Geology | Tourism | Heritage
Geotourism in the Algarve – much more than just the beach!
Few people know that the Algarve has a very rich cultural and natural heritage.
rich In particular, the geological heritage of the Algarve
is a “rough diamond” and has so far remained largely
hidden from tourism. The geological richness of the Algarve is testified by the upcoming Geopark Algarvensis.
Geological Heritage
Guided visits
We offer guided tours with geology in the Algarve in the countryside and also in cities. In these visits you will live different experiences, in which you will get to know better the natural and cultural heritage of the Algarve.
Geotourism
Geotourism is a sustainable way to learn about the geological and cultural heritage of a region. We conduct tours addressed to non-geologists and geologists to geological sites and other places of interest.
Algarve
The Algarve has, in addition to the beaches and its vast cultural heritage, a geological history that spans hundreds of millions of years, in which former oceans and a supercontinent have left their marks.
Follow us into past centuries and millions of years and discover with us the geological and cultural heritage of the Algarve!
On the “Steps & Stones” countryside tours, you will witness how the earth has been shaped over the course of millions of years, and how layers of rocks have formed and then been eroded.
We dive into a long-gone sea, find fossilized animals such as corals, snails, and shells that lived ages ago in reefs and on the bottom, and can put our hands on deposits of the supercontinent Pangea. You see solidified lava flows that originated from massive volcanic eruptions millions of years ago.
The Algarve coast allows us to obtain an excellent perception of what is under our feet. We can appreciate the exposed rocks on the cliffs, gnawed by the continuous attacks of the sea waves, and learn how the power of the eternal “element” water creates the unique landscape of the Ria Formosa.
Dry stone walls and terraces testify to the hard work of the rural people, and a visit to a factory of traditional ceramic bricks, made according to ancient methods, completes one of the walks.
If you prefer to explore primeval times and cultural heritage on a city tour “Stories, stones & streets”, this is also possible! You admire the monuments and testimonies of traditional architecture and look for the signs of the stonemasons and pavers on the walls and on the pavement. The trained eye discovers many testimonies of primeval times on the buildings.
We are surprised by rock structures and fossils that would normally be separated by millions of years and many kilometers in nature. Many types of rocks were used as building stones, and rain and air are working on the destruction of the blocks. We encounter fossilized ammonites, coral reefs, and even traces of mysterious creatures.
Portugal is rich in minerals. In the tours to the rock salt mine of Loulé and copper mines in Alentejo, inserted in the group “Richness of the subsoil”, you can admire the technique of the miners, the old and current machines, the galleries excavated in the rock, the shapes and structures of the rocky material and more. It’s a unique experience! It’s a unique experience!
