There’s a vegan surf camp in Portugal that lets you eat plant-based food and ride waves for seven days straight.
Green Waves is a surfing retreat located in Baleal, a small island just north of Peniche, Portugal. It’s run by Miguel and Alina, a husband and wife duo with a passion for the outdoors and healthy plant-based food.
Green Waves includes seven nights of accommodation, seven breakfasts (or seven breakfasts and dinners, depending on the package selected), and surf and yoga lessons. Guests can also enjoy movie nights, table games, nutrition talks, workouts, and day trips to Óbidos, where you can climb castle walls and try traditional cherry liqueur, and the Berlengas islands, where you can travel by boat around the abandoned island and explore hidden caves. If the weather is too stormy, guests will trade their Berlengas islands visit for a trip to Nazaré, which is home to the “biggest wave ever surfed” – around 25 meters tall.
Miguel and Alina only take on four people per retreat so that Green Waves remains a personal, meaningful experience.
According to Miguel, creating Green Waves was a way for he and Alina to follow their passion. Speaking to LIVEKINDLY, he said, “We left big cities and came to live in the small village of Baleal, Peniche, in pursuit of great waves for surfing, peace, and nature.” On the Green Waves website, the pair name Portugal the “best surf destination in Europe.”
“Our common love for vegan food, surfing, and this place led us to create this retreat for like-minded people seeking a calm and relaxing holiday while not having to cook for themselves, where they can sit back and relax for a whole week of mindfulness, surfing, healthy food, and exploration of one’s self and one’s surroundings,” explained Miguel, who is a certified personal trainer.
Guests can enjoy dishes like vegan omelette and plant-based Buffalo wings at Green Waves. “After a long time of discovering and trying out recipes and polishing them as we go, we decided to share that with the public,” Miguel said.
Veganism is the “backbone” of the retreat, according to the fitness enthusiast. “Veganism has been in our lives for many years now and through this self-discovery we’ve found that vegan or plant-based doesn’t only mean healthy and fantastic for the environment and the animals but also extremely tasty,” Miguel said.
As well as good food and a relaxing time, the couple promise astonishing sunsets, breathtaking hiking trails, and the opportunity to discover the “amazing world of surfing” alongside two “passionate surfers and ocean lovers.”
