The Wild WestA Costa Vicentina cycling tour, from the cork-oak hills of the Alentejo to the end of Europe.
€2,350 per person€1,185 per person*
THE ROUTE SOUTH
Where the Portuguese once thought the world stopped
Santiago do Cacém · Cercal · São Teotónio · Aljezur · Sagres
We start where the cork-oak forests of the Alentejo meet the sea breeze, and we end at Cabo de São Vicente, the southwestern corner of Europe. In between: small inland villages, fishing harbours, empty cliffs, and stretches of the Rota Vicentina where the only sound is the next gust.
We ride a mix of quiet tarmac and gravel, end each day in a hand-picked boutique hotel, and eat what the day delivered: Atlantic fish off the grill, slow-cooked Alentejano pork, wines from Lagoa and the Alentejo.
The Wild West is a private point-to-point cycling holiday run by Musette Travel, a boutique cycling-holiday company in Lagos, Portugal. Four riding days and five nights from the Alentejo to Sagres, for private groups from six riders, February to June and September to November.
Fully guided & supported · or self-guided, with our preparation
AT A GLANCE
- LENGTH
- 4 riding days · 5 nights
- SHAPE
- Point to point, Santiago do Cacém to Sagres
- GROUP
- Private groups from 6 riders, no maximum
- RIDING STYLES
- Road · Gravel · MTB
- DISTANCE
- Gravel and MTB: 243 km · 56–68 km per day
- ELEVATION
- Gravel and MTB: 5,412 m across the four riding days. Road figures follow once ridden.
- SEASON
- Mid-February to late June, and September to November. Other dates on request.
- PRICE
- €2,350 per person€1,185 per person*, five nights
SKETCH, NOT TO SCALE
Choose your surface
Hotels and the rhythm of the week are the same. The route and the surface change.
DAY BY DAY · ROADGRAVELMTB
The road and MTB profiles are published once those routes are ridden.
Land at Faro (Lisbon on request). Group transfer north to the Alentejo, above the plain. Bike fitting in the afternoon, a briefing with your guide in the evening, dinner at the hotel.
Night: above Santiago do Cacém
First ride. Out through the cork-oak country, coffee in the village of Vale Seco, lunch on a terrace in Cercal do Alentejo. The country house at the edge of the natural park is waiting; so is your luggage.
Night: Cercal do Alentejo
The country opens up. Long ruler-straight roads, then a steady drop to the coastal plain. Coffee in São Luís, lunch in Odemira. You finish on a working farm: vegetable garden, pool, wood-fired kitchen.
Night: São Teotónio
Today the Atlantic shows up. The Rota Vicentina towards Odeceixe, then into Aljezur, a castle on the hill, a river through the town. Lunch in Aljezur, then the last climb of the day up to the cliffs.
Night: the Aljezur coast
The big one, and the last riding day. Cliffs all morning, coffee at Praia do Amado, lunch at Praia da Cordoama. Cabo de São Vicente for sunset, the southwestern corner of Europe, then down into Sagres.
Night: Sagres
Breakfast, then the transfer to Faro. Option: ride out to the cape first.
Land at Faro (Lisbon on request). Group transfer north to the Alentejo, above the plain. Bike fitting in the afternoon, a briefing with your guide in the evening, dinner at the hotel.
Night: above Santiago do Cacém
First ride. Out through the cork-oak country, coffee in the village of Vale Seco, lunch on a terrace in Cercal do Alentejo. The country house at the edge of the natural park is waiting; so is your luggage.
Night: Cercal do Alentejo
The country opens up. Long ruler-straight roads, then a steady drop to the coastal plain. Coffee in São Luís, lunch in Odemira. You finish on a working farm: vegetable garden, pool, wood-fired kitchen.
Night: São Teotónio
Today the Atlantic shows up. The Rota Vicentina towards Odeceixe, then into Aljezur, a castle on the hill, a river through the town. Lunch in Aljezur, then the last climb of the day up to the cliffs.
Night: the Aljezur coast
The big one, and the last riding day. Cliffs all morning, coffee at Praia do Amado, lunch at Praia da Cordoama. Cabo de São Vicente for sunset, the southwestern corner of Europe, then down into Sagres.
Night: Sagres
Breakfast, then the transfer to Faro. Option: ride out to the cape first.
Land at Faro (Lisbon on request). Group transfer north to the Alentejo, above the plain. Bike fitting in the afternoon, a briefing on your route in the evening, dinner at the hotel.
Night: above Santiago do Cacém
First ride. Out through the cork-oak country, coffee in the village of Vale Seco, lunch on a terrace in Cercal do Alentejo. The country house at the edge of the natural park is waiting; so is your luggage.
Night: Cercal do Alentejo
The country opens up. Long ruler-straight roads, then a steady drop to the coastal plain. Coffee in São Luís, lunch in Odemira. You finish on a working farm: vegetable garden, pool, wood-fired kitchen.
Night: São Teotónio
Today the Atlantic shows up. The Rota Vicentina towards Odeceixe, then into Aljezur, a castle on the hill, a river through the town. Lunch in Aljezur, then the last climb of the day up to the cliffs.
Night: the Aljezur coast
The big one, and the last riding day. Cliffs all morning, coffee at Praia do Amado, lunch at Praia da Cordoama. Cabo de São Vicente for sunset, the southwestern corner of Europe, then down into Sagres.
Night: Sagres
Breakfast, then the transfer to Faro. Option: ride out to the cape first.
Land at Faro (Lisbon on request). Group transfer north to the Alentejo, above the plain. Bike fitting in the afternoon, a briefing on your route in the evening, dinner at the hotel.
Night: above Santiago do Cacém
First ride. Out through the cork-oak country, coffee in the village of Vale Seco, lunch on a terrace in Cercal do Alentejo. The country house at the edge of the natural park is waiting; so is your luggage.
Night: Cercal do Alentejo
The country opens up. Long ruler-straight roads, then a steady drop to the coastal plain. Coffee in São Luís, lunch in Odemira. You finish on a working farm: vegetable garden, pool, wood-fired kitchen.
Night: São Teotónio
Today the Atlantic shows up. The Rota Vicentina towards Odeceixe, then into Aljezur, a castle on the hill, a river through the town. Lunch in Aljezur, then the last climb of the day up to the cliffs.
Night: the Aljezur coast
The big one, and the last riding day. Cliffs all morning, coffee at Praia do Amado, lunch at Praia da Cordoama. Cabo de São Vicente for sunset, the southwestern corner of Europe, then down into Sagres.
Night: Sagres
Breakfast, then the transfer to Faro. Option: ride out to the cape first.
Per-day distances and elevation are measured on the actual routes. A rest day can be added anywhere; shorter and longer versions exist on request.
CABO DE SÃO VICENTE · LAST RIDE DAY
Where you'll sleep
Five nights, five different houses, all chosen for character rather than star count. We name the villages, not the hotels. You get the full list with your itinerary. All rooms en-suite; twins, doubles and singles matched to your group at booking.
NIGHT 1
Santiago do Cacém
A design hotel on the hill above the town, looking out over the Alentejo plain.
NIGHT 2
Cercal do Alentejo
A low-slung country house at the edge of the natural park. Slow, rural, art-filled.
NIGHT 3
São Teotónio
A working farm hotel outside the village: vegetable garden, pool, wood-fired kitchen.
NIGHT 4
Aljezur, on the coast
A clifftop retreat above one of the wildest beaches on this coast.
NIGHT 5
Sagres
A clifftop house at the western end of the Algarve, above the Atlantic.
WHAT YOU EAT
Fish from the coast, pork from the Alentejo.
Grilled sardines and dourada straight off the coals. Percebes, gooseneck barnacles harvested from the rocks. Cataplana, the slow seafood stew the Algarve invented. Wines from Lagoa and the Alentejo.
At every table we book, we know the owner, the chef or the hotel owner. Wine and drinks are not included. You choose what to open.
YOUR BIKE
Booked with the trip, priced on its own
Current-generation bikes, fitted to your measurements before you arrive. Your bike comes with a helmet, pedals set up to your system, a pump and a puncture pack; a GPS unit on request. Bring your own saddle, pedals or shoes if you prefer.
See the fleetFOUR RIDING DAYS · PER PERSON, WHOLE TRIP
KTM Gravelator
€172
Carbon or aluminium, wide tyres — the default choice on the Rota Vicentina.
Scott Addict 10
€256
Current-generation carbon, fitted to your measurements before you arrive.
KTM Macina Gravelator SX
€276
For the gravel days — there is no e-road bike in the fleet.
KTM Macina Chacana
€240
For the MTB days, and for mixed-ability groups who want to ride the same day together.
Bergamont E-Revox Sport
€240
The hardtail alternative on the same days.
Kona Hei Hei Supreme · Bergamont Revox 8 · KTM Ultra Gloriette 27.5
€160–252
Hardtail €160 · full suspension €252.
- Your own bike, transport
- €45
- Single room supplement, €120 per night, €600 for five nights
- €600
WHAT IS TAKEN CARE OF · GUIDEDSELF-GUIDED
Something always happens on a trip. We won’t promise you a perfect week. We promise that when something happens, it is already being handled.
You ride it alone, but not unaided. Everything around the riding is prepared, and someone is on the phone all week.
- A Musette guide and a support van with driver on every riding day
- One guide for every eight riders and a support van with driver and mechanic. Spare parts in the van; a replacement bike comes from the hub when needed.
- Route, pace and stops decided by guides who know these roads
- Luggage moved hotel to hotel by our van
- Lunches, snacks on the bike and dinners
- Group transfer from and to Faro (Lisbon on request)
- Your own pace, our preparation
- GPS routes and a printed roadbook
- A personal briefing and bike delivery at the first hotel
- Luggage moved hotel to hotel
- Airport transfers in and out
- A 24/7 phone line with a vehicle that comes to you if something goes wrong
- Dinner transfer where the restaurant is not walkable
INCLUDED · GUIDEDSELF-GUIDED
- 5 nights in boutique hotels with breakfast
- Guide and support van on every riding day
- Lunches on riding days, dinners every evening, ride snacks
- Luggage transfers between hotels
- Group transfer from and to the airport
- Mechanic on call
- A Musette jersey
- 5 nights in boutique hotels with breakfast
- GPS routes and roadbook
- Briefing and bike delivery
- Luggage transfers between hotels
- Airport transfers in and out
- Dinner transfers
- 24/7 support line with vehicle call-out
NOT INCLUDED
- Bike rental (see Your bike)
- Wine and drinks
- Flights
- Travel and cancellation insurance (strongly recommended)
- Single room supplement
- Gratuity for your team: not included, and entirely yours to decide.
- Bike rental (see Your bike)
- Lunches and dinners
- Wine and drinks
- Flights
- Travel and cancellation insurance (strongly recommended)
- Single room supplement
- Gratuity for your team: not included, and entirely yours to decide.
Arrival day: dinner only. Departure day: breakfast only.
PRICE 2027 · GUIDEDSELF-GUIDED · FIVE NIGHTS
€2,350€1,185*
per person · Mid season, groups of eight, estimate.
* Price per person, sharing a twin room, for a private group of eight. Low season costs less, July and August cost more. Smaller groups and other dates are calculated for your group and confirmed in writing within 48 hours. Subject to 2027 hotel confirmation. Bike rental is invoiced separately with 23% VAT; the package price includes VAT.
Every trip is priced on request and subject to availability, because the price moves with the group size, the month and the airports. The figure here is an indication, not a quote.
We ride from mid-February to late June, and from September to November. July and August are the wrong months here: hot inland, and the hotels price themselves out of it. Other dates on request.
Bike rental is booked with the trip and priced separately, see Your bike.
PAYMENT AND CANCELLATION
Two payments: 40% at booking, the balance 60 days before departure.
Cancellation: 90 days or more before departure: the deposit (40%). 89 to 60 days: 60%. 59 to 30 days: 80%. 29 days or less: 100%. A replacement rider is always free.
Riding alone or as a couple? See our open weeks.
Also see: Lagos Base Camp · The Montado
Read in the Journal: The park we ride through · Endless gravel
ALENTEJO · ÉVORA
The Montado: be our first guest
Our new Alentejo holiday around Évora: cork oaks, long empty roads, and the wine estates the region is known for. A riding week with a tasting in it, not a wine tour with a bike. The first groups travel at a reduced rate.
Join the first guests
READY?
Tell us your group and your dates window
Private trips have no fixed departures. For riders without a group we run a few open weeks a year, six to sixteen riders. We reply within 48 hours, with first-draft itinerary suggestions, guided or self-guided, and a price estimate.
Plan your tripNot sure yet? Write to us
“We were in Algarve with big group and we did 3 days of bike riding along the coast. These guys were the only one who provided us with a full service proposal for private guided tour for a big group. They helped us with everything, took care of the group (up to 20 people) and were just amazing partners!”