February 04, 2015
The Douro Region is so trendy! Every year, thousands of tourists travel to Portugal and they surely don’t want to lose the opportunity to discover the Douro Region and its charming River. Moreover, a cruise on Douro River has been the most chosen option in recent times.
Today, we will tell you the history and all the curiosities of each dam that you can find along the River. There are five dams, each one with unique characteristics. Travel with us now!
The Douro River is an international river, which rises in the hills of Urbion, in Spain, and covers about 850 km until his mouth in the city of Porto.
Along its course, in an extension of about 210 km in Portugal, was constructed 5 dams (Crestuma-Lever, Carrapatelo, Bagaúste, Valeira and Pocinho) which thanks to their navigation locks, allow the realization of cruises between the mouth of the river and Barca D'Alva (Spanish border).
Now, we will tell you the history and curiosities of each Dam… Welcome to Douro River!
This was the last dam to be built on the Douro River and it was built between 1978 and 1985. With the construction of this dam the boats can, finally, made voyages on this river, on the national side, between Porto and Barca D'Alva.
The lock of navigation of this dam is 12 meters wide and 90 meters long. The difference in the water level of this lock is about 14 meters. The downstream gate open and close on a book shape.
On the inside of this lock of navigation exist 4 pairs of mooring floats on both walls and they are use to help the boats as they go up or down.
It was built between 1964 and 1971 being, like this, the first dam on the Douro River. The lock of navigation of this dam is about 85m long and 12m wide. The difference in the water level of this lock is about 35m and it makes it be one of the highest dam in the world!
The downstream gate of this dam is in a guillotine shape and its 12m wide and 22m high. It weighs about 150 tons. Inside the lock there are 8 mooring floats on both walls that follow the boats as they go up or down.
The lock of navigation of this dam is about 85m long, 12m wide and the difference in the water level is of 27m. The downstream gate open and close on a guillotine shape. Inside the lock there are 3 mooring floats on both walls of the lock that follow the boats as they go up or down.
It was the third dam to be built between 1971 and 1976.
The lock of navigation is 85m long, 23m wide and the difference in the water level is about 32. The downstream gate open and close on a guillotine shape. Inside the lock there are 8 mooring floats on both walls of the lock that follow the boats as they go up or down.
It was the 4th dam to be built and it was constructed between 1978 and 1983. It’s placed at about 180km far from the mouth of the river, in the town of Porto.
The lock of navigation is 85m long, 12m wide and the difference in the water level is about 20m. The downstream gate open and close on a book shape. Inside the lock there are three mooring floats on both walls of the lock that follow the boats as they go up or down.
Douro cruises are a fantastic opportunity to contemplate the beautiful landscape of the Douro Valley and enjoy the amazing experience of going up or down the dams of the Douro River!
In those moments, all the passengers feel a great excitement on board: everyone walks to the upper deck to take pictures and enjoy the grandness of the dams.
Experience this unforgettable spectacle! Take a cruise on the Douro and live exciting moments on board!
Tânia has a Master degree in History and Geography Teaching. Her passion about Portugal makes her an incredible teller of Portuguese History, down to the smallest details. She is very friendly and communicative and she is our official Tour Guide, always designing a Tour with love, devotion and tenacity.
@Tania Nogueira Read more posts written by Tania Nogueira
