The “Ecovia do Vez e do Lima” project links the course of both rivers as a pleasant river path. It meant the consolidation of the Alto Minho road networks, in order to integrate them in a strategic context, and in an area of unique environmental and natural quality, in the surroundings of the Peneda-Gerês National Park and the “Gerês-Xurés Transfrontier Biosphere Reserve” (RBTGX).

We are thus facing a space of great “eco-personality”, very educational, which recovers old traditional paths and makes them available to hikers in search of contact with the rural world. In addition to hiking and active tourism, there are routes that allow environmental and ethnographic interpretation activities, which in turn contribute to the sustainable development of the area.

Therefore, these routes should be seen as public sports (and leisure) infrastructures. However, there is more, as they are places par excellence for carrying out activities such as education and environmental and ethnographic interpretation, thus being able to contribute to the development of rural areas (which are the majority, although there are some small stretches that accompany the urban route)

Ecovia do Vez has a length of 32’5km along the Limia and Vez. Along the Lima, it runs along the right bank between Jolda de São Paio and Arcos de Valdevez. Arriving at Vez, two more stages, to the bridge of Vilela and from there to the picturesque village of Sistelo, characterized by its terraces, one of the “7 wonders of Portugal”, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and that some even compare it to Tibet. Largest part of the route is characterized by wooden walkways, perfectly camouflaged. Visitors can also enjoy one of the several river beaches, or visit windmills, medieval bridges, the mouth of the Cabreiro river, etc. Only the last section, reaching Sistelo (if done in that direction) presents some difficulty, certainly compensated by the magic of the place.

Ecovia do Lima integrates both Viana do Castelo, Ponte de Lima, Ponte da Barca and Arcos de Valdevez, which together with Esposende and Caminha created the project “Caminhos do Lima” and “Guarda-Rios”, with the aim of intervening in the environmental area. There are also plenty of initiatives that seek to raise awareness, preserve nature and promote ecotourism. This route parallel to Lima consists of 6 sections that go (in the direction of the ascent of the river, left bank) between Deão (Viana) and Ponte de Lima (“Caminho da planície”), Ponte da Barca (“Caminho das encostas”), Fontão (“Rota da lagoa”), Arcos de Valdevez (“Rota dos Refoios do Lima”, on the right bank) and Vilarinho de Souto / Ermelo (“Rota de Ermelo”). With the forecast of extension, it is intended that the ecovia will reach the urban centers, creating a unique circular route along both banks of the Lima.