Who are we:
Hello! My name is Diogo Guerra, motorcycle guide, instructor,
content creator and self-proclaimed national treasure ! I have been exploring Portugal for the past 20 years, and nowadays my greatest joy is to share what I have found and learned along the way.
Myself and the OFFroad-OFFcourse team truly care about your enjoyment, and know that no 2 riders are the same!... So we keep our tours limited to small groups (4-5 riders per guide) and include a very effective training day to make sure everyone can enjoy the trip.
Why in Portugal?
Portugal is considered by many to be "the last off road paradise in Europe"! And yes, with great weather almost all year, great food, chill population, safe, clean, and with thousands of unpaved trails going in every direction, the fame is totally justified 😀
Most of my tours are "riding oriented", meaning we will spend most of the day on the bikes, with ocasional stops to smell the flowers or have a coffee by an iconic landmark... on the flipside, we love food, so every meal will be a deep dive into the local Portuguese gastronomy!
From Lisbon's "Humberto Delgado" Airport to Santarem
By train:
By Uber/Bolt:
How difficult are the tracks and activities?
Don't worry about that, really! Your experience or age probably won't be a problem.
I have been doing this for many years and I know that the great majority of my guests won't be 25 year old motocross superstars (at all).
We want people to have fun, to increase their riding skills and to feel challenged, but it is our job to make sure no one gets exhausted or is forced to do things they are really not that inclined to. I am a leisure off-road instructor, not a hard enduro or a rally coach.
This is how I guarantee your success:
Accomodation and food:
The hotels I pick for my tours are always conveniently located in the heart of our daily destinations (being it a city, town or rustic village), at a walking distance from the venue where we will have dinner.
I usually pick 3/4* star hotels (or charming rural accomodations). Expect them to be convienient, well located, clean, comfortable (AC and private bathroom in every room), with all the necessary ammenities (towels, shampoo, etc), but please don't expect 🛠️ Unguided Rental Conditions golden toilets and champagne Jacuzzis 🙂
By default, my tours prices are calculated for twin/shared rooms. If you want a single room it will cost an extra ~35€/night.
As for the food... I am super proud of the Portuguese gastronomy, soI l will provide plenty of opportunities for us to taste it properly throughout our journeys. I like authentic stuff, so instead of eating truffles and caviar to the sound of violins, expect soul-filled, real traditional places, DELICIOUS food, big servings and good local wine.
How do bookings and payments work?Con
1 - Bookings:
Contact us and ask to join a specific tour, or rent a bike, or a custom plan, etc. After understanding your request and confirming calendar availability, you will get access to a registration form that will calculate your bill and keep track of your requests.
2 - Reservation Deposit:
Your booking will only be confirmed after paying a reservation deposit. It can be done by bank transfer (preferably), or paypal (or credit card through paypal). Note: Paypal payments have an extra 5% fee
Cancellations: Deposits are non-refundable, but if you cancel your booking up to 15 days before the event, you can keep the reservation deposit as in-store credit (1 year validity).
3 - Remaining payments:
Riders can choose to pay their remaining bill a few days before arriving (via bank transfer, paypal, etc), or during the "check-in" (with cash or card).
Safety Deposit: For unguided rentals on top of the remaining payment we will also request a 400€ safety deposit (paid before/during check-in and returnable on check-out)
Weather:
Portugal is usually very hot (35-45ºC) in peak Summer (July-August) and cold (but not freezing) in the Winter (December-February). Rain may occur during winter and spring but even then its rather infrenquent and usually brief. Its always a gamble, but odds are you will get either great or good-enough weather all year round 😀
Recommended riding gear:
Protection gear is mandatory: All riders must wear a complete and adequate set of gear: Full face helmet, Armor or Armoured jacket, offroad/enduro boots, Kneepads and gloves. I recommend that you bring your own stuff, but if you can also rent it from me.
Big tour logistics:
On most bigger tours (like the 5 day one where we sleep in 4 different towns as we travel accross the country), riders will carry their belongings on provided 40L drybags. We usually work with small groups so this system has been working super well, however, if we exceed a certain number of riders we may decide to bring a support vehicle that will carry all the luggage, spare parts, spare bike, etc .
Recommended carry-on luggage (fits easily 30-40L Drybag)
Mandatory for all tours and rentals:
Re
Our bike's setup:
All bikes have 80/20 tubed tires (offroad/onroad), and suspension upgrades (some are lowered for smaller riders, some are stiffer for heavier ones). For navigation they have USB power sockets (type A) and can be fitted with universal phone holders or quadlocks clamped directly on the handlebar. Note: it is advisable that you bring your own phone/garmin and craddles/supports).
All bikes have top metal racks and will be provided with 40L drybags with their own fixation system (best strategy is to place a soft bag inside our drybag, and this way you only take the inside bag to the room) We will also provide a TOOL KIT with all things necessary for general repairs/adjustments around the bike (including wheel removal), 2 spare levers, 2 inner tubes, tire spoons and 1 small compressor.
General considerations:
To rent a motorcycle for unguided off-road use you should be a moderately experienced rider with enough mechanical knowledge to solve common issues (like flat tires, misaligned or broken levers, adjusting the chain, etc). To follow my tracks you also need experience with some navigation app or garmin device (we use DMD2 or Osmand but any nav app that supports .gpx files will do the trick).
Rental rules and conditions:
Additional questions
We are here for you, don't worry. Just send us an email and we'll get it done 🙂