The west-facing coast of the Algarve in southern Portugal has a more rugged and wilder complexion compared to other parts of the region.
Large swathes of undulating terrain sweep majestically down from the western foothills of the Monchique Mountains (Serra de Monchique), with the slate and shale ending abruptly at the coastline in the form of high and often strikingly jagged cliffs.
Green with glistening cistus plants, this glorious stretch of eye-popping land and seascapes in one of the lesser-known parts of the Algarve harbours some gorgeous towns and villages (most notably Odeceixe, Arrifana, the Moorish stronghold of Aljezur and, last but not least, Sagres) nestling idyllically amidst the region’s abundance of wheat fields, fruit orchards and pine forests.
The uniqueness of Sagres (indicated on the Google map below) has drawn visitors for millennia, with the Romans being so struck by its apparent ‘end-of-the-world’ status they promptly named it Promontorium Sacrum (the Sacred Promontory) to mark the spot they believed to be the resting place of the gods at the furthest point of the then-known world.
In fine weather, visitors can feast their eyes on an unparalleled panorama as the whole of the western Algarve unfolds before them from the heights of Fóia, which rises to an altitude of 902 metres (2,959 feet) to an area surrounded by the dense woods of Caldas de Monchique, a long-established spa that has provided treatment for rheumatism and stomach disorders for hundreds of years.
Much of this pristine, visually stunning shoreline falls within the perimeter of a protected nature reserve known as the Parque Natural Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vincentina, which was established in 1988 to preserve the region’s unique flora, habitats and natural beauty across 895.7 square-kilometres (345.8 square-miles) between São Torpes on the Alentejo Coast and Burgau near Lagos in the western Algarve.
This part of the province has a more ardent, secretive charm that is quite separate from the sprawling championship golf courses, luxury resorts and buzzing tourist centres to be found in and around Vilamoura, Quinta do Lago, Vale do Lobo and other more prominent parts of the sun-baked Algarve.
The Algarve’s scenically enchanting west coast is a place still somewhat lost in time where hardened fishermen with time-worn faces sit patiently on rocks casting their lines expectantly into the turquoise froth below. It’s here that travellers are treated to the spectacle of rare rock formations, sea-eroded arches, translucent grottoes and some of the most dazzling beaches in the whole of Europe.
Where to go in the Algarve
Sitting majestically on the part of the coast where the Atlantic Ocean really begins, this charmingly remote part of the Algarve is little changed by the passing of the centuries. This is the so-called Windward Coast where the waves become choppier and the surging sea provides a deeper understanding of Portugal’s long and often challenging seafaring history.
From here, Europe’s south-westernmost nation began the quest to comprehend her destiny some 600 years ago, with Sagres becoming the starting point for a succession of renowned squires and pilots under the competent command of Prince Henry the Navigator, who sent them out with determined resolve on their gallant voyages of discovery.
From the twin horns of Cape St Vincent and Cape Sagres, the forward-thinking prince persuaded his mariners to inch southwards down the uncharted west coast of Africa, claiming the Cape Verde Islands, uninhabited Madeira, Gold Coast, Azores and other territorial prizes en route.
By confronting that confounding puzzle of the sea (with the help of his ground-breaking wind rose, the Rosa dos Ventos), Prince Henry strived to answer the call of those far-off lands with a sentiment that has remained at the core of the Portuguese soul to this day, to fearlessly cross the boundaries of the unknown.
Today’s visitors to this ‘world’s end’ (as described by the ancient mariners who first passed this way) can expect a different kind of tourism experience in this, the last outpost before the boundless expanse and sobering immensity of the Atlantic Ocean.
Standing atop its steep iridescent cliffs, they’ll find that the Algarve’s lesser-known west coast is a land of magnificent beaches (many remote and wild) dotted along a stretch of untamed shoreline known as the Costa Vicentina.
And in the heat of high summer, they’ll enjoy the cool, refreshing wind that blows over the plateau between the Monchique Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, as they marvel at the most memorable sunsets that can only be witnessed right here in the south-western tip of the European continent.
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