Hike Portugal’s Gerês Seven Lagoons: Xertelo Walk, Picnic & Swim

The day begins on a narrow mountain lane outside Xertelo, where mist lifts from slate roofs and the forest exhales a damp, resinous scent. You step off the van onto trails softened by moss; a guide checks boots and points toward the sound of falling water—your first hint that the Seven Lagoons are more than a photograph. The route climbs gently, sometimes skirting an old levada so precise it feels like a human-made river carved into stone. Sunlight filters through chestnut and oak, dappling the path while you pass ruined stone walls and the centuries-old Fojo do Lobo, a stone wolf trap that tells a quiet story about human-wildlife relations in this part of northern Portugal.