Guadiana River Challenge 2016

This April 70 stand up paddlers will paddle the Guadiana River in one day.

In 2014 Nick Robinson paddled 32km down the Guadiana River and loved it so much, that he vowed to do it again. In 2015 he created the “Guadiana Challenge” and asked 12 stand up paddlers to come with. 18 willing paddlers clamoured to join him.

Now this year more than 70 paddlers from all over Portugal and Europe will paddle down alongside Nick from the picturesque Alentejan town of Mertola and onto the Algarve’s jewel of the river, Alcoutim.

On April 2nd 2016 you can follow the intrepid adventurers as they proceed down one of Portugal’s most remote waterways. They are completing the trip in four stages, leaving Mertola at 9am and paddling off for Penha d’Aguia where steaming cups of hot coffee await them. The second stage ends for lunch at Pomarrão where a fish festival is being held and the third stage pushes on to the Spanish town of Puerto de la Laje for afternoon tea (most likely a soggy sandwich hauled out of a backpack!). Drinks will be available at the finish line in Alcoutim at the Centro Nautico where the participants will await transport to return them to Mertola.

If you’d like a day out in one of the Algarve’s most beautiful natural areas check out more details on Nick’s site at algarvesup.com