The town of Monte Gordo, as opposed to most other destinations in the Algarve is actually a pretty large and spacious one; many of its wide streets having been exclusively dedicated to pedestrians.

The place used to be a rather thriving fishing village benefiting from a very wide variety of fish species thanks to the warmer waters of the Mediterranean.

The town is located just a few kilometers from Vila Real de Santo Antonio, being situated practically on the border of Spain, but the two towns are two quite different entities.

Monte Gordo saw a major change in the late 1990s when the Casino Hotel opened. This change came in the form of high-rise apartment buildings, thankfully however, the miles-long stretches of wide golden beaches have remained unspoiled by building sites, there is nothing to ruin the coastline view of the town. Monte Gordo is quite a popular destination for summer visitors thanks to the warmer Mediterranean waters.

The beach decking features access for disabled people in several locations and there is also a rather small but attractive park where one can find plenty of seating in the shade when needing to escape the hot summer Algarve sun.

Even though the place is known by tourists it doesn’t mean that it’s that tourist-focused, the place featuring several good Portuguese restaurants where you’ll find some traditional cuisine. This is an important distinction to make especially when comparing to very popular destinations such as Albufeira which has many bars and restaurants catering to English tourists for instance.

There are lots of pay-to-park facilities located close to the beach and along the promenade, the promenade is also where a monthly antique market is held on the fourth Saturday.

One other great advantage of Monte Gordo is that you can hop into Spain to enjoy some tapas in Ayamonte.

Just outside the major resorts and only slightly beyond the long swaths of beach, the Algarve is quite a different experience, it’s a place of off beaten tracks, rough dirt-roads and a very raw and rugged beauty.

What 4×4 Algarve tours do for you is to create an unforgettable experience by mixing the adrenaline rush of driving in an open top four-wheel drive car on rough roads, with exploring some of the most beautiful places in the Algarve, that are not seen by most visitors.

Safety is taken very seriously on these tours, so they will start with a rundown of safety procedures as well as an explanation of the vehicles that you will be driving – that’s right, you will be the one driving, this isn’t a safari in which you’re chauffeured around, this is a very direct experience. Then you will be trained in a series of driving techniques that you will need to master in order to navigate the many challenging terrain types that you will encounter during such a tour.

This type of experience is for any age and type of vacationer, young or old, on your own or with family and friends, this is one unique way of spending a day in the Algarve, you could do much worse than this.

Keep in mind our Algarve car hire services, for those who like to explore the region on their own.