"Exploring Portugal's southwest corner " a Algarve Travel Page by Bwana_Brown

The Algarve was one of the parts of Portugal that we most wanted to see. As a result, we decided to spend two nights there so we would have some flexibility to adjust our plans depending on the weather that we encountered. In the end, the weather was great, sunny and in the mid-20 C range. However, our time was cut short by a few hours due to a problem in Lisbon that delayed the start of our road trip. Nevertheless, we found that the Algarve had a lot to offer - especially since we had decided to stay away from the main tourist areas (for the most part) and concentrate on some of its other delights.

To this end, using the tiny village of Aljezur as our base, we visited one of the less famous beaches on the western Atlantic coastline. This was then followed up by a whirlwind trip to the south coast where we took in the lighthouse and cliffs at Cape St. Vincent. In the heat of the afternoon, an obligatory visit to the sandy southern beaches was an interesting experience before we retreated to the cool inland airs of Mt. Foia, the highest peak in southern Portugal.

We were a bit disappointed and saddened by the damage done to the forests in the Monchique and Mt. Foia area by the severe forest fires of 2003. Even so, we still found that this area was well worth the drive for the views that it offered as the road twisted through the mountainous terrain.

This photo shows the famous 500-year old Manueline decorations on the church door in Monchique, a small village in the mountains.

For an overview of the area that we covered, please check my map in the General tips.