Sintra Mountains writer and history researcher
author of Sintra Lendária - Histórias e Lendas do Monte da Lua (on its 6th edition)
also known as Caminheiro de Sintra (Sintra's Wanderer)
lectures and speeches on Sintra's history to more than 12K people (as to 2018 data)
scrolling down
you will find every piece of information that will transmit you the certainty of a new way to discover the beauty of the Sintra Mountains
Miguel Boim
twilight hiking
with
♦ PRIVATE HIKE IN SINTRA ♦
a private hike, accompanied by a local writer
by
Miguel Boim, O Caminheiro de Sintra ("Sintra's Wanderer")
author of the book Legendary Sintra - Legends and Stories of the Mountain of the Moon
::: www.miguelboim.com
::: rnaat 1808/2017
::: Available days: Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays - all subject to availability.
::: Groups size: from just one to twelve people.
::: A cultural activity, in legal accordance to Nature Tourism.
::: Legal notice: rnaat 1808/2017
:::: Activity's off-the-grid level: 10/10
:::: Sintra's crowds avoidance: 10/10
::: No smoking; no noise; not advisable to pregnancy nor to heart conditions.
These old passages have been passed through by people who have become known in history for their fantasy, such as this pathway, which Hans Christian Andersen strolled several times during his stay in Sintra in the Summer of 1866.
picture by Miguel Boim
Hidden on the sides of Sintra's oldest entrance to its town - on the old and long Lisbon-Sintra road - are corners where the passing carriages used to echo their rattling.
picture by Miguel Boim
♦♦♦ Your host, Sintra's writer Miguel Boim, in some Portuguese TV shows:
➤ at RTP2
giving body to Mr. Sommer (Patrick Süskind's)
The reading of some excerpts from Mr Sommer, by Patrick Süskind (best known for The Perfume), in Literatura Aqui programme.
➤ at SIC
in the TV series "Boa Cama Boa Mesa"
A brief appearance on SIC's "Boa Cama Boa Mesa" programme, presented by Martim Cabral, and as always talking about the curious stories of the Sintra Mountains past.
➤ at TVI
in Jornal Nacional, at Sintra's Capuchos Convent
A brief appearance by Miguel Boim, O Caminheiro de Sintra, on TVI's Jornal Nacional, in a report that also involves the Convento dos Capuchos and its curious stories from the distant past.
One of the oldest passages to the top of the mountain, when the Sintra Mountains had no roads running through its centre.
picture by Miguel Boim
The ancient Royal Palace of Sintra mirrors the curiosity - and mysteries - of the events of Portuguese history that have taken place in Sintra.
picture by Miguel Boim
♦♦♦ Important information:
. This twilight hiking route will last around 3 hours (or less, if you feel that's better for you), for which you should bring comfortable clothing and footwear.
. The pace will be the one that best suits you, with stops at which you can rest.
. You'll get to know the old town, as well as the quieter part of the forest in the Sintra mountains. However, if you prefer, we can head straight into the forest to avoid the centre of Sintra.
. It is advisable to start two hours before sunset. Upon booking, you can get to know the starting time - or choose the starting time you want.
. If you don't feel comfortable in the rain, you can cancel the walk. If the activity has to be cancelled due to what the authorities have indicated, you will receive a refund, or we can reschedule for a later date if both parties are available.
. During the booking process you will receive further information about data protection, your safety and the preservation of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park.
The green and gold at the end of the day make the curious memories of Sintra written by foreign travellers in the 18th and 19th centuries more vivid..
picture by Miguel Boim
The Pena Palace in the evening fog. The part seen in the picture (the red part of the Palace) is the oldest part of the whole structure, dating from the 16th century. The red part of the Palace was the ancient Pena Monastery and where lightning often entered.
picture by Miguel Boim
♦♦♦ This tour has the seal Clean & Safe, issued by Turismo de Portugal.
► MEETING POINT:
The meeting point will be the one that is most convenient for you, even if you are staying in Sintra. When booking, this will be one of the practical questions asked so that you can make the most of the walk.
► HOW TO MAKE A BOOKING:
Please send an email (caminheiro.de.sintra@gmail.com) with the following subject:
Twilight Hiking - [DATE PRETENDED] - [NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS].
If you'd like further information, you can indicate WHERE YOU'RE STAYING, as well as YOUR INTENDED START TIME, or ask what best starting time, wich will be indicated according to the date (as the sunset here is different from where you are travelling from).
Payment will be done through Paypal, and you will have between three and seven days to make the payment and provide the information requested.
If you prefer, you can first ask as many questions as you like, so that you can feel comfortable (caminheiro.de.sintra@gmail.com), either you are alone, or with a group.
Pricing:
one person: 160€ (total)
two persons: 160€ (total)
three persons: 240€ (total)
four persons: 320€ (total)
five persons: 400€ (total)
six persons: 480€ (total)
seven persons: 560€ (total)
eight persons: 640€ (total)
nine persons: 720€ (total)
ten persons: 800€ (total)
eleven persons: 860€ (total)
twelve persons: 910€ (total)
You will have the chance to touch artifacts from the beginning of the 19th century, such as coins or medals - hence, touching the past.
You can go through the reviews in TripAdvisor here:
The enchanted green that covers everything evokes the fauna of the past, which also included wolves and bears.
picture by Miguel Boim
The Pena Palace in the distance, with the structures planned as the servants' houses (faraway from the Palace), in a part of your twilight hiking with Miguel Boim.
picture by Miguel Boim
♦♦♦ Synopsis:
This activity is for you to feel comfortable, see the beauty of Sintra's nature, and feel fulfilled in your natural curiosity - one of the things that most pleasure gives us in life.
The route will be tailored to how you feel on the day, both physically and in terms of the questions you may have, based upon what is going to be told to you - in a light conversation - on Sintra's History. With Miguel Boim's in-depth knowledge of the old town, mountains, legends and history of Sintra (the wolves, the Knights Templar, the inquisition, the portuguese habits, the apparitions in the old convents and monasteries, among others), it's possible to adapt the tour to your needs and wishes.
Through the centuries-old streets, alleys and passageways, with brief passages in the forest, views of the former Royal Palace, Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle, while filling your heart with details in the landscape, this journey will make you revive the past in a light-hearted communication (without the usual flooding of dates and academic jargon).
It's an off-the-grid experience that will imprint on your chest a beautiful and lasting memory of Sintra (opposite to the usual crowded tours). The mysteries of the Mountain of the Moon (with the mystery of the name itself, which its origin is unknown) from the time before the Romans, the stays and hunts in the medieval era with the royal family, and the eternal fog that instigated legends and apparitions in the fantasy of people's minds, are the parts and pieces of history that constitute the ingredients of your passage through Sintra, on this pleasant and light walking tour.
On one of the highest parts of the route. Even in Winter - as in this picture is noticeable - the landscapes are always rich and beautiful, with atmospheres where you can feel the past.
picture by Miguel Boim
One of Sintra's iconic motifs is Romanticism, an expression of nature's power swallowing the Industrial Revolution and its machines, which were then emerging. Those were times when foreign travellers often wrote about the Sintra Mountains in their memoirs, such was the impact the mountains had on them..
picture by Miguel Boim
your cicerone:
the author and researcher
Miguel Boim
lectures and speeches on Sintra's history to more than 12K people - as to 2018 data
in this video of the portuguese channel dedicated to culture, Miguel Boim
gives body to Süskind's walker, Mr. Sommer
100% devoted to Sintra's local history research, Miguel Boim has his special focus on the human side of what was in the past chronicles of Portugal's Kingdom noted down. Legends, habits and traditions, civil and religious legislation, monastic and conventual mystical experiences, are some of the branches which Miguel considers truly important to understand Sintra's past tree of life.
Besides having contributed with several written articles over the years for the dissemination of the history - and histories - of Sintra's mountains, Miguel is co-author in some literary works, having his own published, from which stands the iconic "Sintra Lendária", presently on its sixth edition.
Living in the past - so to say - Miguel states that all his best friends are dead but quite alive in the middle of the pages and foils of books and manuscripts. His "friends" have all the time in the world - in this one and in the one beyond this - to, through their old writings, tell him what in Sintra Mountains have happened, and who through the valleys and hills have roamed.
Having as the main goal to spread Sintra Mountains history through specialized - but captivating - content, both for portuguese and for foreigners, and both in the oral as in the written form, in the late years Miguel has been having participation in projects with significant impact for the spread of Sintra's past word.
Miguel in the Mountains speeching just before the sunset
and the entry in the foggy night
picture by Rodrigo Garrido
Although his main work is to do research, an important side of it it's to transmit what can be more captivating to people so that they can get closer to history and culture in general.
Running along with the night walks and day tours, Miguel also has projects to bring people close to the enchantment present in History, which may have very specific features.
The picture above shows one of those projects, in which he is taking the folk tradition and legends present in History to the young students of the district. A project sponsored by the city council (Câmara Municipal de Sintra).
Miguel Boim in the filming of the french documentary
"Le Mont de la Lune"
So important as what we can realize or achieve in the content of our work, it's the proper acknowledgement.
Not only by the general public but also by the institutional world.
The picture on the right it's a memory from the release of "Sintra Lendária", which was made at Grémio Literário de Lisboa (a literary group composed in the year 1856) and presented by the Mayor of Sintra, Dr. Basílio Horta, in 2015.
the presentation of the book Sintra Lendária, in the Grémio Literário, by Basílio Horta, Mayor of Sintra Municipality
Due to his constant study of the memories of foreign travellers who have passed through Portugal, Miguel Boim was also invited to write a chapter in the book "Mafra Sacra", which had the high patronage of the President of the Portuguese Republic (Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa) and was published to mark the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the foundation of the Palace and Convent of Mafra.
cover of "Mafra Sacra", a book with the high patronage of the President of the Portuguese Republic
In preparing the project for the Sintra Myths and Legends Museum / Interactive Centre, and due to his in-depth knowledge of Sintra's history and legends and the public recognition of his work, Miguel was the project's content consultant.
the Sintra Myths and Legends Museum / Interactive Centre, in the old town
A 2015 interview with Miguel Boim in the "Jornal de Sintra", Portugal's oldest regional newspaper, for which personalities from Portuguese culture and philosophy wrote, interview that was made before Miguel began writing monthly about the history and legends of Sintra, right up to the present day.
Around the old town you can get views full of details, curiosities, beauty and layers of history, upon to be discovered.
picture by Miguel Boim
The Mountain of the Moon - with its Moorish Castle in sight - seen from the old town on a night when the full moon was beginning its path across the sky.
picture by Miguel Boim
You are just a step away from completing your booking!
To finish this process please use the formulary below, sending:
1) Name of every participant
2) Birthdate of every participant
3) Your Mobile Number
4) Any question you may have
If you don't get a reply in 48 hours, please make a new contact.
You also have the phone number (+351) 96 754 60 90.
The informations you are about to provide are for your safety!
And now it seems that we will see each other soon!