3 BEAUTIFUL AND EASY HIKES IN THE ALGARVE PORTUGAL
The Algarves are famous for their beautiful coastal landscapes. But there is so much more to this incredible environment in the south of Portugal. So if the weather is not nice enough to spend on the beach, or you just want to do something else than sit at the beach every day, you might consider going on a hike to discover more of the coast.
All three hikes are within an hour of Lagos by car, so they make a perfect half day trip. For all of these hikes I used Komoot (not sponsored) to figure out which trail I wanted to walk and it worked out perfectly.
You don’t need hiking shoes or any hiking gear for these hikes, just make sure to bring enough water.
Pontal da Carrapateira – Costa Vicentina
For this hike you will drive to the west coast of Portugal to a town called Carrapateira. Starting point is a big parking lot next to the beach. From here you will walk over the sand dune towards the ocean and follow the trail. During most of this hike you will have a beautiful view of the wild Atlantic Ocean. There are a lot of viewing points and photo spots along the way so make sure to bring your camera.
Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Altitude difference: 70 Meters
Duration: 6.54 Kilometers
Category: Easy
You can find the Pontal da Carrapateira hike here on Komoot.
Sete Vales Suspensos
This is the famous 7 Valleys Hike starting at Praia da Marinha. Of course you can start this hike wherever you want. There are some little villages and parking lots along the way. But starting at Praia da Marinha you will have the most spectacular views.
The parking spot in Praia da Marinha fills up quick, even if you visit during off season. So what you can do is park at Praia do Cao Raivoso, where there are not that many cars and the parking spot it bigger.
From there I walked to Praia da Marinha first and “started” the hike from there. This little extra detour was totally worth it and I would do it like that again, even tho there are the most people on this part of the hike.
The nice thing about this hike is that you don’t need to walk the whole trek. You can turn around at any point you want. We turned around at the lighthouse.
Time: 3 Hours
Altitude difference: 120 Meters
Duration: 11.5 Kilometers
Cateogory: Moderate
You can find the 7 Valleys Hike here on Komoot.
For after the hike I suggest you go to Carvoeiro. This town is really cute and has a lot of resturants and bars.
Alferce, Monchique
Povo de Baixo is a little town in the middle of the mountains of Portugal. Since it’s a little higher than the coast (458 Meters above sea level), consider that it’s also a little cooler when deciding on which clothes you wear.
The trail starts behind the cemetary but since parking is very limited and the spots fill up quickly I suggest you park your car at the free parking next to the sport field.
I did this hike in spring (April) and it has been raining during. So when we got to the river (you have to cross it twice) there has been quite a lot of water and we had to take off our shoes to walk through.
Time: 1 Hour 34 Minutes
Altitude difference: 200 Meters
Duration: 4.76 Kilometers
Category: Easy
You can find the Alferce hike here on Komoot.
You finish the hike with a walk over a suspension bridge where you can enjoy a beautiful view over the valley.
After the hike you can enjoy some lunch and cold drinks at Petisqueira Tapas or Taberna 77. If you want a wider selection of restaurants and supermarkets, Monchique is only a 12 Minute drive away. If you fancy some Ramen, Burger or fresh Sushi there’s Food K25.
