Discovering the Alentejo & Algarve SW Coast

Description

Day 1: Vila Nova de Milfontes
Arriving to Vila Nova de Milfontes, located on the Mira estuary and well worth exploring. It is a beautiful town with great panoramic views over the river and the Atlantic Ocean and a lot of places to enjoy the surrounding nature.
A member of our team will meet you at the first accoommodation of this tour and deliver all documentation and brief you will all the info you need to know about your starting adventure.
Accommodation: Casa do Adro da Igreja

Day 2: Porto Covo » Vila Nova de Milfontes | 20 km, 6h
Morning transfer to the starting point of this wonderful coastal walk. Begin at the picturesque and historical village of Porto Covo, passing a small island called “Pessegueiro”, with the option to walk by the beach or a bit more inland. Along this section you will find stunning beaches, some of them desert, and almost at the end a fishing harbour before reaching Vila Nova de Milfontes. This is a long walk, with about 20 km and lots of sand, for what we recommend you to bring water and food and be relatively well prepared. On the other hand, the long sandy beaches of Aivados and Malhão during the first half of the day and the narrow foot paths by the cliffs on the second part, make this day absolutely unforgettable.
Accommodation: Casa do Adro da Igreja

Day 3: Vila Nova de Milfontes » Longueira/Almograve | 15km, 4h | 18 km, 5h
Easy walking day along the coast with the path winding through pinewoods, sand dunes and cliff tops. On the way you will find some desert beaches, before reaching Almograve, a tiny fishing village. After 40 minutes along countryside tracks you’ll arrive in Longueira.
If you wish to shorten your hiking day, you can croww the Mira River by boart from Vila Nova de Milfontes. You will then shorten your day around 3km, giving you more time to enjoy a nice lunch in Almograve.
Accommodation: Monte Novo da Longueira

Day 4: Almograve » Zambujeira do Mar | 22 km, 6h
Day starts with a 2 minutes transfer until Almograve.
Heading south from the small village of Almograve, you’ll walk by the beach along a dirt track. Just before reaching the sandy trail, you can do a short detour to the tiny fishing harbour called “Lapa de Pombas”. The walk is now by the cliffs with panoramic views over the ocean and dunes along sandy trails and some stretches with irregular rocky ground, until you enter the cool and shadowed pine tree forest. After passing the village of Cavaleiro you’ll reach the Cape Sardão lighthouse, famous for the storks nests by the coast. From this point onward the route follows a clearly defined solid trail by the ocean, which makes the long walking day much easier as a whole. The day ends at the village of Zambujeira do Mar, where one reaches after passing another tiny fishing harbour – “Entrada da Barca” – with a steep descent that demands all of your care.
Accommodation: Rosa dos Ventos

Dia 5: Zambujeira do Mar » Odeceixe | 20 km, 5h
The coastal path near the beaches  leads us onto Carvalhal bay, and others that you’ll find along the way. A few km ahead, you’ll pass the former residence of the famous “fado” singer Amália Rodrigues, to reach a bit further the fishing village of Azenha do Mar where you can stop to try amazing seafood and visit the fishing harbour. After this you’ll have the energy to get to Odeceixe, the first village in the Algarve, walking in a very beautiful part of the coast that has the highlight when you reach the edge of the Alentejo cliffs and come upon the beach of Odeceixe, seen from the very top. From here till Odeceixe, you’ll be following a narrow road, always parallel to the Seixe river, with nice views over the plains and the village stretching through the hill on the other side.
Accommodation: Casas do Moinho

Day 6: Odeceixe » Aljezur | 19,5 Km, 5h | 24,5km, 7h
From Odeceixe, the Southwest coast continues, now renamed Vicentina Coast, as you are in de Algarve region. The route follows the Historical Way up to Rogil, along the narrow trails that follow along the water channels. It’s an easy and flat walking day, with the possibility of being extended if you chose to take the route heading to the beach of Amoreira (this option adds 5km to this section), walking again by the ocean for a while. In the end you’ll be reaching the historical village of Aljezur with its Moorish castle.
Accommodation: Vicentina Hotel

Day 6: Aljezur » Arrifana Beach | 18 km, 5h | 12km, 3h
To finish the tour you can take the day to explore the old part of the town, go up to the castle, lose yourself in the tiny streets of the historical quarter and visit the town museums. Alternatively you can do the walk till Arrifana beach.  There are two options, the longest takes the initial part of the Historical Way connecting Aljezur and Arrifana and follows the detour you’ll find at km 4 heading towards the ocean, along the Fishermen’s Trail. Taking this option and after passing an urbanization, you’ll be reaching the seaside by the village and beach of Monte Clérigo and also get to know the mythical Ponta da Atalaia (Ribat).  From Arrifana there is a transfer back to Aljezur.
The shortest version follows the Historical Way until the cliffs of Arrifana Beach, being a faster path, you can then enjoy an afternoon at the beach or even a meal by the ocean.
Accommodation: Vicentina Hotel

Day 8: End of tour