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“I never object to doing the same hike repeatedly,” commented our guide, crouching near a cluster of blossoms. “Every visit, you’ll find fresh discoveries – these flowers hadn’t been in this spot yesterday.”

Rising on stalks at least two centimetres in height and dotting the soil with white petals, the fact that these delicate blooms appeared suddenly was a beautiful testament of how rapidly nature can grow in this hilly, interior area of the Algarve, the protected woodland of Barão de São João.

It was also reassuring to find out that in an region swept by forest fires in last fall, types such as fire-resistant trees – which are fire-resistant because of their minimal resin – were starting to recover, in proximity to highly flammable eucalyptus, which hinders other fire-resistant trees such as oak. Local helpers were being enlisted to assist with ecological restoration.

Visitor Figures and Inland Appeal

Travel figures to the Algarve are growing, with this year registering an growth of 2.6 percent on the prior year – but the bulk of arrivals make a beeline for the beach, even though there being so much more to explore.

The coastline is undoubtedly rugged and breathtaking, but the locale is also keen to highlight the attraction of its inland areas. With the creation of throughout the year walking and cycling trails, along with the addition of nature festivals, attention is being drawn to these similarly captivating sceneries, featuring peaks and lush forests.

The Algarve Walking Season hosts a series of multiple hiking events with general themes such as “aquatic elements” and “historical sites” between November and April. It’s hoped they will motivate tourists year round, supporting the local economy and contributing to stem the tide of younger generations leaving in quest of employment.

Creativity and Wilderness Merge

The trip to the national forest coincided with a weekend festival with the focus of “creativity”, focused on the white-washed hamlet to the northwest of Barão de São João.

As well as organized treks, starting at the local hub, free events extended from learning how to make plant-based dyes, to theatre workshops, tai chi and artistic rendering. There were a couple of photography exhibitions running plus multiple other child-friendly activities, such as nature hunts and making seed dispensers.

Before our casual midday printmaking class at the community space, our walk into the forest with Joana had the vibe of an creative path. Signposted at the outset by standing stones decorated with depictions of rural workers, it was dotted throughout the path with compact, permanently placed stones showing examples of fauna, featuring small mammals and lynxes – the lynx’s population recovering, because of a rehabilitation centre located in the historic town of Silves.

Scenic Routes and Wild Beauty

As the route wound up to its peak, the menhir (standing stone) on the Pedra do Galo path, it became more thickly wooded with the resinous scent of conifer. There was a fullness to the atmosphere and solid, amber-hued globules bulged from wood. Chalky rock shone beneath our feet and small frogs sat by pond edges, vocal sacs pulsing. In the far away, windmills cartwheeled against the sky.

Francisco Simões, our guide the following day, was similarly enthusiastic to emphasize that these upland regions can be discovered throughout the year. Waymarked hikes, created in recent years, are extensions of the Via Algarviana, a route that extends from the border with Spain for 300 kilometers, the entire route to the Atlantic, and several are now linked to an app that makes wayfinding more straightforward.

Ecotourism and Cultural Activities

Francisco established nature tour operator Algarvian Roots in a few years ago and organizes activities from birdwatching to all-day led walks, all with the identical objectives as the AWS: to highlight the area by way of immersion, education and local understanding.

The art connection is here, also – his family member, potter Margarida Palma Gomes, had instructed us to decorate azulejos, the characteristic cerulean and ivory ceramic tiles found all over the nation, a couple of days before on a festival workshop. Tours to her workshop, along with to a regional artist, can further be organized through Algarvian Roots.

Francisco encouraged us to contribute for the trade by consuming ample amounts of good wine sealed with cork

After an delicious midday meal of pork cheek and greens in A Charrette in Monchique, a quaint upland village flanked by the Algarve’s most elevated summits, the 902-metre Fóia and high Picota, Francisco guided us down steeply stone-paved lanes and into a side lane, where an older couple sunned themselves at the doorstep of their residence.

A inclined path led us into the woodland, the earth scattered with acorns. At this spot, Francisco was enthusiastic to introduce us to protected species, Portugal’s national tree and conserved under regulation since the medieval period. Besides are they intrinsically slow-burning, but their malleable outer layer is a origin of income for residents, who harvest it to sell to other {industries|sectors