Many years ago, I remember seeing advertisements here for a guided kayak trip down the Douro River in Portugal. Sounded interesting, and I finally signed up to do it.
We started at the Spanish border and finished just inside the mouth of the river at Porto on the Atlantic. The total distance of the river is 188 km (116 miles), but we skipped some sections in the interest of time - we probably paddled about 90 miles over the 8 days that we paddled. We were 12 paddlers (about half Americans). Kayaks were decent sea kayaks - Wilderness Systems, a couple of Brit boats, and some French kayaks. Because of the locks, most of the paddling was flat water. We had some minimal current, and two half days of moderate headwinds. Generally we had a couple of breaks each day with a lunch stop in the middle where the van divers would meet us and prepare a wonderful picnic lunch. Accommodations were typically quaint bed and breakfasts. All meals and local house wine/beer were included, and the food was delicious! Temperatures were pretty hot up to the last day in Porto, where the ocean influence kicked in. The scenery is similar to California grape areas (the Douro is home to port wine).
Photos:
Typical view in the Douro Valley, where they mostly grow grapes, olives (the groves in the background of this picture), and almonds.
Deep in a lock before the lower door opens.
Paddling through Porto, and under all 6 bridges, on the last day,
Time lapse video of entering the Valeira Lock, which drops us over 100’ in 20 minutes or so. Unfortunately, the camera shut off before the lower door opened.
I thought this trip, at about $3k per person was really reasonable. The outfitter for this trip is Douro Kayak Expeditions (Dourokayak.com). They have a shorter and longer tour version. If you like kayaking enough to be reading kayak message boards, you will want the longer version.
They fill about a year in advance, so requires some planning on your end.