Ria Formosa
Natural Park
The
Ria Formosa Natural Park extends from the car park leading to the bridge
to the beach of the upmarket Quinta do Lago resort to beyond Tavira (see
map). It is one of only two in the Algarve (the other being on the Spanish
border at Castro Marim).
The Park Headquarters are in Olhão where there is a visitor centre and a water-poodle breeding program amonst other things. We have not yet visited and would be interested to hear from those who have.
From the car park at Quinta do Lago there are two easy waymarked trails one westward towards Val do Lobo and the other which skirts between the shoreline and the Quinta golf course past some Roman salt pans towards the current salt pans at Ludo. They are well worth following and require no special equipment or clothing other than sensible shoes. There is a large beach bar in the sanddunes just accross the bridge.
The park has a number of protected habitats - salt pans, salt marshes, dunes, beaches and shorelines, estuaries and typical scrub. The flora includes pines, fan plams, eucalypts, mimosas, wild lupins and a wonderful selection of wild flowers (mainly in spring). The fauna includes chameleons, genets, bats, hedgehogs and otters.
The
reserve is most valued for its bird life including the celebrated Purple
Gallinule which breeds on the lake on the Quinta golf course and the salinas
at Ludo. Other birds likely to be seen include kingfishers, hoopoes and
wxbills as well as eagles, sea swallows, flamingos and all manner of waders
(see birdwatching page for more details). A pair
of binoculars is a definite advantage when visiting but the walks are
very pleasant without.