Algarve Walking & Wellness

A stress-free getaway to recharge your batteries. Moderate hiking at the coast and in the mountains will take your mind of any worries. Follow the famous Fishermen’s Trail and discover the Monchique waterfalls. Come to rest in the small rural village resort tucked away at the edge of the Natural Park of Costa Vicentina and feel pampered at the spa resort in the mountains.

Minimum number of participants: 10

Possible arrival dates:
14 March 2026 - SCHEDULED
07 November 2026 - SCHEDULED

9 days / 8 nights

Location

Day 1: Arrival
Arrival - Transfer from one of the pick up points below to the Slow Village hotel

  • Faro airport (FAO) (if you fly to Faro)
  • Tunes train station (if you travel from Lisbon by high-speed train)
  • Portimão bus station (if you travel from Lisbon by express bus)
Other pick up points in the Algarve can possibly be accommodated depending on the location, please contact us for any request.

Day 2: From the Moorish castle to surfer’s paradise
Along the coast in the Natural Park of Costa Vicentina the fishermen’s trail follows the rugged coastline, meandering from time to time in the hinterland. From the viewpoint at the Moorish castle, you can already see the ocean peeking through the hills! Time to get started: the trail leads you to the sea and halfway your hike you are rewarded with the magnificence of the Algarvian west coast. From here the grey cliffs will be your companion till the next village, where fishermen and surfers share the ocean.

Day 3: From the middle of nowhere to the End of the World
You start at one of the very best viewpoints over the west coast with a breath-taking beach below and nature all around. You will have a hard time turning around to start walking but keep your goal in mind: the astonishing cliffs of Cape St. Vincent! This part of the fishermen’s trail just calls to wander a bit off track now and then to a great viewpoint or marvellous beach. Your guide will show you the way!

Day 4: From the Jurassic era to the Tip of Mercy
Check-out of Aldeia da Pedralva

Let’s start this day with a small palaeontological visit: if sea conditions allow it, you can admire petrified dinosaur tracks before heading from fishing village to fishing village at the south coast. At a certain point you will leave the Natural Park of Costa Vicentina, which means some more housing and tourism, but the nature keeps surprising you right up to the end, at the Lighthouse of Mercy!

Check-in Monchique Resort & Spa

Day 5: Wellness day or optional programme
Included in your organized adventure is a two-hours access to the Spa Circuit, which can be used on day 5 or day 8. Additional accesses or other spa treatments can be booked directly with the hotel.

You can discover the surroundings by yourself and walk up to the small village of Caldas de Monchique or book an optional visit:

Optional Morning: Lagos – City of the Discoveries € 30,- p.p.
Enjoy a guided visit along the main monuments and learn all about the Portuguese discoveries followed by two hours of free time in the old centre of Lagos.

Optional Afternoon: Silves – Moorish capital € 30,- p.p.
Enjoy a guided visit in the archaeological museum and visit the Moorish castle at your own pace. In your free time, you can stroll through the cobbled streets till the Roman bridge over the river.

Optional Book both trips (Lagos + Silves) for € 50,- p.p.

Day 6: From the roof of the Algarve to the waterfalls
After a day of rest, you will start your hike the easy way to get back into the rhythm: downhill. From the top of the mountain of Monchique you will descend and ascend twice. This eight-shaped trail criss-crossing on the top, will lead you past three waterfalls. Please note, that depending on season and rainfall, they might be dry. Chances of a good water flow are higher after the winter, but there are no certainties because luckily, we do not yet control the skies! But not to worry, there are lots of other wonderful things to enjoy: the cork forest, the panoramas, the scent of eucalyptus, the feeling of being alive!

Day 7: From the thermal village to the village of The Knight
This day is a bit of a challenge and combines two shorter trails. First, you will walk through the thermal village passing the ‘fountain of love’, before starting the climb to the second top of the mountain range. This trail is steep at times, but it is the wide views at the end that will take your breath away! Then, you will be driven to the starting point of the second trail. This circular route around the village of The Knight includes the iconic suspension bridge Demo accessible through 500 steps!

Day 8: Wellness day or optional programme
Included in your organized adventure is a two-hours access to the Spa Circuit, which can be used on day 5 and or day 8. Additional accesses or other spa treatments can be booked directly with the hotel.

You can discover the surroundings by yourself and walk up to the small village of Caldas de Monchique or book an optional visit:

Optional Morning: Seven Hanging Valleys for €40,- p.p.
Another famous trail of the Algarve, a moderate 7km hike along the intrinsic south coast.

Optional Afternoon: Boat trip to the caves of Benagil for €40,- p.p.
A one-hour boat trip to the caves at the south coast, including the famous Benagil cave.

Optional Book both trips (Seven Hanging Valleys + boat trip) for €70,- p.p.

Day 9: Departure
Departure- Transfer from the hotel in Monchique to one of the drop off points below:
  • Faro airport (FAO) (if you fly from Faro)
  • Tunes train station (if you travel to Lisbon by high-speed train)
  • Portimão bus Station (if you travel to Lisbon by express bus)

Other drop off points in the Algarve can possibly be accommodated depending on the location, please contact us for any request.

 

Accommodations

3 nights in Aldeia da Pedralva *** Slow Village
This guesthouse style accommodation consists of various recovered cottages in a rural setting. All of different shapes and layouts. You can choose between a double bed (only if you are two people travelling together) or twin bed, and are guaranteed one of the following:

  • a two-person bedroom closed off from communal areas (such as kitchen and bathroom) in a cottage with several bedrooms; or
  • a bed in a studio type cottage with maximum one double bed or two twin beds; or
  • against a single supplement you can have a two-person bedroom to yourself as a solo traveller, but this could still be in a cottage with several rooms.

The type of cottage that will be allocated to you, depends on other bookings and availabilities. Please take in account that even though you might book a double room for a travel party of two, or a private room as single traveller, you might still share a bathroom and other communal areas with other travellers.

You can inform us about any preference regarding cottage type and we will try to accommodate to the best of our abilities.

Daily breakfast pack included.
Group dinner included.

5 nights in Monchique Resort & Spa*****
An elegant hotel built to minimize environmental impact, an authentic retreat in the mountains. A place where you will find the perfect balance between the luxury of a five-star hotel and the resources that nature provides.

You stay in a standard room with double bed or twin beds, per your choice.

Breakfast and dinner included.