where the Alva and the Égua meet
Two rivers hitting the same rocks. That's what defines this spot: Foz D'Égua is exactly the point where the Égua stream flows into the Alva, and that confluence creates a body of water with its own dynamic, with currents and bottoms that change depending on which side you're on.
The area is wedged into the Serra do Açor, with dense riverside vegetation closing in around it. Schist dominates everything: the banks, the walls, the paths. The nearest village, Foz D'Égua, has that dark-stone architecture typical of this part of the Arganil area, and gives the place a scale the bathing complexes with their tarmac car parks can't fake.
The Alva here isn't a violent mountain torrent nor a placid stream. It has enough width to swim for real, with the broad stone bottom the Serra do Açor keeps putting in the rivers that run off it. If you already know Piódão, you're in the same geological territory, only lower down and with water everywhere.
what you'll find
- the visible confluence of the two rivers, with water behaving differently in each arm
- the village's schist architecture right on the bank
- a bottom of granite and schist, no sand
- natural shade from the riverside vegetation
- rough walking access, with terraces and small schist steps linking the road to the bank, not a place to arrive distracted or with your hands full
