Parque Natural da Ria Formosa — Attraction in Faro

The national park of Ria Formosa can be easily reached by taking the main road to Tavira from Olhao city centre. It is adjacent to the camping site with only the railroad to Tavira in between. There is a reception at the entrance. There you can buy a ticket at € 2.6 (2023) per person. Visitors get a map and can park a bit further behind the gate. Some parking spots are in the shade. From the parking lot you can walk into the park. A tour is indicated and brings you to the most interesting spots. One of the first spots is the visitor centre that also serves as a small museum where you can learn about the history and how Ria Formosa was and still is important for the local economy. At the interesting spots along the walk information is foreseen on boards in Portuguese and English. Many of these spots provide nice views on the park and beyond. At two places a bird watch cabin is provided. The park also contains remnants of human activity like some Roman ruins, a tide mil from the 1800s and a water pump. The length of the walk is about 4 kilometres and it doesn't require...

This place is pure bliss. I don't know where to begin. First, the guy at the entrance is a kind and friendly person. 2,80 e entrance fee.

The place is paradise. I'm typically not a chart reader but here every chart is a learning experience. I now know how to identify almond, olive and fig trees.

I watched baby egrets in their nests during feeding times and spotted 4 different nests of different age babies. I can tell you how the bee orchids are pollinated and how the Moors irrigated their citrus trees, and how cereal was ground in a mill before industrialization. I can tell you of a poet who died during the Spanish flu and whose house is now an ecocenter. Ria Formosa also has a refuge for injured animals.

The wildflowers are in bloom and so are the cacti in loud shades of yellow and orange.

The reserve has a great, shaded picnic area. Come with your family. Come alone. But come. Spend the whole day. There's a delightful restaurant right across the street. Have their grilled fish.

Forget this miserable pandemic for a day and rejoice. We're...

A lovely mixed habitat for nature lovers to explore. Plenty to see. There is a charge at the gate to park your car, but I saw plenty of people walking around, who had wanderd in from other none gated parts obviously without paying. The toilet facilities are basic, bu there is running water for hand washing. There is a picnic area under the shelter of the trees. Two birdwatching hides, one overlooking the tidal mudflats, the other a pond surrounded by reeds, mainly to attract the rare Purple Swamp Hen. There is also a wildlife hospital onsite. This is not open for the public to see the animals, but has a very infomrative reception area that is open when there is someone in the hospital. We visited twice within a few days, once it was open and the other time not. Like any other reserve anywhere, there are lots of other places to visit to see the same wildlife, but maybe without the amenities that this area has to offer.We didn't see the Swamp Hen on either visit, but that is wildlife...