1928-32
In this period he attends courses on History and Geography at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon and has contacts with the historian Manuel Ramos, the geographer SiIva Telles, and Leite de Vasconcellos, already retired at the time.

The work of Vidal de La Blache, a major name in the modern Geography, contributed to the Orlando Ribeiro’s choice of Geography over History which passion he had developed by reading Alexandre Herculano. His love for fieldwork had also a decisive influence is this option.

1932-33
Orlando Ribeiro attends classes and the laboratory of Geology at the Instituto Superior Técnico, in Lisbon, under the orientation of Ernest Fleury.

1933-36
He teaches History and Geography at the Colégio Infante de Sagres, in Lisbon, where Agostinho da Silva was also a teacher at the time.

1934
As a burser of the Instituto de Alta Cultura he starts a programme of excursions in Portugal and works on his doctoral dissertation about the Arrábida.

1935
Orlando participates in a students cruise organized by Marcello Caetano, as an adjoint-teacher of the Cultural Mission to Madeira, Cape Verde, Guinea, Angola and St. Tome and Principe. On board, he delivers a course on "Geography of the Atlantic Portuguese Colonies".

1936
Orlando Ribeiro is awarded a PhD in Geographical Sciences by the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lisbon, with a thesis about the Serra da Arrábida, entitled A Arrábida. Esboço Geográfico.
At the Centro de Cultura Popular da FNAT - Fundação Nacional para a Alegria no Trabalho, he organizes a course on the Geography of Portugal.

1937
"A Arrábida. Esboço geográfico" is published in the Revista da Faculdade de Letras, of the University of Lisbon.
(A 3rd edition is currently available, published by the Câmara Municipal de Sesimbra and Fundação Oriente, in 2004).