Itinerary Eastern Algarve | VANLIFE Motorhome route

During this fun camper route through eastern Algarve you will experience the real #vanlife feeling. The east of the Algarve in Portugal is not nearly as popular as the west of the region. In our opinion, not quite right, because with all its cute fishing villages and towns it is a nice area to tour with you camper of camper van!

Also read: Must Sees in Portugal | Beautiful beaches, cities and culture

Caution! From January 2021, wild camping will no longer be tolerated in Portugal. But don't worry, there are more than enough motorhome pitches and campsites where you can stay, also along this route. For example, check the apps for this Park4Night of MotorhomeContact.

Monte Gordo

Our journey starts in Monte Gorde, a small town just across the border from Spain. With its extensive beach and nice streets to stroll through, it is definitely worth a stop. If you want to do some Dutch shopping quickly, you can do that here! Due to the large number of Dutch tourists, Bolletje rusk is even sold. From here you can also visit Villa Real de Santo Antonio to take a tour on the river between Spain and Portugal (the rio Guadiana) or just stroll through the village.

Monte Gordo has a campsite and a motorhome pitch. We stayed at the campsite. Not necessarily the most inspiring place, but a great place to stay for a night.

Tavira

Then we drove to Tavira, a real gem of the east of the Algarve. The river Rio Gilão flows through this town with Roman influences, where you can enjoy a drink on a terrace. You have the best view of the city from the fortress walls of the castle, so be sure to walk up. Because the city is not that big, it feels cozy and you can spend a day there!

caught from hell

Just outside Tavira is the Pego do Inferno waterfall. The road there alone is worth it. We visited the waterfall in November, the time of year when the orange, mandarin and lemon trees were in bloom. The route leads right through many of these plantations. Once you have arrived at the parking lot, it takes a while to find the right road, but if you follow the small paths down you will get there automatically. Unfortunately, the waterfall was dry with us, but nevertheless it was still possible to take a dip in the water where the waterfall usually ends.

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From the waterfall we drove to the village of Quatrim do Sul. Just outside the village is a beautiful parking lot on the water where you have a beautiful view of the Ria Formosa National Park.

Olhão

Olhão is known for its fish and associated fish market. From the (slightly overpriced) terrace behind the fish market in Olhão you have a beautiful view over the Ria Formosa. This nature reserve consists of all kinds of islands where you can enjoy the silence of nature, but also visit one of the sandy beaches. From here you can take a boat to visit. If you prefer to stay in Olhão, that is of course also possible. Behind the fish market is a variety of small streets, full of (tourist) shops. Since we visited the city on a Sunday, most of the shops and the market were closed, but it was definitely worth a visit.

Faro

Finally, we drove from Olhão to Faro, a city we mainly knew from cheap airline tickets. The city is compact and easy to visit in a day. Like any Portuguese city, Faro has a beautiful church and a picturesque old town, where you can wander through the small streets. In addition, it is certainly worth visiting Praia de Faro. This piece of land is just past the airport. Due to the extensive beaches and surf vibe, it is bursting with camper vans #vanlife.

Also read: Skyscanner | How to save (a lot of) money on flights

If you stay longer in Faro, it is definitely worth the Ludo Trail to walk, right through the nature reserve Ria Formosa. It took us about two hours to get here and, in addition to flamingos, we also spotted small turtles and spoonbills.

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