LANDSCAPE AND BEACHES

The landscape is very diverse. The Algarve essentially consists of three parts, the Litoral, the Barrocal and Serra's. The Litoral is the narrow strip of sand along the coast; here are the main tourist areas. You also find here lots of fruit like oranges, lemons, grapes, etc. Behind the Litoral lie the traditional agricultural limestone grounds, the Barrocal. Originally mainly the typical Mediterranean products such as carob tree pods, almonds, olives and figs were grown here. Since this form of agriculture is no longer economic, many people went to the villages and towns and some of the abandoned farms were taken over by foreigners. North of this are the Serra's which represent the primal time of the Iberian peninsula. The soil is quite acidic and very infertile. Main production is cork, extracted from the bark of cork oaks, you will also see eucalyptus and pine woods. The Serra’s are very sparsely populated and the population continues to reduce. At about 20km from the coast you will be already into the wilderness.

The mountains of Monchique are completely different. The volcanic soil is very acidic and rich in minerals and has its own flora. The view from the top of the Foia (902m), as well as a ride around the top of Picota (744m), give a beautiful view of the surroundings.

A special area is the west coast which is a large nature reserve (Costa Vincetina). It ranges 150km along the coast and is very sparsely populated. It is one of the wildest coastlines in the world, where the ocean constantly pounds the old Iberian Peninsula. The climate is south Atlantic and the temperature never exceeds 28 degrees. Between the rocks and steep cliffs are beautiful bays with small sandy beaches. This is a surfer’s paradise.

West of Faro at Quarteira, the sand dunes begin to disappear and eventually turn into sandstone and limestone cliffs.  At the westernmost point, Cabo de São Vicente, the cliffs are    75 m above sea level. The coast has many beautiful calm bays with small beaches, sometimes only accessible through a tunnel through the rocks. There are also many caves which can be visited by boat.

To the east beyond Tavira, the Barrocal is no longer present and the Serra comes down to the coast (Litoral) with many long and beautiful sandy beaches. Especially at Cacela Velha, where the last barrier island joins the shore, is one of the most beautiful places to visit. It is worth a visit to the various coastal towns and then take a drive along the border river with Spain to the north. Worth a visit are Villa Real, Castro Marim with its beautiful castles and then to the border with the Alentejo, Alcoutim. From here you can drive through the Serra’s directly to Tavira.