A new guide providing information on 51 of the Algarve’s best walking trails has been launched by the Algarve tourism board (RTA) and is available for download in English directly from visitalgarve.pt
The trails are broken down into two categories: small (under 30kms) and large (over 30kms). The latter category includes an overview of each of the Algarve’s four main walking trail networks – the Via Algarviana, Rota Vicentina, Grande Rota do Guadiana and Percurso Descoberta.
“This guide will be very useful for those who value contact with nature and enjoy outdoor adventures with friends and family or on their own,” RTA says in a communiqué to the press.
The gist of the tourism board’s message is that no matter which trail you choose to explore, there will be a lot to discover from mountains, woods and cliffs to lakes and rivers.
The 240-page guide is filled with useful tips and information, such as what clothes to wear, what equipment to take with you, which season is best to tackle a certain trail, how long a trail takes to complete and the differentiating characteristics of each one.
Also included are images and maps of the trails, which were chosen following “countless field trips” to determine whether they met the tourism board’s criteria for inclusion in the guide.
Says RTA, there had to be at least one trail per municipality. The trails also had to be well-maintained and safe, and equipped with the necessary signposting and information panels. They also had to boast some kind of original trait and stand out in terms of their “natural and cultural assets” as well as their unique landscape.
Meanwhile, Algarve tourism chief João Fernandes says the region’s strategy to promote nature tourism is making the local tourism sector “more and more sustainable”.
He also believes that outdoor activities such as hiking are a way of attracting tourists as the world continues to adapt to the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
To find the English version of the guide, visit www.visitalgarve.pt and change the language into English if necessary. Click on “Multimedia”, “Downloads”, “Guides” and then ‘Guide to Algarve’s Walking Trails’.
By MICHAEL BRUXO
[email protected]
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