This May, I took a trip with my dog to Piocas de Baixo, the bottom of a small waterfall of the River Olo near Ermelo in Portugal. We were passing through the area on the way to our trip to Pinhao and decided to stop for a visit to the waterfall.
There is also Piocas de Cima, where you can visit the origin above, but we did not have time to go there unfortunately. Maybe you do?
HOW TO VISIT PIOCAS DE BAIXO WITH YOUR DOG
In order to get to Piocas de Baixo with your dog, I would recommend a car. There is an opportunity to park at the side of the road right at the start of the trail that leads to Piocas de Baixo.
The way down to Piocas de Baixo is mostly signposted, until you get pretty close.
At the last intersection, there was no sign.
We went left, and it seems that this was correct as we came to the bottom of the waterfall shortly thereafter.
The way down to the bottom of the fall took around 30 minutes at a leisurely pace. It is a nice trail with plenty of gorgeous views along the way.
As you get very close to the destination, the trails get smaller, rockier and you may have to duck down to get through some bushes to make it through to the edge of the basin. But it’s worth it!
The minute that we got to Piocas de Baixo, my dog wanted to have a drink of water and promptly fell in. I don’t think she intended for that to happen, but she took it in stride, swam a lap and then climbed out again.
This is a very nice, calm spot where you can sit by the water, put your feet in our even go for a full-on dip along with your pup. If you are nearby, it’s worth it to make a quick pit stop and walk down to the water. Do note that you cannot actually see the waterfall itself from here though.
HOW LONG IT TAKES AND WHO IT’S FOR
We spent about one hour at Piocas de Baixo, including the walk to and from the parking lot. If you want to spend time dipping in the basin or sunbathing, do budget for more time.
While there is a bit of uphill and downhill involved there were no extremely long or arduous sections, so I would rate this trail as relatively easy. It should be doable for most people, perhaps even with a pram.
THE BOTTOM LINE
We enjoyed the visit to Piocas de Baixo. If you are in the area, it is a nice place to take your pup for a short dip in the water. Since it is a rather quick visit, I would not specifically plan a trip here from further away though.
A trip with my dog 