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“I never object to taking the same walk again and again,” stated our guide, bending near a patch of plants. “On every occasion, there are fresh discoveries – these flowers were not here yesterday.”

Growing on stalks no less than a couple of centimeters high and adorning the soil with white petals, the reality that these overnight wonders emerged overnight was a remarkable proof of how swiftly things can develop in this undulating, interior part of the Algarve, the public forest of Barão de São João.

It was also reassuring to discover that in an region affected by forest fires in last fall, varieties such as arbutus trees – which are fire-resistant because of their minimal resin – were starting to regrow, alongside highly combustible eucalyptus, which hinders other slow-burning trees such as oak. Community members were being enlisted to participate with ecological restoration.

Tourist Numbers and Interior Attraction

Visitor numbers to the Algarve are increasing, with 2024 registering an growth of over two percent on the previous year – but most arrivals go directly to the coast, although there being so much more to discover.

The coastline is undoubtedly untamed and stunning, but the region is also enthusiastic to showcase the attraction of its interior regions. With the creation of year-round walking and cycling trails, in addition to the launch of nature festivals, focus is being directed to these just as engaging sceneries, including mountains and thick forests.

The Algarve Walking Season hosts a set of multiple walking festivals with loose themes such as “aquatic elements” and “historical sites” between late autumn and the end of winter. It’s expected they will encourage visitors in every season, supporting the regional economy and aiding slow the exodus of younger generations leaving in quest of employment.

Art and The Outdoors Combine

Our visit to the national forest overlapped with a cultural gathering with the subject of “expression”, focused on the white-washed community in the northwest of Barão de São João.

Along with guided hikes, departing from the community center, complimentary activities extended from learning how to make natural coloured inks, to drama classes, mindful exercise and sketching. There were several image galleries on show as well as multiple other child-friendly pursuits, such as botanical explorations and crafting seed dispensers.

Even before our informal midday printmaking workshop at the community space, our stroll into the woods with Joana had the vibe of an creative path. Signposted at the start by upright rocks adorned with images of traditional agricultural folk, it was dotted en route with compact, permanently placed stones showing examples of animals, featuring hedgehogs and lynxes – the lynx’s community reviving, due to a conservation center based in the castle town of Silves.

Picturesque Routes and Natural Beauty

As the path wound up to its summit, the menhir (monolith) on the Pedra do Galo path, it became more densely vegetated with the piney aroma of pine. There was a ripeness to the breeze and solid, golden-colored droplets protruded from wood. Calcareous stone glistened beneath our feet and small amphibians perched by pond edges, necks throbbing. In the distance, windmills spun against the blue expanse.

Francisco Simões, our guide the next day, was once more eager to point out that these interior zones can be explored throughout the year. Waymarked hikes, established in the last decade, are branches of the Via Algarviana, a trail that extends from the frontier for 300 kilometers, continuously to the Atlantic, and many are now linked to an app that makes navigation even easier.

Ecotourism and Artistic Experiences

Francisco established sustainable travel company Algarvian Roots in 2020 and organizes activities from birdwatching to all-day led walks, all with the identical goals as the AWS: to showcase the locale by way of engagement, enlightenment and cultural awareness.

The art connection is here, also – his family member, artist Margarida Palma Gomes, had instructed us to design azulejos, the characteristic cerulean and ivory ceramic tiles observed all over the land, two days earlier on a cultural activity. Excursions to her workshop, along with to a regional artist, can also be organized through Algarvian Roots.

Francisco encouraged us to contribute for the sector by enjoying plenty of good wine stoppered by cork

After an delicious lunch of local specialty and cabbage in A Charrette in Monchique, a quaint upland village nestled between the Algarve’s two highest peaks, the 902-metre Fóia and 774-meter Picota, Francisco took us down precipitously cobbled streets and into a side lane, where an older couple relaxed in the sun at the doorstep of their residence.

A inclined trail took us into the forest, the earth scattered with acorns. Here, Francisco was eager to point out protected species, Portugal’s symbolic plant and safeguarded by law since the medieval period. Besides are they inherently flame-retardant, but their pliable covering is a source of livelihood for residents, who collect it to trade to other {industries|sectors