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#4 Getting to walk by some of the local wildlife

Travel Tips

 

All trails route for PR3 hike from Ermelo to Figas de Ermelo

 

Route above and the link for a detailed route via the – All Trails Route.

Distance – give yourself a good 5 hours for the overall hike and I’d say you’ll need moderate fitness to do it.  The total distance is 13km / 8 miles with a steady incline all the way to the top.  I tracked it at 20,000 steps, and the equivalent of 160 flights climbed.

Start early – I’d really recommend starting early (say 9am or before) as, from what I saw, you’ll have the hike almost entirely to yourself for the trip up to the top, whereas it started to get a bit busier (maybe 10 people :)) on my way down.  It was a fantastic experience being able to swim completely on my own in the pools.  Plus, its cooler in the morning.

Direction – I went the anticlockwise route because it saves the section where it is mainly road (the north west of the route) for the way down.  The route is clearly signed but, naturally, there may be a couple of times when it’s reassuring to check google maps etc, which followed the route correctly.

The one hour option – if pressed for time or without the right level of fitness, there is also the option to drive up to much closer to the falls, where you can walk there and back within an hour or so.

For more detailed tips on a stay in the Duoro, see this entry for Wine tasting around Pinhao in the Duoro Valley.  And for further tips on Portugal’s other top experiences, and for a 2 week itinerary, see the travel entry for 2 weeks for the best of Portugal.

 

Experiences nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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