Challenging day hike in Portugal’s remote southwest coast ends with clifftop picnic dinner and sunset.
We love the western Algarve between Carvoeiro and Lagos, and you definitely don’t want to miss exploring this coastline with its many pristine beaches, caves, towering cliffs, and stunning limestone rock formations. However, when you’re ready for something completely different – wild, remote and more challenging – leave the crowds behind and head to Costa Vicentina Natural Park in the far southwestern corner of Portugal. Home to the country’s highest cliffs, it’s completely off the beaten path and offers some of the best hiking in the Algarve.
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Hiking in the Algarve with West Coast Adventure Company
We recommend doing the full-day “Classic Adventure” with the West Coast Adventure Company. It’s a great introduction to the west coast and its terrain and lasted roughly eight hours (1 pm to 9 pm). TJ picked us up in Lagos, drove us the hour or so west to the natural park, then expertly guided us along hard-to-spot trails, up and down rocky terrain, and along the cliffs. This area is very remote and quiet, and Google won’t help you very much. There are some hikes in All Trails, the hiking app, if you’re an experienced hiker. However, be aware that it is very remote and some parts are quite treacherous.
It’s important to bring a water bottle, sunscreen and to have suitable footwear like hiking or running shoes. It really cools down in the evening so it’s a great idea to wear layers and bring a fleece or heavier jacket. TJ has water to top you off or in case you run out. He’s very good at adapting the hike to everyone’s skill and fitness level. On our drive west, we stopped in the small town of Vila do Bispo for a final bathroom break.
Costa Vicentina Natural Park
The natural park, known formally as the Southwest Alentejo and Costa Vicentina Natural Park, starts in Burgau, west of Lagos, and stretches to Portugal’s southernmost point of Sagres, then about 80 miles up the west coast to São Torpes. Once we arrived at the destination, TJ parked the van on an old road and we started walking.
As we made our way along the path, we stopped to look at interesting plants. First was the gum rock rose shrubs which were in bloom. The leaves were glossy and green but sticky to the touch, a natural adaptation for preserving moisture in a dry environment. Other plants we saw included wild artichoke and blue iris (known in Portuguese as flor de maio, “flower of May”).
Clifftop Hike with Beach View
After about twenty minutes of hiking, we arrived at our first viewpoint overlooking a secluded beach. Torre de Aspa is the Algarve’s highest point and overlooks the beach of Castelejo, surrounded by black rocks and popular with surfers due to its large waves. We had the option to swim in the sea on this hike. However, since it was early May it was still a bit too cold for us.
Also in this area, an old abandoned house used for centuries for surveillance of the coastline.
Covered with graffiti and lovely street art, this solitary old building is the lone structure at Torre de Aspa.
Navigating the Cliffs
We hiked for around five hours. It was fairly strenuous, with some elevation change and scrambling over loose rock. TJ encouraged us to take our time and go at our own pace so we never felt rushed.
This desolate area is the southwestern edge of Europe, the end of the continent. The mystery of what lies beyond the horizon is part of what motivated the great Portuguese explorers of the 15th century to cast off from Cabo de São Vicente, just west of Sagres, and ultimately find their way to Brazil, Africa, and India.
Local fisherman actually repel down these cliffs to fish the Atlantic waters. We saw one guy in a small boat tooling around the rocks below. He was taking advantage of the unusually calm waters to harvest goose barnacles (percebes) from the rocks beneath the waterline.
The Reward: Clifftop Dinner with Wine
Around 7:30 pm, we settled ourselves on a flat area at the top of a cliff. It was the perfect place for TJ to spread out the blanket and lay out the feast we had been anticipating for the past few hours. Personally, I had my eye on the bottle of red wine peeking out of our guide’s backpack.
Regarding the feast, slices of rustic bread were our “plates,” and to them we added Azorean cheese, hummus, olive tapenade, and Algarvean honey while TJ grilled the chouriço, a spicy Portuguese sausage. In addition to dried figs and Algarve carrots, one of the best bites was a thick slice of sweet potato covered with chermoula, a savory Moroccan condiment made with parsley, lemon, cilantro, cumin, cayenne and other ingredients. The other absolutely amazing bite was a slice of warm chouriço slathered with Portuguese goat cheese and honey. I almost forgot about the red wine!
Another Reward: Spectacular Sunset
As we wound down our leisurely dinner, the sun began to dip down to the Atlantic horizon. With wildflowers and magnificent cliffs in the foreground, we excitedly snapped more photos. What a magical and splendid way to end a fantastic day hiking in the Algarve.
🐶 Bonus: Hike with Dogs and a Beach Stop
A few weeks after we did this hike in the western Algarve, we went back and did another hike in the West that we also highly recommend. Raw Algarve Adventure Tours offers several different hiking tours with guide Chris (who used to work with TJ, our other guide). He offers hikes on the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail as well as one up in Monchique, the highest point in the Algarve. We did the third option – ‘Dogs. Wine. Beach’ – where you pick up some dogs at a local no-kill shelter… and take them hiking with you! The dogs had a total blast – they obviously look forward to Chris’s arrival several times a week – and we got our dog fix, which is good for the soul. Then, after we dropped the pups back off, we spent a few hours at a beach – Praia de Monte Clérigos – where we swam, lounged, and enjoyed a picnic lunch with wine. Perfect.
Visit Chris’s website and get a discount on your booking: Raw Algarve Adventure Tours
Conclusion: Hiking in the Algarve
Once you’ve explored the gorgeous southern coast of Portugal’s Algarve, head west. Remote Costa Vicentina Natural Park in the far southwestern corner of Portugal offers some of the best hiking in the Algarve, then pays off in spades with magnificent clifftop views of the ocean and a sublime sunset.
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