Guides

The fact that our trip leaders are native to the tour regions, has two great advantages for you: first it makes the trip more economical since we don’t have to fly personnel and equipment long distances. Second, because our trip leaders are multilingual and local experts, equally familiar with North American culture, they enhance your experience by facilitating your interaction with the local population, whether at a cafe, rural farm or on the road biking.

Meet our experienced multilingual trip leaders:

	André F. André is a Portuguese native with many years of experience as a hiker and outdoor instructor. He holds a PhD in geomorphology and is fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish and French. André enjoys hiking, bird watching, natural history and photography.
	Andrea C. Andrea is an English and Portuguese teacher, with a degree from the University of Lisbon. She has taken a leave from teaching to travel, write and to take pursue some of her other interests related to rural tourism and to her strong connection to the sea, such as diving and surfing. She spent much of her life dedicated to competition level swimming and water polo (and was national champion more than once); she has now practiced Ashtanga Yoga for almost 10 years.
	Diogo C. Diogo is a lover of country life. After working as a geographer in spatial planning for several years he decided to move to a farm and since then has dedicated himself to sustainable projects in agriculture, ecosystems management and energy efficiency. He is always excited to share with guests the varied mosaic of natural and cultural landscapes of his region.
	Eva G. Born in California, Eva first got to know about Portugal as an AFS exchange student in 1987. After graduating from Columbia University with a degree in East Asian studies and in cultural anthropology, she made the radical decision to move to Portugal and worked in the ceramics industry and as a photographer, translator, caterer and English language teacher. As owner-guide with her husband Pedro, she splits her time between running the local office, caring for her family, guiding hiking and cycling tours and keeping fit.
	Isabel O. Isabel was born in the beautiful Alentejo region and now lives in the Azores islands. She has a degree in Environmental Engineering and has been leading hiking tours since 2015. She discovered she was passionate about sharing her knowledge about Portugal’s natural world with visitors and as a result REI awarded her the Top Guide Award in 2017 in recognition of her excellent work. Ecology is one of her favorite subjects and she greatly enjoys exploring new places and all outdoors activities, such as hiking and camping. She is also very interested in art and for some years now has also developed her passion by sketching her daily life and people she meets.
	João M. Born in Coimbra, Portugal, João is the youngest of four children and earned a law degree from his hometown’s famous university. His annual summer family vacations visiting Europe and Portugal by car made him realize how important travel is. After belonging to many youth organizations, he became a camp counselor. His primary interest is in education and helping young people participate in the decision-making process in the educational system. Whenever he can he returns to the mountains to connect with nature and find inspiration.
	Jorge C. Jorge is a Portuguese native living in Seville, Spain. He has nearly two decades of experience as a cycling and hiking guide. Jorge has a degree in tourism, with history being his favorite subject. He is passionate about cycling and hiking.
	Luis S. Luis is Terracotta Journeys’ specialist in all things Spanish. A fun-loving Madrileño, Luis studied in the U.S. for many years and now lives in Barcelona. He knows Spain like nobody and acts as our consultant recommending the best kept secrets in Spain, the foods and wines of each region. In his free time, Luis likes to run marathons.
	Manuel G. Manuel is a Portuguese native, highly experienced working at public events and group activities. He has been leading active tours all over Portugal and Spain since 2018. His passion for people and sports led him to work at two Olympic Games (London 2012 and Rio 2016). In his spare time, Manuel enjoys working on his house, hiking, camping and being in nature. He also loves learning history and about other peoples’ cultures. He is fluent in English, French and Portuguese.
	Matilde C. Matilde has vast experience in multinational environments. Academically, she is an Agronomist having earned a PhD in Evolutionary Biology. Her favorite hobbies are exploring the outdoors, water sports, and yoga. After working in the US for nine years, she decided to take a break from research and returned to Portugal. Becoming a hiking and cycling tour guide arose naturally, perfectly combining her passions with her outgoing personality.
	Nuno B.R. Nuno B.R. is based on the island of Madeira. He has a degree in Physical Geography and in addition to working as a photographer and videographer he has been leading hiking tours since 2014. REI awarded him the Top Guide Award in 2018 in recognition of his excellent work. His love for nature is undeniable, where he finds two of his biggest passions: the ocean and birding!
	Nuno F.R. Nuno is passionate about traveling and has set foot on all five continents. A free diver since childhood, he is also a scuba-diving instructor and ocean lover. In between hobbies and being a father, he is busy building his own house in a picturesque region north of Lisbon. He loves to be outdoors, hiking, cycling and camping; always with a smile 😉
	Pedro M. This 2015 REI Top Guide began leading hiking and biking tours in 2007 when he realized that traveling promotes cultural understanding, thus making for a better world. A native of Portugal, Pedro attended university in Connecticut and earned his master’s degree in international economics in Lisbon. In addition to guiding, he enjoys hiking, biking, surfing, soccer, reading about international current affairs and playing with his dog, Laika.  He speaks Portuguese English, Spanish, French and understands Italian.