The Laid-Back Algarve Experience in Carvoeiro, Portugal

Brian

February 25

After a long day of driving and visiting Roman ruins on the way south from Porto, we arrived in the town of Carvoeiro in the evening. A popular tourist destination in the summer, it still has a steady flow of visitors in the mild winter months.

Part of the municipality of Lagoa in the Algarve, Carvoeiro has a population of around 3,000, Tourism took off in the 1960s and nowadays the numbers are increased by the tourists who visit.

Approaching the main square

We visited over New Years, and while there were enough tourists around the numbers weren't too high. Located far from the rail line and with limited bus service, Carvoerio is best visited by renting a car.

Prahia de Carvoeiro

We stayed in a place on the edge of town, with a five minutes walk to the shops and enother five to get to the central area. It only took about 15 minutes to walk through, as the downtown is very compact. The town is spread across a series of cliffs, consisting of whitewashed buildings spread up and down the gentle hills.

We first walked up the road on the west side from the beach, where the path followed the cliff edge. From here was a series of rocky points and secluded beaches that stretched west. Just a short walk from the centre of town was the Praia do Paraíso.

Praia do Paraíso

Limited beach space at this time

Talking a good set of stairs to the bottom, the beach is at the bottom is small, and better for views rather than swimming. However, it is peaceful and has striking views out to sea.

After coming up from the Praia do Paraíso, we continued west. A short distance away was a sign for the walking trail. We hoped to continue along and see how far along the 6 km (3.7 mi) trail we could go. We soon found out it would not be far...

Sign for the trail west from Carvoeiro. The trail ends close to Portimão

The first part of the trail went directly into the bush. There were warning signs about the trail about the conditions, and a detour through the town was mentioned. We decided to see how far we could go.

The trail leads right into the bush---it was like a tunnel in there

Praia de Vale dos Currais

At first, the trail opened up to some impressive viewpoints as we went west. The nearby Praia de Vale dos Currais was next on the walking trail. However, the path beyond was a problem. Erosion had made it dangerous and there were warnings to take the detour rather than the coast route. Once we got closer we could see why.

From there, the coast trail was looking dangerous and the detour was away from the coast, so we headed back towards the town.

Bubbles near the beach. Considering the atmosphere, I named it Rover

Back in the town, we spend a few minutes taking in the relaxed mood near the beach. As the sun began to set, we began to walk up the east side of the cliffs overlooking the bay.

Heading up the other side of the beach

Moving east along the coastline above the town, we soon came to the Carvoeiro boardwalk. The boardwalk connects with the Algar Seco rock formations.

Carvoeiro boardwalk

The sun was dropping quickly now

Features found within the formations of Algar Seco

The rock formations of Algar Seco are a series of cliff formations carved from limestone bedrock. It was a popular place for people to go to watch the sunset.

View after exiting the cave

One cave section of the formations is called "A Boneca" (the doll) for its shape, with two circular arches inside forming the "eyes" of the doll. The landscape in this area looked quite different from anything else along the coast that we saw.

Sunset view

A little further east from the town was another series of cliffs and sea views. On the last day before we drove onward to our last accommodation further east, we took a walk to see them.

Miradouro Carvoeiro to the east of the town

The path was generally easy to follow, but to continue along the coast required some agility navigating some steeper and rougher sections of the trail. It was slippery in some parts as we scrambled up and down.

The view further east along the coast

We didn't have time to continue further east, but the trail went on for a number of kilometres and would be well worth a hike if we return.

Looking back towards Carvoeiro one last time

Not only did we enjoy our time in a smaller Algarve town (particularly for parking), we did some day trips from Carvoeiro. This included a trip to the southwest corner of Portugal, a location with a long history that will be the focus of the next post.