Alijó

If you are at all interested in archaeological sites, be sure to take an excursion to see the prehistoric rock drawings discovered in 1992 by Nelson Rebanda near Vila Nova de Foz Côa. At this time there are two sites open to the public, but you need to make a reservation (usually from one to four weeks in advance) through the Parque Arqueológico Vale do Côa. From the visitor center a jeep takes you to the site where a guide takes you on a walking tour lasting about one and a half hours. For reservations and more detailed information contact Parque Arqueológico Vale do Côa—tel: 279.76.43.17, fax: 279.76.52.57. Continuing your journey, go north to Alijó then continue for about 23 kilometers and turn west on IP4 toward Vila Real. From Vila Real, stay on IP4 to Amarante. You can look forward to a scenic but arduous 50-kilometer drive on the IP4, skirting the northern edge of the Serra do Marao and crossing the River Tamega near Amarante. About halfway, you traverse the Alto do Espinho Pass, 1,066 meters up in the Serra. This area was once heavily forested, but fire and an aggressive, if shortsighted, lumber industry has decimated the wooded slopes. Amarante is a pretty country town built up from the Tamega, which is spanned by an 18th-century bridge.