15 years ago this month, Terracotta Journeys owners Pedro and Eva took a chance on a dream.
“I had this idea of creating an outdoor adventure tour company for a long time,” Pedro says, “but I was working in the corporate world, and it was hard to think about leaving that security.” Additionally, with two young children, it didn’t necessarily seem like the best time to start a company. “Everyone thought I was crazy,” Pedro remembers, “including Eva.” When the company he was working for closed its Lisbon offices it seemed like a sign.
So Terracotta Journeys was born in 2007, and the number of tours and clients grew steadily each year. When they began running walking, hiking and cycling tours in Portugal and Spain for outdoor adventure tour giant REI Adventures in 2010, business really boomed. Portugal, especially, became the new European hotspot for tourism.
Then came 2020. COVID shutdowns brought international travel to a screeching halt. A year later, REI Adventures permanently closed its international operations overnight, without warning. That left REI’s local tour providers scrambling to regroup, but it was not as daunting for Terracotta Journeys as it could have been. After all, they already had experience as an independent tour company, 11 years of running large-scale operations with REI Adventures under their belt and a seasoned, professional team in place.
“80% of what makes a trip fun is the guides,” Eva says, “and that is where Terracotta Journeys excels.” Like Pedro and Eva, it’s a sociable team. They all love showing people around, sharing the trails they like to hike and cycle, and getting to know the interesting people who come on these kind of tours.
“We are truly local,” Pedro points out, “which is a huge advantage. Many international tour operators send in young guides who have camping or outdoor experience, but don’t know the language or anything about the culture. Our guides have that passion for nature, and love showing the places they like to hike or cycle. But they are also all college graduates. Several have Master’s degrees; we even have three PhDs on the team. They also have all travelled, themselves, and have a view of the outside world.”
Eva’s already a great cook, but that shared interest in food is also something they bring to the table, so to speak, as tour operators. They love introducing guests to the dishes they know and love. Most foreigners don’t expect to like the Portuguese staple ingredient bacalhau (dried salted codfish), for example. “But there are hundreds of ways to prepare it,” Eva says. “Many of our guests are surprised to find they like bacalhau à Brás (a dried cod dish with scrambled eggs, onions, crispy fried potatoes and black olives).” This dish is a hit with most Terracotta Journeys guests, as are the wines (included at dinners).
What makes the Terracotta Journeys team good at what they do is this deep and affectionate knowledge that lets them help visitors find things they’ll truly enjoy. That’s not only in navigating unfamiliar varieties of seafood, but also cheeses, coffees, wines—and a delectable but often overwhelming array of typical dishes throughout Portugal and Spain, where each region can be so different it feels like a different country.
That curating process applies even more to the routes and itineraries, so they can lead visitors straight to the good parts. As Pedro puts it, “Our real work is finding and choosing the best of the best.”
Why not join in the fun as we celebrate this year?
Upcoming tours:
The Best of the Camino de Santiago – The Portuguese Way
Discover the Heart of Portugal – Easy Hiking Tour
Portugal Coastal Hiking Tour
Portugal & Spain Bike Tour – The Frontier
By Holly Blades