Côa Valley Tour: Sunset 4x4 Descent and Ancient Art

Embark on a thrilling night visit to the engravings of Foz Côa in a 4x4 vehicle. Experience the beauty of the Douro and Côa Valley while immersing yourself in the ancient art of our ancestors.

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Vale do Coa Archaeological Park - After meeting at the meeting point, we will descend on a 6km ride in a 4WD vehicle to the Côa Valley Archaeological Park. Breathtaking landscapes between ancient stone walls, olive groves, almond groves and vineyards. The guided interpretive tour allows you to discover the landscape at the same time as we travel…
What's Included
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Other
Additional Information

The guided tour begins at sunset next to the reception center in the historic village of Castelo Melhor. Marco welcomes you and gives you recommendations for this trip through Time! The descent to the Côa Valley (6 km) is in a 4x4 vehicle between ancient stone walls, olive groves and traditional almond groves. Along the descent we have a remarkable…

Location
Centro de Recepção de Castelo Melhor
Rua da Fábrica
Drive to the village of Castelo Melhor and look for the reception center.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(26 Ratings)
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Sherpa42844213634
Jun 29, 2025
Unforgettable Rock Art Visit - So the visit ended up being at night due to the weather (heat wave). Fortunately, this made for quite a unique experience. The ride to the rock site was through the last few vineyards of the High Douro valley wine region, which allowed us to see the Douro valley landscape with its vineyards while we moved to the river banks and to the paleolithic art site. At the site, the banks of the Coa River were beaming with life. When we arrived at the site... oh boy! It's hard to put into words a moment of immense beauty. We spent time watching and listening to Marco's every word, with his wealth of knowledge and patience. I highly recommend this tour
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R_digerb145
Jun 15, 2025
Very good guide to the rock art in the Coatal - Marco was very sympathetic from the beginning and open to all questions during the tour. You couldn't have made the leadership better and more interesting. Also for our teen children it was a very nice and interesting experience. Marco gives a lot of high-quality information for everyone very understandable. His English is very good and we understood him very well. The rock art was really very impressive and it is a mystical place Marco took us to. I don’t usually write reviews, but for Marco and his enthusiasm for the references, which comes across at any time, I am very happy to make an exception. Wow - a really great experience, especially in the dark.
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Ianrj5497ux
Jun 3, 2025
A peak experience! - A peak experience! I was a professional tour guide for over 20 years, so when I say that Marco is one of the best guides I’ve encountered I hope it means something. He was enthusiastic, knowledgeable, entertaining and personable … and our night tour of the rock art was simply magical. He drove us down the bumpy, dusty track into the beautiful valley (many birds: Turtle Doves, Nightingales, Bee-eaters) and then walked to the rock carvings. Starry skies, a half moon and the silence made imagining our ancestors in this place so much easier. He shared so much information and, brilliantly, despite years of doing it made it seem as if we were the first people he had shared this with.
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Xiaoyaowan
May 3, 2025
Visit to beginning of human history in the region - Superior guide. Comfortable and informative adventure. Very grateful to have experienced it. Would recommend definitely
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Rpres
Mar 11, 2025
Great prehistoric rock art seen at night - This is a very belated review. I highly recommend seeing the Foz Cóa rock art at night and with Marco Ferraz, if possible. The animal figures really "pop" at night with the use of a flashlight. Plus, the night we went the stars were out, and we saw some very cool moths. It's a very dark sky experience. Marco knows his stuff and is prepared with props and guides to explain the art and help you see what's there. Because successive generations carved over existing art, the non-experienced eye really needs a guide to unwrap what you're looking at. Marco did that very well. I'm not sure why the marketing stresses the use of the 4x4 "Jeep" for the tour. The moderately long drive to the site is pretty easy. Bring snacks snd water as needed, because after the tour the little village that you set out from will be asleep.
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Caitlinmyer
Oct 21, 2024
Magic - Marco provided a truly special experience. We were able to see these magnificent artworks up close, and the flashlight in the dark made them spring to life in front of our eyes. I was honestly not that interested in going to Foz Côa. I expected crowds and the tourist shuffle and barely discernable traces glimpsed around the shoulders of strangers. Instead, just three of us climbed around the stones where we were as close to the engravings as we could want. Marco helped us understand these artworks and their context as well as the story of how they were uncovered and preserved. I felt for a little while as though I'd stepped outside of time. Marco allowed us to be unhurried and quiet in the face of such staggeringly ancient art. An experience I will remember and treasure for the rest of my life.
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Jensdewit
Oct 18, 2024
Unique experience - My partner and I did both a day tour and this night tour on the same day and I must say this night tour was way more impressive. The drawings were a lot clearer by night and the whole experience felt a lot more special. Our guide Marco was great. He gave a very good explanation and his English was very clear. Be aware though that there is a minimum fee for this tour and that you have to pay by cash. This was mentioned to us by email when we made the booking via the website of the museum but we kind of forgot about this when we finally arrived in Portugal.
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Jaynq3526fe
Oct 4, 2024
Transported to the Paleolithic - This experience was amazing. Marco did a fantastic job of transporting us to 25,000 years ago. He’s a very knowledgeable naturalist. Highly recommend!!
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Abel_ability
Sep 18, 2024
Paintings that come alive - What an incredible experience we had with Marco! The cave paintings were amazing on their own, but with Marco’s knowledgeable sharing about them, his passion for nature and conservation, and his warmth and humour, he totally made the paintings come alive. We went for the night tour and it was so atmospheric and unforgettable. 100% recommend!
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Luis
Sep 17, 2024
Amazing night cave art experience - Marco is a great guide he really encompasses the night cave painting site in an original way and you get taken on a time travelling adventure into history would definitely advise it to others, if your in the douro do not hesitate to do this tour.
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From $38
up to 7 guests
2 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).