10 days trip question on snorkeling and SUP at the Algarve and the fishermen's trail

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travelturtles
travelturtles

Hi everyone,
I am going to do my first holidays in Portugal in September and I am not only super excited but also not 100% sure how to plan it :)
I will have 10,5 days and I want to spend time in Lisbon, Sintra and the Algarve, arriving in Lisbon and flying out of Faro. What I thought of as an initial plan is to stay 3 days in Lisbon, 1 day in Sintra, that spend 2 days at Porto Covo/ Milfontes and 4.5 days at the Algarve.

Although generally any tip on nice beaches – and I really want to see those bays between the cliffs although I am aware they are crowded- are highly welcome, I have 3 more concrete questions:

a) I have read that it is possible to snorkel with seahorses at Ria Formosa. Do you have experiences with that and do you maybe know a good company offering those snorkeling trips? Do you maybe know other nice spots for snorkeling?

b) I have never tried but would love to do SUP at the Algarve. Do you know a good company or starting point where I could have an introductory session but also already see a nice shoreline? I googled companies of course but I would be interested in you experience. Of course I see myself paddling through the cliffs and caves but as I never ever tried before this happening is highly unlikely. Hence, I search for something which suits absolute beginners but still has nice views.

c) Would you think it is possible to do one or two parts of the fisherman trail in the first week of September? Generally, do you think it is worth it? I love beaches and hiking but my partner would not be happy if it would mean hiking through the thick sand most of the time. I couldn’t really find that much information about it.

Thanks so much in advance and I am aware that there are a lot of questions on the Algarve already but I couldn’t find my questions answered yet.

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anonymous
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Try getting hold of Rough Guide to Portugal as a starting point.

Sintra can be done as a day trip from Lisbon - we visited for two nights on our first visit in 2013, but visited again as a day trip last year.

Get to Rossio station early to make it as long a day as possible and get your rail tickets the day before in order to avoid the big queues that occur at the machines and ticket windows in Rossio station.

If you're arriving at Lisbon Airport it is worth buying Viva Viagem rechargeable travel cards at the machines near the ticket barriers at the airport Metro station.

One done, you can get the Metro into the city centre and use the cards on trams, elevadours, most (but not all) buses plus trains on the lines to Cascais, Estoril and Sintra.

When you get to Sintra, there is a hop on, hop off bus that goes around the main sites in Sintra which goes from the bus station next to the railway station. Cost was €5 each the last time we used it.

Rest you may get from that RG or other posters on here - can't help with snorkelling etc as a collapsed lung put paid to such things a few years ago.

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Kent16
Kent16

I agree that Sintra should be done as a day trip from Lisbon.

There isn't much snorkelling in the Algarve as the sea is very cold, so you will need a wetsuit. I haven't heard of seahorses there.

A few people had their own SUP boards on Zavial beach last month between Lagos and Sagres. They gave up, as the very strong offshore winds were rapidly pushing them out to sea. There were plenty of surfers.

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travelturtles
travelturtles

Thank you so much for your advice. I think I will stay in Sintra for the night to experience the city when most of the tourists are gone :)

Does anyone has ideas on the coast? Is there really no snorkelling :(?

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travelturtles
travelturtles

After the trip I thought to share some information if anyone else has similar questions:

Snorkeling with seahorses is possible in Ria Formosa, starting from Olhao or Fuzeta. I went with Passeios Ria Formosa and I really likes the trip. W saw sea horses, squids, sea cucumbers: http://www.passeios-ria-formosa.com/en/olhao/seahorses-observation/seahorses-observation/
If you have your own snorkeling gear it is also fund to snorkel the rocks at Praia Sao Rafael.

2)SUP rally is big everywhere and you rent boards at almost every beach. Tours start from the major beaches, e.g. in Lagos

3) it was much too hot this September. Don't rely on the weather, there can still be heatwaves

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