Day 1: Arrival at airport Faro
We will pick you up at the airport and bring you to Tavira. Vila Real is an interesting old town on the banks of the Guadiana River which forms the border between Spain and Portugal. The town is full of character and not particularly touristy.
Day 2: Loop Tavira, ~38 km
This will be the first riding day in which you will cycle on calm roads close to the Serra Algarvia. Pass small villages and ride along old roads and rural paths, crossing a vast area of orange trees. The smell is wonderful! Also discover “Pego do Inferno” where you can admire the most beautiful waterfall in the Algarve. Enjoy the ride back to Tavira where you will stay for another night.
Day 3: Tavira - Vale das Gralhas, ~49 km
Start today’s journey in Tavira and ride along the incredible Ria Formosa, one of the most beautiful natural parks of the country. This is a paradise for birdwatchers and part of the Natura 2000 Network. The views are just amazing, and are the highlight of the day’s program. Close to the town of Olhão, head inland, ride past small villages and cross vast areas of orange trees. Take a deep breath, pick up a fruit and sit down between green and orange fields. Tonight you will stay at a lovely rural hotel in Vale das Gralhas.
Day 4: Vale das Gralhas - Querença, ~ 40 km
Head north and roll throught the small ups and owns of the hills, close to the Algarve Mountains. It will be a challenging day, but well worth the effort for the tremendous breathtaking sceneries. Along the way visit the town of São Brás de Alportel, which was once the biggest cork producing center in Portugal. A great choice of roads and trails will take you through amazing green Algarve fields with rich Mediterranean? Flora and fauna where you can invigorate your mind and soul with the pure natural air. Arrive at the typical village of Querença where you will spend the night in a quiet and peaceful hotel.
Day 5: Querença - Silves, ~65 km
Another challenging day in the rolling hills close to the Algarve Mountains, but once again worth the effort. Start your ride in Querença and go along ancient and narrow roads where the landscape mainly shows carob and fig trees. Then, get into a large valley of cork-oak trees. The best part of this day is a lovely ride on a road close to the Arade Dam. Gently cruise down the valley to your destination for the day in the lovely historic town of Silves. It is well worth planning to get here with time to spare as there is plenty of opportunity to the castle and the Moorish town.
Day 6: Silves - Lagos, ~51 km
Today, you will arrive at Lagos, one of the oldest towns in the Algarve! Cycle through a valley following the Odelouca stream. You will cross a rural area to the village of Odiaxere and ride south straight to the sea! Then, you will reach the incredible beach of “Meia Praia”, a long beach of fine golden sand all along the bay! You will cross a footbridge over the Bensafrim River and reach the cosmopolitan city of Lagos, which means lakes, from the Latin Lacobrica - one of the oldest towns in the Algarve. Lagos is one of the most visited cities in the Algarve, and also a historic center of the Portuguese Age of Discovery, and at one time, the center of the European slave trade.
Day 7: Lagos - Sagres, ~58 km
This is quite a challenging days cycling as there are a few hills as the terrain changes as you approach the rugged cliff lined coastline around Sagres and Cape St Vincent. We will follow amazing trails along the coast line to Ponta da Piedade where we can find fantastic sceneries of cliffs, caves and rocks with an amazing mixture of colors! The route continues west and passes through some great scenery and quaint little coastal villages. Once you arrive in Sagres, you have the option of checking into your hotel and then cycling the 6 extra kilometers to the edge of Europe, Cape St Vincent- the south-western-most point of Continental Europe.
Day 8: Departure
Transfer back to Faro airport.