Experience Portugal:
Member Event on the Algarve

On arrival at Faro Airport there are three complimentary scheduled transfers to the resort. 

The rest of the day at the resort will be at leisure but make sure you pick up details for tomorrow morning's welcome breakfast to meet your Big journey Company Tour Director and hear more about the plans for the rest of the week. 

This morning we are up and about early for a Welcome Breakfast together to meet your Big Journey Company Tour Director and fellow members, to discuss the plans for the coming days. 

We spend the day today inland, exploring the traditional, rural town of São Brás de Alportel and the Barrocal region. Portugal is the world's largest cork producer and it is grown extensively here. Throughout your stay on the Algarve, there will be many opportunities to see where the cork trees grow and how their bark is harvested. We make a tour of a factory today, to see how this natural resource is prepared, graded and made readu for manufacture. 

We enjoy a long and leisurely lunch together today, before learning more about another of the region's main agricultural traditions - olive oil. Discover olive trees ancient and modern, learn about the oil extraction process and sample this local produce for ourselves before heading back to the resort for the evening.

Portugal has roughly 830km of coastline. With its many coves and inlets, today, we explore the beauty of the coastline in the Ria Formosa National Park. Our first stop is Olhão, a traditional Portuguese fishing village renowned for cube-shaped, white-washed houses of the old fishing quarter and two market halls built by the same architect as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. You will have the opportunity to explore the fish famous market with it's and huge selection of produce or take a scenic stroll along the Olhão harbour.

The Ria Formosa Natural Park is one of the most impressive in Europe, boasting rich and varied flora and fauna. Next stop of the day we visit Cacela Velha, a charming hamlet perched on a cliff overlooking the sea, to enjoy the sea views. This village remains untouched by mass tourism and retains a peaceful atmosphere with charming blue and white fishermen’s houses. This is the spot where the Ria Formosa begins, stretching all the way to Faro.

Final stop of the day is in Tavira, to visit a historical restoration of and museum in what was once fishermens' houses. This place was originally a tuna fishing camp called Arraial Ferreira Neto, where the “people of the sea” lived from March to September each year. Here you will learn about the traditional, regional fishing technique called “Almadrava” - using a frame to capture tuna. Tuna fishing is no longr commercially viable in this area, but it is fascinating to see how the traditional way of life must have once been. Afterwards, we head back to resort in the late afternoon.

Portuguese navigators changed the world during the Renaissance era. Today, we travel in the footsteps of some those of most famous explorers, heading out and along the coast to Sagres. At Cabo de São Vicente, the most south-western point of continental Europe, we begin our day at 'The End of the World'. Before the Portuguese developed sailing vessels such as the caravel, it was commonly thought that this must be where the world ended. 

We also visit the historical port town of Lagos. Here stories from the time of the Portuguese explorations continue. From 1415, Henry the Navigator used Lagos as his maritime base. From here, he sponsored many voyages of exploration aiming to spread Portuguese influence around the New World. The town remembers him today with an impressive statue in the town square overlooking the old port gate.

We will enjoy an excellent lunch together in Lagos before you enjoy some free time to explore this picturesque town at your own pace. We return to the resort late afteroon for an evening at leisure.

Today we visit Loulé, an attractive market town and thriving craft centre with its busy pink-domed market displaying many handicraft workers carving wood, weaving hats, making lace etc. and many local agricultural producers from the region. Then, we go uphill to Our Lady Church, where the spot affords 360º spectacular panoramic views.

Home to some of the oldest vineyards in the world, Portugal is famous for its fantastic, full-bodied wines. Today we have a guided tour of a winery and learn how wine is produced in this region. We sample some of these delicious wines whilst benefitting tfrom the grower' expert knowledge. For the wine connoisseurs, there will be a variety of wines available for purchase after the tour.

After lunch, we continue through the Algarve countryside towards a typical estate to taste the local products like honey, jams etc. from this region and also “medronho”, a very potent brandy before returning to the resort in the afternoon.

Join us this morning on an optional visit to the nearby town of Faro, capital of the Algarve. Faro is a treasure trove of history, with cathedrals and architecture dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries. Our local guide will lead us on a short walking orientation tour of the city before some free time to explore further or do some last minute souvenir shopping. We will return to the resort in the afternoon.

Alternatively, you may wish to relax and enjoy the facilities of the resort or explore the many golf possibilities in the area.

This evening, we will gather at the resort restaurant for our final evening together, sharing a Farewell Dinner together before enjoying some traditional Portuguese dancing!

Sadly, it's the end of our Portuguese adventure. There will be three scheduled departures from the resort to Faro Airport.