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I rarely object to doing the same walk over and over,” stated the local guide, kneeling next to a cluster of flowers. “Each time, you can spot new things – these blooms weren’t present the day before.”

Rising on shoots at least two centimetres tall and starring the soil with pale blossoms, the fact that these delicate blooms appeared suddenly was a beautiful proof of how rapidly life can grow in this hilly, inland part of the Algarve, the protected woodland of Barão de São João.

It was also encouraging to discover that in an zone affected by blazes in September, types such as arbutus trees – which are fire-resistant due to their reduced sap – were beginning to bounce back, together with highly inflammable eucalyptus, which impedes other fire-retardant trees such as oak. Community members were being enlisted to help with ecological restoration.

Tourist Statistics and Interior Appeal

Visitor numbers to the Algarve are rising, with the current year registering an rise of over two percent on the last year – but the majority visitors make a beeline for the coast, although there being so much more to discover.

The coastline is certainly untamed and dramatic, but the locale is also eager to showcase the attraction of its upland zones. With the development of throughout the year trekking and cycling trails, along with the introduction of ecological celebrations, attention is being drawn to these similarly captivating vistas, including mountains and lush woodlands.

The Algarve Walking Season organizes a series of five walking festivals with broad topics such as “rivers and streams” and “ancient ruins” between late autumn and early spring. It’s expected they will inspire explorers year round, strengthening the area’s finances and helping reduce the outflow of younger generations moving away in search of employment.

Creativity and Wilderness Merge

The trip to the protected parkland coincided with a weekend festival with the subject of “art”, focused on the traditional village to the northwest of Barão de São João.

Along with guided hikes, starting at the cultural centre, complimentary activities extended from discovering how to make plant-based dyes, to drama classes, mindful exercise and artistic rendering. There were a couple of photo displays available plus multiple other family-oriented activities, such as botanical explorations and crafting seed dispensers.

Prior to our drop-in midday printmaking workshop at the community space, our stroll into the woods with Joana had the atmosphere of an art trail. Signposted at the start by monoliths decorated with depictions of traditional agricultural folk, it was decorated en route with compact, permanently placed stones illustrating types of animals, such as hedgehogs and wild cats – the latter’s population recovering, because of a conservation center situated in the historic town of Silves.

Scenic Paths and Natural Beauty

As the route wound up to its summit, the menhir (monolith) on the Pedra do Galo trail, it became more lushly forested with the aromatic fragrance of pine. There was a richness to the breeze and hard, honey-toned bubbles swelled from wood. Chalky rock sparkled beneath our feet and minute amphibians sat by pool margins, necks vibrating. In the background, windmills cartwheeled against the horizon.

Francisco Simões, our guide the following day, was similarly keen to point out that these upland regions can be experienced in every season. Waymarked hikes, established in the last decade, are extensions of the Via Algarviana, a trail that runs from the border with Spain for a significant distance, continuously to the ocean, and many are now linked to an app that makes navigation simpler.

Nature Tourism and Artistic Activities

Francisco established sustainable travel company Algarvian Roots in a few years ago and organizes tours from birdwatching to full-day guided hikes, all with the same objectives as the AWS: to highlight the locale by way of engagement, learning and traditional knowledge.

The artistic element is here, also – his mother, artist Margarida Palma Gomes, had guided us to decorate azulejos, the distinctive traditional colored ceramic tiles found all over the country, a couple of days before on a cultural activity. Tours to her atelier, as well as to a area ceramicist, can also be organized through Algarvian Roots.

Francisco advised us to play our part for the sector by drinking ample amounts of fine wine sealed with cork

After an excellent lunch of meat dish and greens in A Charrette in Monchique, a quaint mountain town nestled between the Algarve’s most elevated summits, the 902-meter Fóia and high Picota, Francisco took us down sharply historic roads and into a narrow path, where an older couple sunned themselves at the front of their home.

A inclined track guided us into the forest, the ground strewn with acorns. Here, Francisco was enthusiastic to show us cork trees, Portugal’s national tree and safeguarded by law since the 13th century. Besides are they intrinsically fire-resistant, but their malleable outer layer is a means of income for inhabitants, who collect it to trade to other {industries|sectors