Rotas do Sal

Rotas do Sal organises in Setúbal boat trips around the bay and estuary of the Sado, walks and guided routes through the Estuary Nature Reserve and the Arrábida hills, private tours and transfers from Lisbon airport to the Arrábida beaches and the Alentejo coast.

Who they are

It is a local company that has worked on the Setúbal peninsula since 2005. Its headquarters are in Soltróia, on the other side of the estuary, and its shop is in the Mercado do Livramento, at Avenida Luísa Todi, 163, in the centre of Setúbal. It works with certified local guides and professional drivers for transfers. It is registered in the Portuguese national register of tourist-activity companies (RNAAT 79/2009) and in the one for travel agencies (RNAVT 8126), and its boat has the Blue Flag badge.

What it offers

The most booked outing is the dolphins in Setúbal bay: about two hours, suitable for all ages, from €45.57, which also takes in beaches and white sandbanks. There is a private version of three and a half hours. On the water it also offers a sunset outing (from €37.31) and a sunrise one (from €23.58), bird-watching in the estuary (three hours), a visit to an oyster farm with a tasting and a four-hour trip up the river to Alcácer do Sal.

On land it organises a route through the Arrábida viewpoints, of an hour and a half, a visit to the Arrábida convent, from age 6, and a winery route with a tasting. For groups or families it hires private boats: the Quatrro, for up to 4 people; the Salácia, up to 14; and the Ácala and the galleon Riquitum, up to 48.

Dolphins with respect

Dolphin watching in Portugal is regulated by law, and the company publishes its code of conduct: do not chase the animals or separate groups, do not feed or touch them, avoid noise and do not actively approach within 30 metres.

Bookings and languages

Some activities are booked online on its website; others by phone, on +351 938 122 190, or by email, at [email protected]. The website, in Portuguese and English, does not publish cancellation terms or the exact departure point of each boat, so it is worth confirming them when you book.