Walk the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast, one of Europe's most breathtaking coastlines!

We will start our trip in the village of Sines, with a beautifully perched 15th century castle overlooking its bay. The town can be easily reached by bus from Lisbon (2h30 away). To the north of Sines lies one of Europe's most extensive beach areas, a 65km stretch of beautifully sandy dunes straddling the coastline all the way to the Tróia Peninsula, near Setúbal. Immediately to its south, in São Torpes, starts one of the continent's most spectacular and best hidden secrets, the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park, to where our journey will lead us! We will start our trip here and head down south on our journey!

The "Fishermen Trail" (Trilho dos Pescadores, in Portuguese) starts here, in the beach immediately south of the town of Sines. This trail has been used by seafarers for millennia, across the dunes and perched atop the cliffs, winding its way to the hidden sandy coves scattered between the imposing walls withstanding the continuous fury of the waves. Ahead of us are miles and miles straddling the mighty Atlantic in one of the world's most beautiful trails!

Our first day will conclude at Porto Covo, a quaint little village made famous by Rui Veloso, one of the country's most famous artists and commonly known as the "father of Portuguese rock", in front of the fabled Ilha do Pessegueiro (Peach tree Island, in English), where the ruins of a 16th century fort can still be visible. Our next stage, covering the 19,5kms between Porto Covo and Vila Nova de Milfontes, will be littered with sandy beaches, namely Pessegueiro, Aivados and Malhão, and a myriad other small coves, which will give us an idea of what to expect moving southward, from the massive and imposing cliffs to the endless stretches of sand, peppered with mind-numbing rock formations and a breadth of endemic and local flora that rivals any other in the country. We will start at the local "mercado", in the heart of Porto Covo.

This shorter stage, consisting of less than 15km and little more than 3 and a half hours, will take us across the Mira river, which sets the southern limit of Vila Nova de Milfontes. We will be able to enjoy the beautiful ecosystem created by the river, from its mangrove-like low tide reed areas to the surrounding forests, a pristine example of the Mediterranean flora. We will start our journey at the António Mantas street, by the tourism office, heading southwards towards Almograve.

For our next stage, we will cover 21,5kms full of quaint fishing harbours, red dunes, the scent of the nearby pine forests, and the unique sight of cliff-nesting storks! We will cross the Cabo Sardão, where an imposing lighthouse overlooks the rugged coastline, a perfect spot to enjoy some rest and do some birdwatching in peace. Along the way there are many amazing geological oddities, such as consolidated dunes, i.e., dunes so old that their sand has already become rock, remnants of an eon gone by, when sea levels were more than 100 meters lower than they are today. Fossils and archaeological remains from these Ice-Age epochs can still be seen around the area, though there are also clues from a much different era, when the region enjoyed a sub-tropical climate! We will start our stage at Avenida da Praia.

Our final destination, Zambujeira do Mar, is one of Portugal's most famous and beloved beachside villages, both due to its natural beauty and the "Sudoeste" festival, a 5 to 9 day musical extravaganza that happens nearby and brings in thousands upon thousands of visitors every august. Perched atop imposing cliffs, its whitewashed houses overlook a beautiful beach that seems endlessly sandy and vast at low-tide, only to see itself be engulfed by a dramatically contrasting high-tide, which almost touches the bottom of the rock walls. Sunsets are particularly beautiful, as the sun disappears against the endless blue ocean. We will enjoy a few well-deserved local treats while we rest our tired bones before overnighting in town, before the conclusion of our trip!