Explore Algarve

The Algarve has some of Europe's most magnificent natural settings and is a haven for animal and bird life. Guests can explore the landscape in a variety of ways, including walking along popular flagged trails, and cycling across rural routes that weave through the region's mountainous borders while also providing stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean.

THE WETLANDS OF SAPAL DE CASTRO MARIM Throughout the year, the Sapal de Castro Marim serves as a natural habitat for 153 different animal species. Flamingos, storks, pied avocets, dunlins, sand plovers, and redshanks are among them. It is an incredible site that provides shelter and breeding conditions for numerous species of molluscs, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and crustaceans, making it an invaluable environmental asset. Birds, notably passerines and birds of prey abound on the surrounding drier and higher ground. THE ALVOR ESTUARY Nestled between Portimão and Lagos, is the most important wetland area in Western Algarve. A lagoon complex, it covers 1400 hectares of marsh and dunes, which makes the area an excellent place for bird watching.

THE CLASSIFIED SITES OF FONTE DA BENÉMOLA & ROCHA DA PENA A protected nature conservation area which supports ecosystems of great ecological interest. The 390 hectares which make up the Fonte da Benémola area, located between Querença and Tôr, preserve a diverse range of plant life not commonly found in the rest of the Algarve, as well as exclusive and diverse species of animal life which can best be seen by walking along the banks of the Menalva Stream. THE LEIXÃO DA GAIVOTA Located at the mouth of the Arade River, is one of the most important sites along the Algarvian coast for bird nesting. It is an islet near the coast, chosen as a nesting ground by white herons, black-winged stilts, European shags and purple herons 10