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I rarely dislike doing the identical trail repeatedly,” commented Joana Almeida, bending next to a group of flowers. “Every visit, there are new things – these flowers weren’t present yesterday.”

Growing on stalks at least a couple of centimeters tall and starring the soil with pale blossoms, the reality that these star of Bethlehem flowers sprung up overnight was a beautiful testament of how rapidly life can develop 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 area swept by blazes in September, species such as strawberry trees – which are less flammable due to their reduced sap – were beginning to bounce back, in proximity to highly combustible eucalyptus, which obstructs other fire-retardant trees such as oak. Local helpers were being recruited to participate with reforestation.

Visitor Figures and Interior Appeal

Travel figures to the Algarve are increasing, with this year recording an increase of 2.6 percent on the last year – but most arrivals head straight for the coast, although there being so much more to discover.

The coastline is certainly untamed and dramatic, but the region is also enthusiastic to showcase the appeal of its upland zones. With the development of all-season walking and biking paths, along with the addition of ecological celebrations, interest is being directed to these similarly engaging sceneries, featuring hills and dense woodlands.

The Algarve Walking Season organizes a series of five guided walk programs with general themes such as “rivers and streams” and “archaeology” between November and April. It’s anticipated they will inspire explorers throughout the year, boosting the local economy and aiding slow the exodus of the youth moving away in quest of work.

Creativity and Nature Combine

Our visit to the wooded reserve overlapped with a weekend festival with the subject of “expression”, focused on the traditional hamlet in the northwest of Barão de São João.

In addition to guided hikes, starting at the local hub, complimentary activities included learning how to make plant-based dyes, to performance sessions, mindful exercise and artistic rendering. There were several image galleries on show together with multiple other kid-focused pastimes, such as nature hunts and making seed dispensers.

Even before our casual afternoon art printing workshop at the local venue, our hike into the woods with Joana had the atmosphere of an creative path. Marked at the outset by standing stones painted with depictions of rural workers, it was studded throughout the path with more modest, fixed stones illustrating types of animals, featuring spiny creatures and feline predators – the lynx’s numbers recovering, thanks to a rescue facility located in the fortified settlement of Silves.

Scenic Trails and Natural Charm

As the path climbed to its highest point, the menhir (ancient rock) on the Pedra do Galo trail, it became more lushly forested with the resinous scent of pine. There was a richness to the air and solid, amber-hued globules bulged from tree trunks. Limestone shone underfoot and tiny amphibians rested by pond edges, throats pulsing. In the background, windmills spun against the horizon.

Francisco Simões, the tour leader the next day, was similarly keen to highlight that these upland regions can be explored in every season. Designated walks, established in the last decade, are offshoots of the Via Algarviana, a route that extends from the frontier for 300 kilometers, the entire route to the ocean, and many are now linked to an application that makes wayfinding more straightforward.

Ecotourism and Cultural Activities

Francisco established sustainable travel company Algarvian Roots in 2020 and provides tours from wildlife spotting to day-long guided hikes, all with the same aims as the AWS: to showcase the locale by way of immersion, education and local understanding.

The artistic element is present, also – his parent, potter Margarida Palma Gomes, had instructed us to design azulejos, the distinctive blue and white glazed tiles observed all over the country, two days earlier on a cultural activity. Tours to her studio, as well as to a local potter, can further be arranged through Algarvian Roots.

Francisco advised us to play our part for the trade by consuming ample amounts of good wine sealed with cork

After an delicious dining experience of local specialty and vegetable in A Charrette in Monchique, a charming hill settlement bordered by the Algarve’s tallest mountains, the 902-metre Fóia and 774-metre Picota, Francisco took us down steeply cobbled streets and into a narrow path, where an senior duo relaxed in the sun at the doorstep of their house.

A steep trail guided us into the woods, the terrain strewn with acorns. At this spot, Francisco was keen to point out oak trees, Portugal’s symbolic plant and conserved under regulation since the medieval period. Not just are they intrinsically slow-burning, but their malleable covering is a means of income for locals, who harvest it to trade to other {industries|sectors