Hiking from Minas de São Domingos to Pomarão, Portugal

To experience hiking from Minas de São Domingos to Pomarão is an unforgettable moment. 

Please access here to learn more about Minas de São Domingos.

Mina de São Domingos’s railroad

They constructed the railway to help transport goods from Minas de São Domingos to Pomarão, a village situated on the banks of the Guadiana River, where ships could easily dock.

The method of transporting the immense production of the mines using animals had become impractical.

The builders constructed the railway line known as the “Ramal de São Domingos,” which may have been the second railway line ever built in Portugal.

However, it always remained isolated from the rest of the Portuguese train network.

In 1862, the Minas de São Domingos railway line was inaugurated, but it was closed in 1965 when the production of the mines ceased.

Hiking t from Minas de São Domingos to Pomarão

Later, authorities removed the railway lines and the “sulipas” (the wooden parts connecting the train lines), leaving behind an excellent hiking trail.

For security reasons, they dynamited various small bridges, creating the only minimum difficulty of this journey.

To overcome these obstacles, hikers must descend and then ascend short slopes.

The walk, which always follows the old railway line route, passes through various tunnels.

The exact number of tunnels escapes my memory.

The last tunnel is the longest, necessitating the use of personal light sources such as flashlights or headlamps.

While many descriptions of this path typically identify it as approximately 17 km long, my experience differs.

I typically add another 3.5 km to this figure as I explore the village before embarking on the hike, making the total distance 20.5 km.

With an elevation gain of 180m and a loss of 320m, it can be described as an almost flat or slightly descending route towards Pomarão.

Some precautions

Please avoid hiking this path during the summer as the temperatures can become excessively high.

My preferred times of the year are spring or autumn, almost reaching winter.

It’s advisable to bring water and some food with you as there are no places to resupply along the route.

Come along for an unforgettable hike with me

Feel free to contact me if you’re interested in experiencing this adventure or any other from my repertoire.

Have fun.

David Monteiro