Birdwatching

Birdwatching Tours in Ria Formosa

From September to April.

Covering an area of about 18.000 hectares, the lagoon system extends along the Eastern Algarve coastline for approximately 60 kilometres.
The Ria Formosa Natural Park in Algarve is an ideal place for birdwatching, it is considered one of Portugal's 7 natural wonders and is the most important protected wetland south of the country. It is listed since the 24th of November 1980 as a Ramsar Site and it is an important wintering area for waterfowl and wading birds from central and northern Europe. With an enormous biodiversity, this is an ideal place for Birdwatching and there is also the possibility to see dolphins in the estuary.

On this birdwatching boat tour, we cruise tranquilly the channels of the Ria Formosa Natural Park for 2 hours. Depending on the amount of time spent on each sitting, we may cover up to 8 nautical miles.

Especially from low to mid tide, a variety of shorebirds are sighted, like the solitary grey Heron, Stork, Little egret, different species of gulls like the Audouin seagull with a growing colony arising at Deserta Island. Flocks of Flamingos and Spoonbills are also seen. Among these, also a large number of sandpipers are present, Curlew, Godwit, Oystercatcher, Kingfisher or the Sandwich tern and many others, also ducks like the Mallard and the common Shelduck. More than 200 different species visit the estuary every year.