Portugal is one of our favorite countries in Europe! Between its delicious seafood, unparalleled beaches, and painted tile architecture, you’re sure to find magic every way you turn in Portugal. One piece of magic you have to experience in Portugal is to tour the Ria Formosa.
The Ria Formosa is one of Portugal’s natural seven wonders, and it’s bursting with natural gems from wildlife and hiking trails to calm, sandy beaches. A network of barrier islands and islands surrounds this tranquil lagoon and creates an area of constantly shifting sand banks. Because of its constantly changing tides and sand banks, you’ll have a different experience throughout the day.
Why you have to visit this natural lagoon
Besides being a natural paradise that all outdoor lovers will enjoy, this lagoon area is essential to the local economy and culture. With 140 fish species, the area produces much of Southern Portugal’s mouth-watering seafood–including 80% of Portugal’s clams. Tour the Ria Formosa in the morning, and you’ll see local fisherman planting and harvesting clams for all the restaurants nearby. Visit later in the day and you’ll see the lagoon swell up with water as the birds settle in against the setting sun.
We fell in love with the Ria Formosa, and it was one of our favorite areas during our month-long Algarve adventure. Let’s dive into some of our favorite ways to visit the Ria Formosa area. Take notes, you’ll definitely want to add these to your itinerary.
Three must-do activities in the Ria Formosa
Visit the beaches in the surrounding islands
If you come to Portugal in the Summer, going to the beaches in the Algarve is an absolute must. These stunning beaches are some of the best in Europe. The Western Algarve usually gets all the fanfare. With its skyscraping, jagged cliffs you’ll definitely have a wealth of jaw dropping beaches to visit there, but don’t sleep on the Eastern Algarve’s beaches in the Ria Formosa.
Here you’ll find calm waves and soft, sandy beaches you can soak on all day. Not to mention, the beaches tend to be less packed than the ones in the West so you can enjoy the sun with fewer crowds. Some islands are deserted and you can have the beach all to yourself! We call that a win-win.
When you plan to tour the Ria Formosa, make sure to include local favorites like Faro Island, Tavira Island, and Culatra Island.
How to visit the islands in the Ria Formosa
Ferries: A ferry trip can cost as little as 2€ and be as quick as 40 minutes depending on how far you go. You can catch regular ferry rides to Barreta, Culatra, Armona and Ilha Tavira from Faro and Olhao. You can also catch ferries from Fuseta and Tavira town centers along the easternmost coast of the Ria Formosa. The main benefit of this option is the cost. One downside, depending on the island you want to visit, is the ferry’s frequency. It’s possible that there’s just one ferry each way throughout the day so make sure you get back on the ferry on time!
Water Taxis: Another option that is great if you are going in a larger group is a water taxi. This option can be between 6€-30€ depending on the distance. The obvious pro here is that you are on your own time. Leave when you want to and return when you want to no matter what island you visit. The con could be the price if it’s just you and you want to go to a farther island.
Cruise around the Ria Formosa with Lands
Hands down one of our favorite days in our month-long Algarve trip was joining Lands to tour the Ria Formosa. We woke up early in the morning to kick off the day with a kayak tour. At that time of the day, the lagoon’s water supply flows out to the sea and carries you out of Faro’s port.
The waters were calm and easy to cruise through. Francisco, our tour guide led us out through small, deserted islands as he explained how important this area is to the local economy. He helped us identify local birds and even showed us edible plants that grow wild in this area and are considered local culinary secrets.
During our kayak tour, we got to dock on a deserted island and watch local fishermen planting clams in the sandbanks that appear during this time of the day.
Lands offers multiple tours to enjoy the local waterways
When we came back for the sunset solar-powered boat tour, the water had flooded the lagoon again and the sandbanks were nowhere to be found. It was a different world, and we saw tons of birds coming back to settle for the evening.
What we love about the solar-powered boat tour is its eco-friendly focus. The ride is calm and quiet, so it doesn’t disturb local wildlife. A plus is that you have more possibility of seeing the fish and birds. If you usually get motion sick on boats like I do, you will definitely enjoy this smooth ride. I didn’t feel an ounce of nausea. I loved the colors at sunset, but if you don’t want to join the company for a morning kayak tour, I also recommend the solar-powered boat tour in the morning. Seeing the local fishing activities on the sand banks that appear in the mornings was a highlight.
How to enjoy the waterways
Lands offers multiple solar-powered boat tours of varying lengths and prices throughout the day and are great for people of all ability levels.
These waterways are not to be missed. Whether you kayak, cruise on a boat, or snorkel you’ll get sight of many of the bird and fish species in the area. The Ria Formosa is even home to the highest concentration of seahorses!
Hot tip: Lands also offers kayak rentals that you can use on your own time. This would be great to find your own deserted beach get away. The staff is so friendly and will offer you tons of great tips to take advantage of your time in this area.
Bird watch on the Ludo trail
If you love nature trails, birds, or dreamy sunsets get ready to fall in love with this nature area. The Ria Formosa is home to up to 20,000 bird species throughout the year. Many migratory birds fly in during the winter to enjoy the area’s unspoiled beaches. Peak up in any city in the Eastern Algarve and you could see a stork’s nest! Visit the Ludo Trail and you’ll be up close and personal with storks, purple swamphens, and FLA-MI-GOS. (You know I died in nature-lover heaven when I saw wild flamingos).
The 15km trail is perfect for a walk, run, or bike ride, and you’ll see a variety of birds and fish along the way. It’s relatively flat and the path is cleared, making it an easy trail for people of a variety of abilities. I recommend visiting near sunset when the lagoon starts to fill up again and the sky goes from cotton candy pink to a burning red, orange glow.
Another important tip: If you want to get pictures of the flamingos, bring a telephoto lens. I found out that flamingos can fly (did you know this?), and they WILL fly away from you the moment you come close no matter how slowly and quietly you are approaching.
How to visit the Ludo trail in the Algarve
As you know, we always recommend learning about the local culture as an important part of sustainable tourism. Lands offers a 3-hr birdwatching tour of this trail and an adjacent area. The tour guides we worked with like Francisco and Barbara impressed us with their amazing knowledge of the local species. They could name a bird from miles away just by identifying its beak shape. (I know, amazing!)
If this tour doesn’t fit your schedule, you can also take a quick bus ride from Faro’s city center. Head to the bus station and take bus #16 towards Faro Beach for around 3€. Get off at the second to last stop. It’s not well marked so you can also ask the bus driver to let you know when you’re near Ludo. If you miss it, don’t worry. The last stop on the route is a quick walk back to the beginning of the trail.
Where to stay to visit the Ria Formosa
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