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“I never object to repeating the identical trail repeatedly,” stated Joana Almeida, crouching next to a cluster of blossoms. “Each time, there are different details – these weren’t here yesterday.”

Rising on stems no less than 2cm in height and adorning the dirt with white petals, the reality that these overnight wonders emerged overnight was a striking demonstration of how quickly life can grow in this undulating, interior part of the Algarve, the national forest of Barão de São João.

It was also encouraging to learn that in an area affected by forest fires in September, species such as fire-resistant trees – which are flame-retardant because of their low resin content – were commencing to regrow, together with highly flammable eucalyptus, which obstructs other fire-resistant trees such as oak. Volunteers were being recruited to help with reforestation.

Visitor Figures and Interior Appeal

Visitor numbers to the Algarve are growing, with the current year showing an rise of 2.6 percent on the last year – but most arrivals go directly to the seaside, despite there being so much more to explore.

The coastline is undoubtedly wild and breathtaking, but the area is also eager to showcase the charm of its interior regions. With the creation of throughout the year hiking and cycling paths, plus the addition of nature festivals, focus is being shifted to these equally compelling vistas, featuring peaks and thick woodlands.

The Algarve Walking Season organizes a set of multiple hiking events with loose subjects such as “water” and “historical sites” between late autumn and early spring. It’s expected they will encourage explorers year round, boosting the regional economy and aiding reduce the outflow of the youth leaving in quest of employment.

Art and The Outdoors Combine

The trip to the protected parkland overlapped with a two-day event with the theme of “art”, centered on the pale-colored hamlet to the northwest of Barão de São João.

As well as organized treks, departing from the community center, no-cost workshops extended from discovering how to make plant-based dyes, to drama classes, meditative movement and drawing. There were several photo displays available together with several other family-oriented pursuits, such as leaf safaris and crafting wildlife feeders.

Before our drop-in daytime screen-printing session at the cultural centre, our stroll into the forest with Joana had the atmosphere of an sculpture walk. Signposted at the outset by monoliths adorned with representations of local farmers, it was studded en route with compact, installed stones depicting types of fauna, such as small mammals and wild cats – the lynx’s numbers recovering, because of a rescue facility located in the fortified settlement of Silves.

Picturesque Routes and Wild Beauty

As the path wound up to its summit, the menhir (ancient rock) on the Pedra do Galo walk, it became more thickly wooded with the resinous scent of evergreen. There was a fullness to the air and hard, honey-toned droplets protruded from tree trunks. Chalky rock sparkled beneath our feet and small frogs perched by pond edges, throats vibrating. In the far away, wind turbines rotated against the horizon.

Francisco Simões, the local expert the following day, was once more keen to point out that these interior zones can be discovered year-round. Designated walks, established in recent years, are offshoots of the Via Algarviana, a trail that stretches from the Spanish boundary for a significant distance, the entire route to the Atlantic, and many are now linked to an app that makes wayfinding more straightforward.

Sustainable Travel and Artistic Activities

Francisco set up ecotourism outfit Algarvian Roots in 2020 and organizes tours from wildlife spotting to all-day guided hikes, all with the similar aims as the AWS: to showcase the area by way of engagement, education and local understanding.

The art connection is present, too – his family member, ceramicist Margarida Palma Gomes, had guided us to design azulejos, the characteristic blue and white ceramic tiles observed throughout the country, a couple of days before on a festival workshop. Excursions to her atelier, as well as to a local potter, can also be scheduled through Algarvian Roots.

Francisco encouraged us to play our part for the industry by consuming generous quantities of good wine capped with cork

Following an superb lunch of pork cheek and greens in A Charrette in Monchique, a pretty mountain town bordered by the Algarve’s two highest peaks, the 902-meter Fóia and 774-meter Picota, Francisco led us down steeply stone-paved lanes and into a alleyway, where an elderly pair relaxed in the sun at the entrance of their residence.

A inclined trail took us into the woodland, the terrain covered in tree seeds. Here, Francisco was enthusiastic to show us protected species, Portugal’s emblematic species and safeguarded by law since the 1200s. Not just are they inherently fire-resistant, but their malleable outer layer is a origin of livelihood for inhabitants, who gather it to sell to other {industries|sectors