I’m lucky, really, being able to go back and forth regularly between two countries—our main home and office in the UK, and our family place with a little satellite office out on the Algarve. For health reasons, my husband David lives over there full-time now. Since Brexit brought in its restrictions, he’s become a resident of Portugal, which means he can stay and travel around Europe without the usual faff.
Each year we try to make the effort to explore more of Portugal and take in everything the country’s got to offer. Earlier this year, we headed up to Cascais, Estoril, Sintra and Lisbon. In past years we’ve also been to Tavira, Vila Real and the Alentejo coast.
This Easter, we travelled east along the Algarve and stayed in Olhão, which gave us a great base to explore the islands of the Ria Formosa. It’s a really unique part of the coast—an ecological treasure, really—a proper maze of lagoons, little islands, and tidal flats stretching more than 60 km along the shore. It’s a protected natural park now, which has helped keep the wildlife and local character intact.
Setting Off from Olhão
There are loads of local tour boats lined up along the front at Olhão, all offering trips out to the islands and a bit of adventure. It was still early in the day, calm waters, though we’d been warned the wind might pick up later on. Being early in the season, we layered up—plenty of jackets and scarves—then hopped on a small powerboat, phones and cameras at the ready.
As we set off across the clear waters, you could already see so much—birds darting around the salt marshes, little fishing boats bobbing about, and the islands just coming into view. The Ria Formosa’s not just scenic; it’s alive. You really get a sense of it shifting and breathing with the tides.
Our first stop was Ilha da Culatra, which feels like you’ve stepped back in time. No cars, just sandy tracks, brightly painted houses, and fishermen quietly mending their nets. We wandered round, grabbed a brew from a local café, and watched kids playing barefoot near the water.
A short stroll took me across to the Atlantic side of the island, and honestly, it was stunning. Dunes as far as you could see, soft sand, perfectly clear sea, and not another person around. It felt like one of those rare spots you stumble across and want to keep to yourself.
Next, we sailed over to Armona. It’s pretty much empty in winter, but starts to wake up again come spring, with holidaymakers and people opening up their second homes. The narrow sandy paths, with bougainvillaea climbing everywhere and little houses tucked among the dunes, make it a lovely, laid-back place to spend time.
After a bit of exploring, we were back on the boat and made one last stop at Farol—technically part of Culatra, but known for its lighthouse, which gives the island its name. We climbed up to the top, and the views were something else. You could see right across the coast and the lagoon system, all lit by that soft afternoon light.
As the sun began to drop, we headed back to Olhão. The sky turned shades of orange and pink over the water, long shadows falling across the marshes. On the way, the boat captain pointed out spoonbills and herons wading about in the shallows.
There’s a proper stillness to Ria Formosa that lingers with you. It’s not loud or showy—just quietly beautiful, shaped by nature, and somehow untouched by the rush of the modern world.
