Portugal · A day on the water
When was your last real adventure?
MicroAdventures runs small outdoor excursions for people who want to unplug and experience the beautiful nature of Portugal with other like-minded individuals. The next one is a recreational kayak day in the Zêzere landscape on July 25th. Kayak, swim if you want, learn a couple of useful field skills, and have an amazing dinner after. Come solo or bring your crew.
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Pick your kayak, your overnight, and your ride. The price updates as you go.
Unplug. Get out. Connect.
As knowledge workers, we spend our time behind screens for work most of the day. Our idea of logging off is opening Instagram and/or doom scrolling social media. Weekends come and we all yearn for human connection but it typically involves bars - rarely do we get out of the concrete jungle to connect in nature. Ultimately what we all want is meaningful connection, personal growth and a sense of adventure.
What if once per month you knew there was a mini adventure trip that could be done in a weekend revealing to you the hidden gems right in your own backyard? No cell phones, no laptops. Just unadulterated nature shared with other individuals seeking adventure and novel experiences. And what if in these magical destinations, accessible within just a few hours' drive you could step outside of your comfort zone and challenge yourself by learning a new skill, conquering an old fear, tackling a hard challenge, and return from this weekend refreshed not with just new friendships but new personal growth?
This is MicroAdventures. We conduct compact nature excursions that challenge people and bring them together in collaboration and cooperation. Join us in our first official event in beautiful Zêzere, Portugal, and become a part of history as a day-one participant in the MicroAdventure phenomenon.
July 25th, 2026 · Zêzere, Portugal
Experience the nature of Zêzere.
We carpool out of Lisbon around 8am and reach the water by about 10. Lunch is on us. In the afternoon Tom runs a survival basics session you can keep for life - shelter building, knots and cordage, water filtration, fire theory, the psychology that won him Alone, and a hands-on hunt for the invasive crayfish eating this river alive. We wrap around 6pm and head to a quaint local restaurant in town. After that, drive back to Lisbon or stay the night nearby.
One of the most beautiful landscapes in central Portugal, a couple of hours from the city, and almost nobody from Lisbon has seen it.
What you can expect
An unforgettable experience
A full day on the water in a landscape most people never see. You come home with a story worth telling.
New skills
Shelter building, knots and natural cordage, water filtration, fire theory, survival psychology, and a couple of things you will not see coming. Taught in person by one of the foremost survival experts.
New friends
Shared novelty and shared problem-solving is how strangers become friends faster than they do in any bar. You leave with a tight crew, not just another Instagram follow.
The agenda
How the day runs.
Day 1
Saturday, July 25th
8am
Carpool out of Lisbon
10am
Arrive at the Constância river beach, welcome and safety brief
10:30am
Kayak paddle up to Castelo de Almourol and back
1pm
Beach lunch, pre-made sandwiches with every diet covered
2pm
Survival basics with Tom - shelter, cordage, water filtration, fire theory, and a crayfish hunt in the river
5:45pm
Cool off in the river, pack up, and regroup
7:30pm
Dinner in Constância
9pm
Farewells for those heading back to Lisbon. Overnight guests head to the accommodations
10pm
Settle in, board games, debrief of the day
Day 2
For the overnight guests
9am
Breakfast
10am
Mira de Aire caves excursion, near Porto de Mós
12pm
Lunch
1pm
Head back to Lisbon
3pm
Arrive in Lisbon
What is provided, what to bring
Show up ready. We handle the rest.
We provide
Water for the day, plus coolers and refrigeration so your food and drinks stay cold from morning to the last session.
Meals
Come having eaten breakfast. Lunch on the day is on us. Dinner is the group meal out in town - you buy your own, whatever you are craving.
Bring
Sunscreen and proper footwear, since we move over rough terrain. Pack a swimsuit and be ready to get wet: everyone is in a kayak, so expect it either way. The swim itself is optional.
Stay over (optional) · €40
Stay the night. See the caves on the way back.
If you would rather not drive back tired, stay over at the Quinta near the lake. The evening is the debrief: board games, group games, a bit of acoustic guitar and music. No campfire this time - Portugal is in wildfire season and we respect the fire restrictions. Breakfast is on us in the morning.
The next morning we take the scenic way home through the Mira de Aire caves, an 11km system voted one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Portugal. We tour the caves and cover the admission fees. We stop for lunch on the way (you pay for your own) and get back to Lisbon around 3pm. The overnight is €40: the room, the debrief, breakfast, and the caves.
Who is running it
Your Guides
Field Master
Tom Williams
Tom won Season 1 of the UK edition of Alone, surviving 35 days on his own in the Dehcho region of Northwest Territories, Canada. He has spent two decades teaching bushcraft and survival to beginners and veterans.
Through his long-running program Desert Island Survival, Tom has run hundreds of trips. On MicroAdventures he is your field authority - the survival expert on the ground, the medical safety anchor, and the person who has actually done everything you will be learning.
Principal
Sean Tierney
Sean is a seasoned veteran of the outdoors and a former EMT, knowledgeable in disaster preparedness and wilderness survival. He is the founder of Prep.Training, a site designed to gamify and normalize disaster preparedness.
He has extensive experience in technology and runs Vibecode Lisboa, a school teaching agentic AI to people in Lisbon.
Getting there
How far is the drive?
The day runs in the Zêzere area of central Portugal, a couple of hours from Lisbon depending on where you set off.
The pin below marks the general region, not the exact spot. We send the precise meeting point to everyone who is confirmed. Tap below to check your own drive time from wherever you are starting.
Calculate your driveQuestions people ask first.
Who is this for?+
People who want a real day outdoors and would rather not spend another Saturday in a bar. No prior experience needed - you learn what you need on the day.
Is this dangerous?+
No. Small group with real supervision, an on-the-ground safety anchor (Tom, a first-aid kit, proper insurance), never far from roads and medical care. We move at the slowest-comfortable pace in the group, not the fastest.
Do I need to be fit?+
Moderate fitness is plenty. You will be on your feet and outdoors for a full day with paddling mixed in. If you can walk briskly for an hour, you are in.
Do I need to know how to kayak?+
No. The paddling is recreational and the water is calm. You get a briefing before you get in, and the day is built for people doing this for the first time.
Will there be a fire?+
Not this time. Portugal is in wildfire season and we do not build one. Skills that would normally involve fire are practiced without it.
What is included?+
The base ticket covers the day: guiding, on-the-ground safety, lunch, and the field skills sessions. Kayak rental and the overnight are optional add-ons at checkout. Dinner in town is the group meal out and you pay for your own. We send a detailed packing list once you are confirmed.
Where do we sleep (if I stay overnight)?+
At the Quinta near the lake. Sleep in a tent under the stars (bring your own or rent ours), take a shared bed in the attic dorm, or upgrade to a private room. Pick at checkout.
What if the weather is bad?+
Late July in central Portugal is almost always warm and dry. We plan around outlier days. If conditions ever make the day unsafe we reschedule and communicate quickly.
I don't know anyone else going. Is that weird?+
No. Come solo or bring your crew. Half the point is meeting people you did not know before you showed up.
Is this the only event?+
First of many. More locations, more themes, more dates - the next three are listed further down this page. Getting in on this one means you help shape what the format becomes.
Who is running MicroAdventures?+
Sean Tierney is the founder and Principal of MicroAdventures - he designs the events and runs the community and logistics. Tom Williams is the Field Master, a hired consultant and the survival authority and safety anchor on the ground.
From the field
Photos from our last event
What is coming
A preview of what's to come.
One excursion a month, every month. Here is what is already on the calendar after the kayak day.
Aug 16
Biking Cascais to Colares
Cascais to Colares, Portugal
Coastal ride, Atlantic the whole way.
Aug 30
Cloud Forest Hike
Alcabideche, Portugal
A forest that makes its own weather.
Sept 13
First Outdoor Escape Room
Dornes, Portugal
The escape room format, in the wild.
Oct 2-5
Camping in Gerês
Gerês, Portugal
Waterfalls by day. Stars by night.
July 25th · Fifteen spots
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