It was not our first time visiting Alqueva but until today we had only scratched the surface. We had no idea about the potential of this place for water sports something we really love, so when Francisco from Alentejo Break reached out and invited us we didn’t think twice. Alqueva is one of the largest artificial lakes in Europe with a reservoir of 250km2 that covers five Alentejo municipalities, but the number that impressed us the most was learning that it has 1100Km’s of coastline! Unreal!
The conditions for outdoor activities are excellent with many trails and bike paths or water sports like SUP, sailing, wakeboard or kayak for weeks without ever going through the same place twice.

How was SUP (Stand Up Paddle) in Alqueva?

We had tried SUP before in a river and initially we thought this lake would be too big to be able to enjoy, but actually, because unlike the river, there is very little current you go quite fast and you can cover quite a lot of distance. Be advised that the lake can be difficult to navigate and you can easily lose your bearings and get lost, so better check your home point frequently.
You can find many small islands to explore and large fishes are everywhere so lots to see, our son especially liked to take a swim and freshen up a little and if we had brought some slippers we would also like to have walked on the islands, maybe next time.

How was wakeboard in Alqueva?

We are passionate about water sports and wakeboard although we have only tried it once before was a love at first try. Before we tried with a cable and in comparison this requires a little more effort to stand but once you are up it’s way more fun.
The boat makes a wave that you can use to play with and the conditions of this lake for wakeboard are among the best you can find, really the water looks like glass and it slides with no effort, amazing stuff.

 

We can say that this was the best weekend of the year until now. And we will be going back for more.

Where is it?

How much is it?

• SUP – from €18 to €25 depending on whether you want to have a class or just rent the equipment. (2018)
• Wakeboard – from €35 for 20 minutes (2018)

You can find updated information here:
https://www.alentejobreak.com
or contact Alentejo Break directly using this number:
+351 965 560 613
You can use WhatsUp (number above) if you have it, that’s how we set this up with Francisco.