Coastal hike in the Algarve: Stage 3

Stage 3 of the long-distance hike in the Algarve offers several small adventures:

• a river has to be crossed barefoot
• a narrowing connecting tunnel to the next beach may require crawling
• and a secret beach wants to be discovered!

The stage starts at the Lagoa dos Salgados lagoon, along which an approximately 1 km long wooden-clad footbridge leads along, in the middle of which there is a bird watching house. The trail then runs through the dune landscape to the mouth of the Ribeira de Alcantarilha river. A bridge does not exist - instead there is a ford! Depending on the weather, the river carries more and less water. During my hike in April it had rained the night before, so that the water at the mouth was about 20 cm high and had a relatively strong current. Barefoot and with hiking pants pulled up over the knees, that was easy to do.

Behind Armação de Pêra, the landscape of the lagoon switches back to the rocky coast: behind each bend there is a new rocky bay, one more spectacular than the other. The next special feature of the hike is under the church Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Rocha, which is located on a rocky outcrop: A connecting tunnel carved into the rock leads from beach to beach. The tunnel begins at a comfortable height, but at the end it becomes very low due to the floating sand, so that you may have to put your backpack down and crawl in the last few meters. If this is too tiring for you, you can bypass the tunnel around the top.

Another highlight along the way is Praia do Buraco - a small, hidden beach that is only accessible through a very narrow tunnel (see marking on the map embedded above).

Stage 3 ends in Carvoeiro, a popular holiday resort with numerous hotels and guest houses.