Algarve 🇵🇹 - Cliffs, Sagres and a Storm

Sven Walther

January 30, 2026

Taking it easy for once

Having finally freed ourselves, with everything filthy and the longing for a rest winning out, we head for the famous cliff coast.

At Zambujeira do Mar we settle into a well-run campsite: hot showers, a mini market, a restaurant, washing machines. And we take it easy for a while.

Campsite near Zambujeira do Mar — Exactly what we need right now

We end up staying almost two weeks. We explore the coast along the Fisherman’s Trail to the north and south and find hundreds of photo subjects along the cliffs. What a landscape.

Cliff coast on the Fisherman's Trail — On the Fisherman’s Trail

Coastal landscape near Zambujeira do Mar — Zambujeira do Mar

Even the forgotten hobby of geocaching resurfaces here.

Carrapateira

Time to get moving again. So we pack up and drive first to Carrapateira.

Here we have picked out a nice hike with geocaches - the perfect mixture of exercise, nature and small adventures. The route starts on an enormous beach, almost like a small sand desert right by the sea, before leading up onto the cliffs.

Cliff coast near Carrapateira — And then up onto the cliffs

And that surf: loud, wild and absolutely impressive, every time.

Surf on the Portuguese coast — Loud, wild, impressive

Sagres - the end of the continent

We have reached the southwesternmost point of Europe: at Sagres the continent ends.

Coast near Sagres — This is where Europe ends

The coast here is spectacular and invites some superb walking. Saskia went at it properly straight away: 25 kilometres from the pitch to the west coast and then back along the south coast.

But then the weather turns. It gets more and more changeable, and eventually a massive storm hits us: gusts over 100 km/h and heavy rain. Mammothon rocks like a boat, and you feel almost seasick.

Storm building over the Algarve — The weather turns

Some campers move their vehicles out from under the trees and park closer to reception.

Albufeira

Work brings us closer to an airport again - this week I am flying to Berlin on business, and I have picked Faro for it.

The pitch we head for seems to be in demand - it is permanently full, so we do not get a space. Right next door another operator has set up, taking in stranded vehicles like ours. On an entirely different quality level, though: the worst since we started travelling. The showers and toilets are effectively unusable.

Cloudy sky over the Algarve — And the weather stays difficult

Meanwhile the storms over the Iberian peninsula keep building. It does not look like calming down any time soon.