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Dinosaur Tracks & Shell Bay: Nazaré to São Martinho do Porto Bike Tour
A 50km private guided bike ride south from Nazaré along the Silver Coast to the shell-shaped bay at São Martinho do Porto.
Route elevation profile: from 0 m to 180 m, total ascent 750 m.
Group size
2-15
Distance
50 KM
Duration
5 H
Height difference
580 M
Tour Difficulty
Moderate
From
€65
/ person
Your guide
Vasco
/
About this Tour
Perfect for: 💑 Couples · 👥 Friends & Solos · 👨🦳 Seniors · 👨👩👧👦 Families
Fifty kilometres south of Nazaré, the Atlantic carves a shell-shaped bay out of the cliff and tucks the village of São Martinho do Porto inside it. The locals just call it A Concha — the shell. That bay is the turn-around point of this tour, but the route to get there earns its own line: Praia do Salgado and its active dunes, Jurassic dinosaur footprints set into limestone you can stand next to, the limestone ridge of the Serra da Pescaria, and a small fishermen's chapel that may date to the 12th century. A private guided e-bike day with one local guide and your group only.
Leaving Nazaré, south along the coast
The ride leaves Nazaré on the south side, drops past Praia da Nazaré, and climbs onto the road that runs the cliff line above the Atlantic. The first sustained climb is up to the Serra da Pescaria. From the top of the ridge the coast opens out: open ocean to the west, the Alcoa river mouth below, the long curve of Praia do Salgado stretching south toward Serra da Pescaria's lower slopes.
The Serra da Pescaria is older rock than anything else on this coast: Upper Jurassic limestone laid down around 154 million years ago, lifted and tilted when the Atlantic Ocean opened and Pangea split apart. The guide will explain what you are riding over while you ride over it, which is the right way to learn it.
Praia do Salgado and the dunes
On the western edge of the Serra da Pescaria, between the mouth of the Alcoa and the southern limit of Salgado, an active double-dune system runs the length of the beach. Two ridges of sand, an interdune corridor in between, and the kind of low coastal scrub that holds it all together. We stop on the road above it. In late summer the sand is hot enough by mid-morning that the air shimmers. In winter the wind can be loud enough that you raise your voice. This is also one of the local paragliding launch sites. On a clear south-west wind you'll often see canopies overhead, working the dune lift.
Dinosaur tracks and the Capela de Santa Ana
The dinosaur footprints are the kind of thing you walk past unless you know where to look. Two sets of tracks in Late Jurassic limestone, Montejunto and Alcobaça formations, one of them in a near-vertical face because the rock has been tilted on its side over geological time. The guide knows the angle and the light to look at them in. We linger here for as long as the group wants.
A little further on, on the high ground above Salir do Porto, the Capela de Santa Ana sits among the pines. The chapel may have been built in the 12th century — old enough that fishermen's families came up to it to say goodbye before voyages and to wait for the boats to come back. It fell into ruin for most of the 20th century and has since been restored. It is a quiet place to stand for a minute before the descent into São Martinho.
A Concha — São Martinho do Porto
The bay opens up below you on the way down: an almost-closed shell of sand and water with a narrow mouth where the Atlantic comes in between the Farol and Sant'Ana hills. The water inside is shockingly calm compared to anything north of here. We stop on the promenade, get coffee, and the group decides what to do with the next hour: swim, lunch on the seafront, walk to the lookout above the bay, or sit. In the 12th century the neighbouring inlet at Alfeizerão was a working maritime port. The sea has since silted it shut. Today São Martinho is the swim stop. The ride back retraces the inland line for variety.
Logistics
Fifty kilometres round trip, about 580m of climbing spread across the day, mostly on quiet roads and well-built bike path. Moderate on the e-bike, comfortable if you have ridden a bike at all in the last year. You and the guide agree the start time when you book. Earlier is usually better in summer, before the afternoon sea breeze comes up the coast. Helmet, gloves, eye protection, water and on-tour maintenance are included. If you want the longer southern version that pushes on to Foz do Arelho and the Óbidos lagoon, the full-day gravel route continues from São Martinho south.
These bikes are available during the tour
We are personally preparing bikes for different tours, difficulties and personal characteristics.
What our guests say
Jef Brabants
My wife and I had a wonderful time today! Normally, I like to do MTB tours on my own, but the price difference between rental and a tour was so little that we took the tour. (Also, I didn't bring my gps) Vasco took us to trails, places, and viewpoints I would never find by myself. A day full of adventure and great sightseeing. The bikes were top-notch quality and brand new, which made the trail much easier. Would definitely recommend it. Next time, we will come back for the other tours! Thank you!
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Jonathan Baril
Une journée inoubliable, complètement magique! Un guide exceptionnel et des paysages rocambolesques! Tout était parfait!
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Christine Santora-Regan
We had an amazing day doing the Silver Coast Sur bike tour with Vasco! Our family of 4 wanted an active and adventurous way to see sights along the coastline during our 10 day roadtrip. IronDeer delivered! Beautiful and interesting viewpoints we never would have seen otherwise. Vasco was professional, patient, and super friendly. I would say that this particular tour route requires physical stamina but if you’re moderately active you’ll be fine. E-bikes are easy to learn and Vasco has really nice and well maintained equipment. This was one of the highlights of our trip. Thank you Vasco!
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Sergei Shaliapin
Vasco provides really high quality service. You can rely on him and his bikes. Passionate rider, knowledgeable guide. I’ll be back!
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Julien Grisha Quester-Semeon
Our tour with Vasco was definitely one of the highlights of our holidays in Portugal. The value we got for the price with paid was insane, from the top-spec bikes (Orbea RISE H15!!!) to the guidance and nice attitude of Vasco, who knows every single trail in the area by heart … I would do it again without any doubt. Vasco adapted the ride to our technical level, which made the experience a pure pleasure, without having to worry about anything. Thanks a ton for the best 4h of our vacations.
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Alexandra Panina
The best option for exploring Nazaré! Vlad is a cool guy who offers amazing tours. Great experience!
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Anastasiya Stenina
Amazing experience. Very nice bike ride, beautiful views. The equipment is super good and easy to ride. Vlad is very cool guy, very friendly, showed us a lot. Highly recommended !
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Allyson Lee Donaldson
Such a great day riding !
Bikes and Service of IronDeer were top notch!!
Highly Recommend!
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Andrew Hevey (Andy)
We had the best time going on an e-bike tour with Vasco! He is an experienced cyclist who knows the area very well. The bikes are extremely high quality, and built to endure mountain biking trails, but he can tailor your adventure to mountain biking or street riding. There were three of us, and two were not comfortable riding on difficult trails, so we did mostly streets with a few simple trails. We saw so much that we wouldn’t have otherwise! Dinosaur tracks, a hangliding takeoff point, small towns in the hills, the piers south of Nazaré, and views of Nazare from the other side. We also got to stop and enjoy some coffee and pastries. Some of the views were obscured because it was a foggy day (this is why I included fewer pictures), but we still had an amazing time.
We highly recommend it. The pedal assist makes it pretty simple - the hills would be insane without it! This was easily one of the highlights of our visit to Nazaré.
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Mark Turner
My son and I went on the advanced 50km tour. It was absolutely fantastic. We had an incredible time!
Vladislav was the perfect tour guide. He struck a great balance between riding and sightseeing. It was a fantastic route.
The bikes were top quality too, with Fox components throughout.
I literally cannot recommend IronDeer highly enough.
Thank you Vladislav for a truly brilliant day!
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Rob Washburn
Top 5 experience of our 2 month visit to Portugal, Vasco was very knowledgeable of the area and culture, he tailored the tour to our experience level giving us options on the route (do you want to take mountain trail or the street?). The tour included gloves, water, and a helmet he did not try to add additional costs like so many other tours. The bikes were brand new high end enduro eMTBs that can handle any terrain. We look forward to another tour with Vasco when we return to Portugal with our son as Vasco said he has some single track trails that would challenge his MTB skills, what a great experience
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FAQ
Common questions about the Dinosaur Tracks ride
Yes, all our tours are led by experienced guide Vasco - who provide insights and ensure safety.
We recommend bringing sunscreen, comfortable clothing, and any personal items you might need. Specific tours may have additional recommendations.
Yes, we have tours suitable for families with children. Please check the tour descriptions for age recommendations.
Spring and autumn offer pleasant weather for biking. Summer can be hot, and winter might have rain, but biking is possible year-round.
Yes, all tours begin with a safety briefing to ensure you’re prepared.
Insurance NOT covering bike damage. Personal accident insurance is included. Acidentes Pessoais, Allianz Portugal No 206827471, Morte/Invalidez Permanente: 24.489,07€, Despesas de Tratamento: 4.286,72€ / Responsabilidade Civil, Allianz Portugal No 206827445: 50.000,00€
Theft, loss or breakage of the frame or wheels is not covered by any insurance company in Portugal and the customer is fully responsible for the accidental theft or loss of any equipment.