Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A short hop east of Faro, Olhão (pronounced ol-yowng ) is the Algarve's biggest fishing
port, with an active waterfront and pretty, bustling lanes in its old quarters. There aren't
many sights, but the flat-roofed Moorish-influenced neighbourhoods and North African
feel make it a pleasant place to wander. The town's fish restaurants draw the crowds, as
does the morning fish and vegetable market on Av 5 de Outubro, best visited on Saturday.
Olhão is also a springboard for Parque Natural da Ria Formosa's sandy islands, Culatra
and Armona, plus the park's environmental centre in Quinta Marim.
DON'T MISS
PARQUE NATURAL DA RIA FORMOSA
Ria Formosa Natural Park is mostly a lagoon system stretching for 60km along the Algarve coastline and en-
compassing 18,000 hectares, from west of Faro to Cacela Velha. It encloses a vast area of sapal (marsh), salinas
(salt pans), creeks and dune islands. To the west there are several freshwater lakes, including those at Ludo and
Quinta do Lago; the marshes are an important area for migrating and nesting birds. You can see a huge variety of
wetland birds here, along with ducks, shorebirds, gulls and terns. This is the favoured nesting place of the little
tern and rare purple gallinule.
Sights & Activities
Bairro dos Pescadores
Just back from the market and park is the Bairro dos Pescadores (Fishermen's Quarter), a
knot of whitewashed, cubical houses, often with tiled fronts and flat roofs. Narrow lanes
thread through the bairro (neighbourhood), and there's a definite Moorish influence, prob-
ably a legacy of long-standing trade links with North Africa. Similar houses are found in
Fuzeta (10km east).
NEIGHBOURHOOD
Quinta de Marim
( 8am-7pm Mon-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat & Sun, to 8pm daily summer) Three kilometers east of Olhão, is
the beautiful 60-hectare Centro Educação Ambiental de Marim (Environmental Education
Centre of Marim; commonly known as Quinta de Marim). A 3km nature trail takes you
through various ecosystems - dunes, saltmarshes, pine woodlands. The Parque Natural da
Ria Formosa ( click here ) headquarters and visitor interpretation centre is also here.
To get to Quinta Marim, take a municipal bus to the campground (200m before the vis-
itor centre).
NATURE RESERVE
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