In the sub-region of Faro, Castro Marim is a small town of less than 2000 inhabitants, but an outstanding holiday destination. Its quiet and beauty, as well as the golf facilities and location make it one of the greatest “unknown destinations” in the Algarve.

Access to Castro Marim is quite easy from different locations and in town you can opt to have an Algarve transfer at your service, which can be booked online. The city is limited by Alcoutim, Spain, Vila Real de Santo Antonio, Tavira and the endless Atlantic Ocean.

The history of Castro Marim dates back 7 millennia. It used to be an ancient port, connected to Lisbon by a long Roman bridge that trailed along the river. In the middle ages, it was the home of the Order or Christ, who replaced the Knights Templar in the 14th century.

Today, Castro Marim is an exquisite choice if you would like to enjoy the traditional Portuguese air and the wonders of the surrounding countryside. The city is part of the Baixo Guadiana region, where the mountain meets the sea in a wonderful display of beauty and wild nature.

It is a great place to hike and you can explore the Reserva Natural do Sapal, home to hundreds of species of birds and 400 species of plants and flowers.

Castro Marim is the greatest unexpected choice if you are looking for a short holiday adventure. All that you need to do is get your backpack ready and comfy clothes and enjoy an unforgettable day away from the stress of life.

The Olhao Seafood Festival is ongoing at the present time and will be so till the 15^th of August, so you could still make it there in time to taste some of the most delicious seafood that the Algarve has to offer, as well as appreciate some popular local live music.

Another culinary-centric event will be taking place in Vila do Bispo between August 23 and 25. This is the Festival do Perceve – barnacles’ festival – where the star of the show is the perceve, a species of goose barnacle very appreciated across the entire Iberian Peninsula. This festival complements the ones in Olhao and the Sardine Festival which ended on the 11^th.

By now you have missed the Silves Medieval Fair, which ended on August 11, however, you can set your medieval sights upon Castro Marim’s Dias Medievais, which will take place between August 22 and 25 at the town’s centre and its castle. This event too will include a plethora of tournaments, traditional games and all manner of activities related to the medieval era.

Then there’s the event which normally captivates a large number of people, Lagoa’s FATACIL, which takes place between August 16 and 25.

This event features around 600 exhibitors from the handicrafts, tourism, agriculture, retail and industry sectors not to mention great high-class entertainment such as concerts and equestrian displays.

These are just the major events that are still to take place in the Algarve, there are many more smaller parties, festivities and fairs around the region. The best way to see them is to employ some Algarve car rental services and check as many of them as possible.

It appears that the road users commission CUVI is organizing a series of civil disobedience demonstrations against the A22 tolls because these have lead to motorists practically deserting the route and over-crowding the alternative EN125 road.

According to the CUVI press release, they consider that the implementation of tolls on the A22 has contributed drastically to the social and economic ruin of the region thus leading to the bankruptcy of thousands of companies and also a decline in tourism.

Besides affecting the influx of Spanish tourists, who once used the A22 to visit the Algarve, this over-crowding of the EN125 has lead to more accidents  which has once again become known as the ‘death road’.

The first protest took place on the 27^th of July and involved a low-speed vehicle march beginning at Altura, Castro Marim, at 4PM. En route, a homage will be paid to the victims of road deaths that have occurred on the EN125.

The second event is planned to involve setting up camping sites in front of the holiday homes of both the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic throughout the first half of August.

The month of August is also planned to see a march and protest at the Festa do Pontal, which is organized by the PSD political party in which the Prime Minister and other members of the government are expected to appear.

A couple of other marches are planned to take place in September as well, which will also be carried out between the two localities, stopping to pay homage to road accident victims as well as one that will begin at the Faro Moto Club and go towards Faro Airport to then end at Forum Algarve shopping centre.

Bolt Resources PTY has applied to the Portuguese government to prospect for gold as a result of the discovery of gold particles by University of Algarve scientists, who were studying sediments in the river estuary in the area of Castro Marim.

The company will be prospecting for gold and silver as well as other valuable deposits like copper, zinc, lead, tin, tungsten and antimony.

It’s a known fact that precious minerals have been found in many parts of the Algarve region throughout the ages. During Roman times, various precious metal was mined across the Algarve region and up towards the Alentejo, alongside other useful metals such as tin and copper.

The search will focus on the Alcoutim and castro marim region – covering 576 square kilometers, however it will also focus on the Alentejo district of Mertola.

The scientists also theorized that Monchique might have some hidden reserves of gold and silver as well, but they wanted to emphasize that there is no evidence of large deposits of the metals.

This discovery of small gold particles happened back in 2007, but the company has only decided to explore the possibility this year.

Jose Estevens – the Mayor of Castro Marim – wasn’t aware of the Bold Resources plan so he wasn’t able to comment on the fact, but he did know about it after reading the official government publication and said that the initiative would be a benefit to the region.

The application for prospecting is subject to a 30-day waiting period in which time interested parties will be able to lodge objections or submit preferential rights to the Direção de Serviços de Minas e Pedreiras da Direção-Geral de Energia e Geologia in Lisbon.

The town is surrounded and imbued in rich history, having been long associated with the Knights Templar. Castro Marim organizes a very large monthly market, on the second Saturday of every month – this is where you can find a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as hams, local cheeses and honey, not to mention there’s also an antiques market held on the same days in Vila Real St. Antonio.

The town features an interesting feature which you’ll notice especially when coming from the west, as you’ll see five tall pillars with a windmill above them and a chapel on the right hand side. As you approach you’ll see that the pillars are in fact water fountains. This is a sort of an outdoor museum with the windmill being part of it and the rest acting as something of a cultural centre of the place. Going up there is worth the trip if only to see the incredible views across to Ayamonte in Spain – from this vantage point you’ll be able to see over the salt beds, the marches and the wildlife conservation areas that characterize the area on the whole, great spot.

The major tourist attraction of the town is the ruins of the castle which dates from the 9^th century. What remains of the castle is open to the public because there are quite a few things to see, displays of stocks and a pretty chapel. The entry fee is usually something symbolic, however the place is only really accessible for those who are fit and not really suitable for the elderly or the disabled.

Castro Marim is a very flat place and features wide pavements and cobblestoned streets. It has smaller daily markets and several good restaurants. Keep our Algarve car rental services in mind when planning a trip anywhere in the region.

The Algarve is a great place to relax, great beaches, weather, food and drink, but it is also a magnificent area to explore for those who are history enthusiasts. This region has been this wonderful for thousands of years, so one shouldn’t be that surprised to find out that it changed hands between a variety of cultures throughout human civilization including the Romans, Moors, Crusaders, pirates and explorers in general.

We’ll start this guide in the Eastern Algarve on the right bank of the River Guadiana, bordering Spain, in the town of Vila Real de Santo Antonio, also known as the ‘City of Enlightenment’.

The town was built in a famous grid pattern design during the late 18^th century, the focus of the town is a very wonderful central plaza, the Praca marques de Pombal, which is wonderfully lined with orange trees. Depending on how long you spend in this town you should consider taking the ferry across the Guadiana in order to visit Ayamonte, a very Spanish town, very different than Portugal.

Going north on the river you’ll find the Castro Marim which features a massive castle built here by Afonso III in order to defend the region from the Spanish. This castle later become the headquarters for the Order of Christ for three and a half decades.

Heading westwards you’ll find the small village of Cacela Velha, yet another settlement built as a deterrent, this one against the Barbary Corsairs who were terrorizing the southern coast of the country, and continued to do so for about three centuries.

We’ll stop our traveling here for now, we’ll continue in a future article, keep in mind our great Algarve car hire services, because they can help with your trip tremendously.

The annual festival is in its third year and takes place in the town of Sagres, in the Western Algarve and it acts as one more incentive to visit the Algarve coast, which already sports plenty of attractive features for tourists, from the year-round warm temperatures, the great beaches and beautiful scenery.

The Festival takes place here because thanks to the geographical position of the Sagres peninsula, it becomes part of the main migratory corridor in Portugal starting with mid-August till November, period in which it’s possible to see thousands of birds crossing the sky, over 190 different species.

This region is ideal for bird watching however there are a number of other fantastic bird watching locations beyond Sagres, as follows:

The Castro Marim Natural Reserve

Located on the western coast is a wetland of international importance, hence why it is protected by law. The landscape is dominated by salt marches and there are several species of aquatic birds that can be seen here including the Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber, Little Stint Calidris minuta and the Spotted Redshank Tringa Erythropus.

The Ria Formosa Natural Park

This place consists of a long stretch of coastal dunes, barrier islands, peninsulas, canals, mudflats, and all manner of all sorts of quasy-aquatic and not so aquatic features – the latter category being woods and pine forests.

The very diverse geography means that the bird fauna will be equally varied so you can expect to see Eurasian Wigeon Anas Penelope, Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola and Red Knot Calidris canutus.

These are just two of the places where bird watching can also be done in, rest assured that there are many more, and you can visit as many of them as you wish with the help of some Algarve car hire services.