Welcome at Retiro da Avó Lídia, where the warm embrace of the Mendiga countryside invites you to pause. Here, the ancient whispers of stone and wind begin to speak.
As we set off in the comfortable Volvo XC90, the tyres crunch over dirt roads carved by time itself. The scent of wild thyme and limestone dust fills the air. You feel the gentle rhythm of this land, a place where water is treasure and every rock tells a storey.
Our first stop unveils the Telhados d’Água da Mendiga — traditional water catchments shaped by generations of resilience. Here, human ingenuity meets the rugged karst landscape, reminding us that survival is a dance with nature’s whims.
We journey deeper to the Vale de Meios, where the ground beneath your feet holds the echoes of creatures long vanished. The dinosaur footprints, fossilised in stone, are silent yet vivid testimonies of a world 150 million years past. Standing here, time folds, and the Earth’s memory becomes tangible.
Next, the shadows and light play across the Algar e Lapa dos Pocilgões, mysterious caves carved by water’s patient hands. As we explore these limestone depths, the landscape’s slow artistry unfolds—sinuous, ancient, and breathtaking.
A short drive brings us to the Algar da Mendiga. From this panoramic viewpoint, the valley sprawls below like a living tapestry, woven by millennia of geological forces. Here, under open skies, we reflect on the vast journey from ocean floor to rugged highland.
Throughout the tour, stories of plate tectonics and the birth of the Atlantic Ocean mingle with tales of the resilient plants and animals that call these limestone hills home. Your guide’s passion invites you to see beyond the obvious — to touch, imagine, and connect.
As we return to Retiro da Avó Lídia, hearts and minds carry with them the deep silence and profound beauty of the Serras de Aire e Candeeiros — a place where earth and time meet, and stories wait patiently to be told.
