This was a great tour - and Jean is a great guide. The Douro Valley is beautiful and the Port wine is delicious. One note...definitely bring a snack because you start wine tasting very early and you don't eat lunch until around 2pm...so you'll be drinking port on an empty stomach.

Northern Portugal is right in World Heritage Sites which includes the Douro Valley. It has hillside and terraced vineyards as far as the eyes can see. Mandala Travel has helped us enrich our experience because of Diogo, who has a broad knowledge of the region. He was personable, funny and looked after us every step of the way. We started at Quinta where we had tour and port tasting at Croft which produces the only pink wine in the region. Speaking of idyllic, our next stop was a rabelo boat trip on the Douro River where you have a unique and relaxing perspective of endless vineyards as you sip your favorite libations. The next stop was at Pinhão, a train depot that has a well-preserved narrative of the region’s representation in tile. Simply beautiful. Our last stop was lunch at Vintage Theory Winery. The restaurant is based around the concrete tanks where grapes used to be trodden and our dining table is actually inside one of the tanks.The food and ambience was lovely especially with the company of friends and we had time to enjoy the patio for an espresso overseeing the expanse of the vineyards or to simply wander in between plantings. Lastly, there was a tour to sample their 10,20 and 30 year old tawny ports. We brought a 20 year old bottle home for its fruity and oak blend. I have Diogo and Mandala Travel to thank for an unforgettable education and experience. Please subscribe to this small but exceptionally professional company. We can’t wait to return. Obrigada I also want to add that that they have the flexibility to do tailor-made excursions. On a separate day, Diogo arranged a tour to Coimbra which has the oldest oldest University in Europe. You have to see their Joanina Library, St. Michael’s chapel and the unique uniforms the students wear. I bet JK Rowling got her inspiration from this institution. We also had a superb lunch of suckling pig from Mugasa at this little town of Sabrosa. Diogo’s recommendation didn’t disappoint. Try their rose sparkling wine to complement your meal. Our last stop was at Bussaco Forest. It was a former monastery that was converted to this gorgeous hotel surrounded by formal and informal gardens. It is in the process of becoming a World Heritage Site. The landscape architect, Felipe, was gracious enough to show us around and gave some insight and interesting history of the place. We left the safe driving with Diogo. Their vehicles are impeccably neat and comfortable. Always support local guides. Thanks Mandala Travel.

I participated the Douro Valley tour with my husband, Jean was our knowledgeable guide. We have been staying in Porto six months and we have already participated several tours in different port wine caves. In this tour it was nice to visit on smaller estates instead of big brands and see the original birthplace of the wines. The tour itself was well scheduled, we had enough time to enjoy magnificent views – and of the wines of course. The boat cruise is very enjoyable, you literally are in the middle of the green hills and peaceful scenery. We recommend this tour especially if you are not familiar with the different types of port wine or the wine making process. This is also good way to get the first touch to Douro Valley – it arouses the desire to explore the area more.

Our family went on a tour yesterday. Diogo was our guide. It was the last day of our trip in Portugal. It was a delightful experience - Diogo was funny and personable, clearly knew the region well, and went above and beyond to help us with our child. Food was good, ride was good, and the wine was, of course, very good! Seeing the Douro valley, a place with rich history, was definitely the right decision and Mandala travel was the right group for us to trust with the day!

We had a wonderful Douro Valley tour with Mandala Travel. Our guide was Jean and he was amazing. We stopped at three different vineyards, tasted and learned about port and had a wonderful lunch at the last vineyard. And the ride on the traditional boat on the Douro River was also well worth the time. From the river you see the Valley from a totally different perspective. We would definitely recommend this trip.

We made a trip to the Douro Valley. The whole tour was very well thought and our guide, apart from always giving very useful pieces of information, always made sure that nothing was missing, showed us places that otherwise we would never discover and helped to make this a really unforgettable experience. Undoubtedly five stars! (And the Port Wine also)

Très belle journée dans la vallée du DOURO passé avec Jean très bon guide nous a fait découvrir beaucoup d'endroit très jolies. Nous a expliqué l'histoire du douro. Si vous voulez découvrir la région je vous conseillé vraiment jean

Douro Valley Tour - 5 Stars Experience. A full day tour where you can visit Port Wine Wineries (Wine Estate), a Rabelo boat cruise, an amazing lunch and, wine tastings. A full day tour with great guides - English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese.

I am so glad that I found Mandala Travel! Their Port Wine tour was exactly what my partner and I were looking for, and we had the opportunity to taste more wines than we had expected. The work of Jean, our guide, definitely exceeded our expectations - not only is he a fun and knowledgeable person to be around, but he also knows wine and the region like no one else -, and all the activities we took part in were absolutely pleasant. We were a small group, which my partner and I were very thankful for. Although the beautiful winery where we had lunch got confused with our dietary requirements (my partner and I don't eat animal products, and the restaurant served us omelette), it was still a nice meal (salad, vegetables, bread, wine, fruit, coffee), and the place was one-of-a-kind! I would absolutely recommend this and any other tour by Mandala Travel.

We would highly recommend Mandala Travel. Diogo drove us through the Douro valley vineyards sharing many interesting facts about wine and Portuguese culture. We met a local fruit farmer along the way who sold the most delicious figs we have ever eaten! We had a close up experience with the Duoro river as we rode on a Rabelo. Then we arrived at 2 vineyards where we sampled a variety of wines. We had lunch at a boutique winery under a huge walnut tree with a spectacular view of the vineyards. Our Mandala Tour was the highlight of our visit to Porto. We couldn’t have asked for a more unforgettable experience. Obrigada Diogo and Julia.

We booked the Duoro valley full day tour with winery lunch on the recommendation of friends and we were not disappointed. Our driver picked us up at our hotel in old town Porto and our small group of 5 made our way to Valle Real in the Duoro valley. We visited 2 wineries ,first being for a Port tasting and the second one for lunch and wine tasting. Our guide was very knowledgeable about local wine and cuisine , made stops at scenic picture spots and was sure to have his group at the front line for all activities namely the river boat tour. It was a pleasure to support a small tour company and would highly recommend them for a tour.