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I rarely mind taking the same walk again and again,” stated our guide, bending beside a patch of plants. “Each time, you can spot different details – these blooms were not present previously.”

Growing on stems at least 2cm in height and dotting the dirt with pale blossoms, the fact that these delicate blooms appeared suddenly was a beautiful demonstration of how quickly life can grow in this undulating, central area of the Algarve, the public forest of Barão de São João.

It was also comforting to discover that in an region swept by wildfires in the autumn, species such as strawberry trees – which are flame-retardant due to their low resin content – were starting to recover, together with highly combustible eucalyptus, which hinders other fire-resistant trees such as oak. Volunteers were being recruited to help with rewilding.

Tourist Statistics and Inland Appeal

Visitor numbers to the Algarve are growing, with the current year recording an increase of 2.6 percent on the prior year – but the bulk of arrivals make a beeline for the coast, even though there being far more to explore.

The beachfront is certainly wild and dramatic, but the locale is also keen to promote the appeal of its interior regions. With the development of all-season hiking and mountain biking trails, plus the launch of ecological celebrations, focus is being shifted to these just as compelling vistas, showcasing hills and dense wooded areas.

The Algarve Walking Season runs a program of five walking festivals with broad topics such as “rivers and streams” and “ancient ruins” between November and early spring. It’s expected they will motivate visitors in every season, strengthening the area’s finances and contributing to reduce the outflow of young people moving away in quest of opportunities.

Art and Nature Merge

The excursion to the protected parkland fell during a weekend festival with the theme of “expression”, based around the pale-colored hamlet to the northwest of Barão de São João.

Along with led walks, setting off from the cultural centre, free events ranged from mastering how to make organic pigments, to drama classes, mindful exercise and sketching. There were a couple of photography exhibitions available together with a number of other kid-focused activities, such as leaf safaris and crafting seed dispensers.

Even before our casual daytime printmaking workshop at the local venue, our hike into the forest with Joana had the atmosphere of an art trail. Marked at the beginning by upright rocks painted with depictions of local farmers, it was dotted along the way with compact, installed stones depicting types of fauna, including small mammals and wild cats – the wild cat’s numbers increasing, due to a conservation center situated in the historic town of Silves.

Breathtaking Routes and Wild Beauty

As the route climbed to its summit, the menhir (standing stone) on the Pedra do Galo trail, it became more thickly wooded with the resinous scent of pine. There was a ripeness to the air and solid, golden-colored droplets swelled from bark. Chalky rock shone beneath our feet and tiny frogs rested by water’s edge, throats pulsing. In the distance, windmills spun against the horizon.

Francisco Simões, our guide the following day, was once more eager to emphasize that these interior zones can be discovered in every season. Designated walks, developed in recent years, are branches of the Via Algarviana, a path that extends from the Spanish boundary for 300 kilometers, the entire route to the ocean, and a lot are now linked to an app that makes route planning even easier.

Ecotourism and Local Activities

Francisco set up ecotourism outfit Algarvian Roots in a few years ago and offers tours from birdwatching to all-day guided hikes, all with the similar aims as the AWS: to showcase the locale by way of immersion, enlightenment and local understanding.

The art connection is evident, too – his parent, artist Margarida Palma Gomes, had instructed us to decorate azulejos, the distinctive traditional colored glazed tiles found across the nation, previously on a event class. Excursions to her studio, as well as to a regional artist, can additionally be organized through Algarvian Roots.

Francisco advised us to do our bit for the industry by drinking plenty of fine wine stoppered by cork

After an delicious lunch of pork cheek and greens in A Charrette in Monchique, a charming upland village flanked by the Algarve’s tallest mountains, the tall Fóia and high Picota, Francisco guided us down steeply cobbled streets and into a alleyway, where an elderly pair relaxed in the sun at the entrance of their house.

A sharp trail took us into the woods, the earth covered in acorns. Here, Francisco was keen to introduce us to cork trees, Portugal’s national tree and conserved under regulation since the medieval period. Not only are they intrinsically flame-retardant, but their flexible outer layer is a origin of livelihood for locals, who harvest it to market to other {industries|sectors