🔗 Share this article

“I never dislike doing the same hike again and again,” remarked our guide, crouching next to a group of flowers. “Each time, there are new things – these flowers hadn’t been in this spot the day before.”

Standing on stems a minimum of 2cm tall and dotting the ground with pale blossoms, the fact that these star of Bethlehem flowers appeared overnight was a beautiful demonstration of how rapidly things can grow in this hilly, central area of the Algarve, the protected woodland of Barão de São João.

It was also encouraging to learn that in an region swept by forest fires in last fall, types such as fire-resistant trees – which are fire-resistant because of their reduced sap – were commencing to recover, in proximity to highly inflammable eucalyptus, which hinders other fire-resistant trees such as oak. Volunteers were being recruited to participate with ecological restoration.

Traveler Numbers and Upland Interest

Visitor numbers to the Algarve are rising, with this year registering an increase of 2.6% on the previous year – but most visitors head straight for the coast, despite there being so much more to experience.

The coastline is certainly wild and stunning, but the area is also enthusiastic to showcase the appeal of its inland areas. With the development of year-round trekking and mountain biking paths, plus the introduction of outdoor events, attention is being drawn to these just as engaging vistas, including peaks and lush woodlands.

The Algarve Walking Season hosts a set of multiple hiking events with general topics such as “aquatic elements” and “archaeology” between November and the end of winter. It’s anticipated they will motivate visitors in every season, strengthening the regional economy and helping slow the exodus of the youth departing in pursuit of employment.

Creativity and The Outdoors Merge

The trip to the wooded reserve fell during a weekend festival with the subject of “creativity”, centered on the traditional village in the northwest of Barão de São João.

Along with led walks, departing from the local hub, no-cost workshops ranged from learning how to make organic pigments, to performance sessions, tai chi and artistic rendering. There were several photography exhibitions running as well as a number of other family-oriented activities, such as botanical explorations and creating seed dispensers.

Prior to our casual afternoon art printing session at the cultural centre, our walk into the woods with Joana had the vibe of an creative path. Marked at the beginning by upright rocks painted with representations of local farmers, it was decorated throughout the path with more modest, installed stones depicting types of animals, including hedgehogs and wild cats – the wild cat’s community increasing, due to a rehabilitation centre located in the fortified settlement of Silves.

Scenic Routes and Outdoor Beauty

As the route ascended to its peak, the menhir (standing stone) on the Pedra do Galo path, it became more thickly wooded with the piney aroma of evergreen. There was a fullness to the atmosphere and solid, honey-toned bubbles swelled from bark. Limestone sparkled underfoot and minute amphibians sat by pool margins, throats throbbing. In the background, wind turbines cartwheeled against the blue expanse.

Francisco Simões, our guide the next day, was once more keen to emphasize that these upland regions can be explored year-round. Waymarked hikes, developed in the last decade, are offshoots of the Via Algarviana, a trail that extends from the Spanish boundary for 300 kilometers, all the way to the coast, and several are now connected to an application that makes route planning even easier.

Nature Tourism and Cultural Experiences

Francisco founded ecotourism outfit Algarvian Roots in the recent past and provides tours from wildlife spotting to all-day guided hikes, all with the same goals as the AWS: to promote the locale by way of engagement, education and local understanding.

The art connection is here, too – his mother, ceramicist Margarida Palma Gomes, had guided us to design azulejos, the distinctive blue and white glazed tiles observed across the land, two days earlier on a festival workshop. Tours to her studio, in addition to to a local potter, can additionally be arranged through Algarvian Roots.

Francisco encouraged us to contribute for the sector by consuming plenty of fine wine stoppered by cork

Following an delicious dining experience of pork cheek and cabbage in A Charrette in Monchique, a pretty upland village flanked by the Algarve’s tallest mountains, the tall Fóia and 774-metre Picota, Francisco guided us down precipitously cobbled streets and into a narrow path, where an elderly pair sunned themselves at the entrance of their home.

A sharp track led us into the woods, the ground strewn with tree seeds. At this spot, Francisco was enthusiastic to show us cork trees, Portugal’s symbolic plant and conserved under regulation since the medieval period. Not only are they intrinsically slow-burning, but their pliable bark is a source of income for locals, who harvest it to sell to other {industries|sectors