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I don’t dislike repeating the identical walk over and over,” remarked our guide, bending near a patch of flowers. “On every occasion, there are new things – these blooms hadn’t been in this spot the day before.”

Standing on stalks no less than a couple of centimeters in height and adorning the ground with snowy flowers, the observation that these delicate blooms sprung up in a single night was a striking testament of how quickly nature can develop in this rolling, interior part of the Algarve, the national forest of Barão de São João.

It was also encouraging to learn that in an region affected by forest fires in last fall, types such as fire-resistant trees – which are less flammable thanks to their minimal resin – were beginning to recover, together with highly combustible eucalyptus, which impedes other slow-burning trees such as oak. Local helpers were being gathered to participate with ecological restoration.

Tourist Statistics and Interior Interest

Travel figures to the Algarve are increasing, with the current year recording an growth of 2.6 percent on the last year – but the bulk of visitors make a beeline for the seaside, even though there being a great deal more to explore.

The coastline is certainly untamed and breathtaking, but the region is also eager to promote the appeal of its interior regions. With the establishment of throughout the year hiking and mountain biking trails, plus the addition of nature festivals, focus is being directed to these similarly compelling sceneries, including peaks and thick wooded areas.

The Algarve Walking Season hosts a set of multiple hiking events with broad themes such as “aquatic elements” and “archaeology” between the start of winter and the end of winter. It’s anticipated they will motivate tourists year round, strengthening the local economy and helping stem the tide of younger generations moving away in pursuit of opportunities.

Art and Nature Combine

The excursion to the protected parkland coincided with a two-day event with the subject of “art”, centered on the white-washed community north-west of Barão de São João.

As well as guided hikes, departing from the cultural centre, complimentary activities included learning how to make organic pigments, to theatre workshops, tai chi and artistic rendering. There were a couple of image galleries on show together with a number of other kid-focused pursuits, such as botanical explorations and creating bird-feeders.

Before our drop-in daytime art printing workshop at the community space, our walk into the woodland with Joana had the vibe of an creative path. Signposted at the beginning by upright rocks decorated with images of local farmers, it was dotted throughout the path with smaller, installed stones illustrating examples of fauna, including hedgehogs and wild cats – the latter’s community increasing, due to a rescue facility situated in the fortified settlement of Silves.

Breathtaking Trails and Wild Beauty

As the path climbed to its summit, the menhir (standing stone) on the Pedra do Galo path, it became more thickly wooded with the aromatic fragrance of pine. There was a fullness to the atmosphere and solid, golden-colored globules swelled from bark. Calcareous stone sparkled beneath our feet and minute amphibians sat by pond edges, vocal sacs pulsing. In the background, windmills spun against the sky.

Francisco Simões, the tour leader the following day, was similarly keen to point out that these inland areas can be discovered in every season. Signposted trails, developed in recent years, are branches of the Via Algarviana, a trail that extends from the Spanish boundary for a significant distance, all the way to the Atlantic, and several are now connected to an application that makes wayfinding simpler.

Sustainable Travel and Local Activities

Francisco established ecotourism outfit Algarvian Roots in a few years ago and offers activities from wildlife spotting to full-day led walks, all with the same goals as the AWS: to highlight the region by way of involvement, enlightenment and local understanding.

The art connection is present, as well – his parent, potter Margarida Palma Gomes, had taught us to decorate azulejos, the iconic traditional colored decorative panels found all over the nation, a couple of days before on a festival workshop. Excursions to her atelier, as well as to a regional artist, can further be organized through Algarvian Roots.

Francisco urged us to do our bit for the industry by enjoying generous quantities of good wine sealed with cork

Following an excellent midday meal of meat dish and cabbage in A Charrette in Monchique, a pretty hill settlement bordered by the Algarve’s two highest peaks, the tall Fóia and 774-metre Picota, Francisco took us down steeply stone-paved lanes and into a alleyway, where an elderly pair relaxed in the sun at the doorstep of their residence.

A steep path took us into the forest, the earth strewn with oak nuts. In this location, Francisco was enthusiastic to show us oak trees, Portugal’s symbolic plant and legally protected since the medieval period. Not only are they naturally slow-burning, but their flexible outer layer is a origin of income for residents, who harvest it to market to other {industries|sectors