The southwest Algarve is a picturesque region of Portugal where the dramatic cliffs meet the wild and powerful Atlantic Ocean. Walking in this region takes you on trails that explore secluded beaches, windswept headlands, scenic paths, traditional white-washed Portuguese villages, rolling hills and panoramic ocean views. The Atlantic’s wild nature shapes the landscape and offers a sense of wildness and isolation, perfect for those seeking to experience nature in its most raw, elemental form.

Tav from the KE office, joined KE’s Timeless Trails of Portugal’s Algarve walking holiday at the beginning of October and although having visited the Algarve many times before, had never discovered the hidden gem of the peaceful and wild southwest.

We asked Tav a few questions about her adventure.

It really varied from day to day but overall I would say it was easy to moderate walking. The great thing about this holiday is that the walks at the beginning of the week are generally much easier and flatter on wide dirt roads, good trails and well-trodden paths, so you can warm up your legs and get used to walking 12-18km a day. There was nothing too technical or difficult although there were quite a few ascents and descents on some of the days. These were only around 100-200m overall so not big ones, but the trails up and down along the coast could be quite steep in parts. The last day is probably the most challenging with some trickier sections, but there is no rush on this holiday, everyone can take their time and you do have the option to opt out of this walk if you really don’t want to do it – the benefit of being centre-based.

Most of the time we walked on quiet rural paths which were relatively flat, wide and easy to walk on, or along undulating coastal trails that were sandy, dusty and slightly rocky. These could be quite steep and uneven, skinny in parts with scree and loose rocks in places. There was the occasional very short section of road and one very short easy scrambly section for about 5-10m off Zavial beach. There aren’t any steps anywhere apart from when you were walking down the boardwalks to the beaches. When up high on the cliffs (mainly on day 7) there are some parts of the trail that are close to the edge of the cliffs, although you are not right by the edge, this day may not be advisable if you suffer from vertigo. On some of the days you also walk on some sections of the famous Fishermans Trail, (indicated by the blue and green signs), which is one of the best coastal trails in the world.

This is one of the things I loved about this walking holiday. You always ended up on a glorious beach at some point during the day, sometimes more than once. I hadn’t realised before this holiday just how popular the southwest coast of Portugal is for surfing, so when we were taking a break on the beaches, we’d eat our lunch and watch the surfers catching the waves.

The Atlantic is a lively ocean, so when we went swimming we’d be jumping a few waves to reach a calmer sea beyond. It was refreshing, fun and a glorious interlude while out walking in the hot sun. On the first day we all got the opportunity to body board too which some of the group really enjoyed.

It’s the first time I’d been centre-based on a KE trip and I have to say, I thoroughly loved it. Although it is great to walk a point-to-point journey, the fact that we could unpack, sleep in the same bed and just be able to return in the same place each day made the trip very relaxing. I loved not having to worry about packing my bag up each morning to be transported to the next destination and being able to come back and just sit in a hammock and have some downtime. The location of the eco-lodge that we stayed in is perfect. It’s no more than a 10-20 minute drive to the start and end of some of the walks and just 10 minutes to Amado beach, so there is never a long drive involved at all.

It’s amazing. It’s a beautifully restored, sustainably run property split into lots of different accommodation, lodges and cottages, some which have lovely sun decks and hammocks outside, some are self-contained and others are family cottages with two rooms. It’s set amidst a cork forest in 150 acres of farmland and Jon and Violeta who own the lodge have renovated the buildings, built an outdoor African shower, a firepit area and a fabulous outdoor building which is used for pizza nights, a yoga studio and for the family holidays where the children play darts and table tennis.

There is a wonderfully relaxing vibe at the lodge. There is a gorgeous sundeck where you eat most of your lunches and dinners and a cosy lounge with plenty of sofas to chill out on. It’s all run on solar power and the water comes from a well on the grounds. One of the biggest highlights for everyone on this holiday is the amazing food. Violetta is an incredible cook and every day we were served wonderful, hearty, healthy home-cooked meals.

We didn’t need to take much at all which was great, although we did need to take a lot of water as it was hot so this was pretty heavy at the beginning of the day. There isn’t really anywhere to fill up with water along the walks so it’s advisable to take 2 litres with you each day. Everyone used a 20-30 litre daypack which was about right, in which we packed a lightweight beach towel, swimwear, a packed lunch (normally two rolls, a snack bar and a piece of fruit), a lightweight warmer top if needed, sunscreen and a hat.

I would definitely advise taking trekking poles with you for the ascents and descents, for stability more than anything as some of the descents were quite scree like and a bit rocky and steep. A good lightweight pair that you can adjust to carry on your bag when not needed are ideal.

Just about anyone who can walk up and down a hill on a trail to be honest! I would say it’s perfect for someone wanting to try a group walking holiday for the first time, for those who love walking but don’t want anything too challenging, those who love coastal walking with beautiful ocean views and those, of course, that are seeking a quieter, more remote experience in the glorious sunshine that the Algarve offers.

You do need a reasonable level of fitness for this holiday if you plan to do all of the walks as there are sections that can be steeper, rockier and a little bit more challenging, but there is enough to satisfy regular hikers as well as those with less experience. This holiday is intended to be a relaxing adventure with a gentle pace.