🔗 Share this article

“I never mind taking the familiar walk repeatedly,” remarked our guide, bending beside a group of flowers. “Each time, there are different details – these weren’t here yesterday.”

Growing on shoots a minimum of 2cm high and dotting the ground with snowy flowers, the reality that these star of Bethlehem flowers sprung up in a single night was a striking proof of how swiftly nature can regenerate in this rolling, central section of the Algarve, the protected woodland of Barão de São João.

It was also reassuring to learn that in an area affected by forest fires in last fall, varieties such as arbutus trees – which are less flammable because of their low resin content – were starting to regrow, alongside highly flammable eucalyptus, which hinders other fire-resistant trees such as oak. Volunteers were being enlisted to help with rewilding.

Traveler Statistics and Inland Attraction

Travel figures to the Algarve are increasing, with this year registering an increase of over two percent on the previous year – but the majority guests go directly to the coast, although there being a great deal more to discover.

The coastline is certainly untamed and dramatic, but the region is also keen to showcase the charm of its upland zones. With the creation of year-round walking and cycling routes, in addition to the launch of outdoor events, attention is being drawn to these equally captivating sceneries, showcasing hills and lush forests.

The Algarve Walking Season runs a set of multiple guided walk programs with loose subjects such as “water” and “ancient ruins” between the start of winter and April. It’s anticipated they will inspire tourists throughout the year, supporting the local economy and contributing to slow the exodus of the youth leaving in quest of opportunities.

Culture and Nature Combine

The trip to the wooded reserve overlapped with a cultural gathering with the theme of “art”, centered on the white-washed hamlet in the northwest of Barão de São João.

In addition to organized treks, setting off from the community center, no-cost workshops included learning how to make organic pigments, to drama classes, mindful exercise and sketching. There were several photo displays available together with multiple other kid-focused pursuits, such as botanical explorations and crafting wildlife feeders.

Prior to our drop-in daytime art printing workshop at the community space, our stroll into the forest with Joana had the feeling of an sculpture walk. Marked at the start by monoliths adorned with representations of local farmers, it was decorated along the way with compact, permanently placed stones showing types of animals, featuring hedgehogs and feline predators – the latter’s community reviving, due to a rehabilitation centre situated in the fortified settlement of Silves.

Scenic Paths and Natural Charm

As the trail wound up to its peak, the menhir (monolith) on the Pedra do Galo trail, it became more lushly forested with the piney aroma of evergreen. There was a fullness to the atmosphere and firm, amber-hued bubbles swelled from wood. Calcareous stone glistened beneath our feet and small toads rested by pond edges, necks vibrating. In the background, windmills rotated against the blue expanse.

Francisco Simões, the local expert the next day, was once more enthusiastic to highlight that these upland regions can be discovered in every season. Designated walks, developed in the past few years, are branches of the Via Algarviana, a trail that runs from the border with Spain for 300 kilometers, continuously to the coast, and a lot are now tied to an app that makes navigation simpler.

Nature Tourism and Cultural Activities

Francisco founded sustainable travel company Algarvian Roots in 2020 and offers activities from wildlife spotting to full-day guided hikes, all with the same goals as the AWS: to highlight the area by way of engagement, enlightenment and local understanding.

The art connection is evident, as well – his parent, artist Margarida Palma Gomes, had taught us to paint azulejos, the distinctive blue and white decorative panels seen across the country, two days earlier on a festival workshop. Tours to her atelier, in addition to to a regional artist, can also be arranged through Algarvian Roots.

Francisco encouraged us to play our part for the industry by enjoying plenty of good wine stoppered by cork

Following an delicious midday meal of meat dish and cabbage in A Charrette in Monchique, a charming upland village bordered by the Algarve’s tallest mountains, the 902-meter Fóia and high Picota, Francisco guided us down precipitously stone-paved lanes and into a side lane, where an elderly pair basked outdoors at the doorstep of their house.

A sharp track took us into the forest, the terrain scattered with tree seeds. Here, Francisco was enthusiastic to point out oak trees, Portugal’s symbolic plant and conserved under regulation since the 13th century. Besides are they naturally fire-resistant, but their flexible covering is a origin of livelihood for locals, who gather it to trade to other {industries|sectors