This path starts at the Alvor Fishing Port car park, next to the public swimming pool. From here, follow the walkway and turn right, skirting the Alvor Lagoon until you get to “Ponta do Medo Grande” (Big Fear Point).
A short detour to the viewpoint is highly recommended. Follow the walkway to the left for panoramic views over the Alvor Lagoon. Back on the path, walk along the sands of Alvor Beach for about 1 km.
ATTENTION: Avoid walking along the sand dunes as you follow this path. The dunes are home to a fragile ecosystem and by stepping on the vegetation you are contributing to the destruction of this habitat, which takes a long time to recover. Don’t forget that some animals such as birds, mammals, reptiles and even insects live here and that they are made vulnerable by our presence.
RIA DE ALVOR (Alvor Lagoon)
Four small streams converge after having run down from the Monchique and Espinhaço de Cão mountains, coming together to form the Alvor Lagoon, which is protected from the onslaught of the sea by two long stretches of sand, the beaches and dunes of Alvor and Meia-Praia.
It is the dynamic balance brought by the chain of dunes in Alvor that allows important habitats such as the salt marshland and estuary to develop behind them, home to a rich, varied biodiversity.
The inclusion of the Ria de Alvor (lagoon and wetlands) in the Ramsar Convention (International Convention on Wetlands), and its designation as a Site of International Importance under the Habitats Directive, are recognition of the importance of the locale.
The presence of two classified archaeological sites within the Alvor Estuary and its surroundings – the Alcalar Megalithic Site and the Roman ruins of Quinta da Abicada – stand as a testament to the importance of this lagoon system to human settlements over the centuries.
DUNES
The dune systems are extremely fragile, dynamic habitats where there is a permanent balance between sand and plants. These dunes serve to protect the strip of land from erosion, acting as a buffer against storms and floods. The dunes are formed on the beach, next to the water line, stretching inland and getting gradually taller as they do.
SALT MARSH
A transitional area between the land and sea that is submerged by salt water during the high tide and exposed during the low tide, forming a natural protective boundary between the estuary and the land. These are highly productive habitats made unique by the slow depositing of sediments and nutrients, forming soft, dark soil. Halophyte plants grow in this area – plants that are resistant to the high salinity of the locale – housing a large number of living beings and filtering, retaining and breaking down nutrients and pollutants. These plants have a huge capacity for purifying and improving the quality of the surrounding water.
ESTUARY
An area subject to the whim of the tides, the Alvor estuary is the most important estuary in the western Algarve. It is the cycle of the tides that bathe this area that determines the rhythm taken on by life in the estuary. When the tide is out, shellfish gatherers pick around the sediment harvesting cockles and clams, water birds feast on the countless small lifeforms that breed in the sand or get trapped in the narrow streams that form and flow into the sea.