When we decided to walk the ‘Boa Vista Trail’ I presumed it was so called because of the views, well that probably is the case as there are plenty of views on this walk and even the informational board at the start translates it as the ‘beautiful landscape trail’.
Both the Walking Trails guide and the map on the board at the start of walk recommend you follow the trail in a clockwise direction.
It is a relatively easy walk of 6miles mostly on rural roads, what we would call dirt tracks in England, but there are also long sections on asphalt. There are quite a few ups and downs, and after heavy rain the two crossings of the Ribeira do Rio Seco might be an interesting challenge as you will need to use the stepping stones.
We didn’t see any rabbits or hares, but there were plenty of goats and the local residents were very friendly.
Although this walk is at a similar height to the orchid walk the landscape is quite different. The vegetation much ‘scrubbier’ and drier, and consequently the flora whilst pretty in parts was not particularly memorable. However a few things did catch my eye, of which one – the last in gallery – I have yet to identify. Can you help?!
The birdlife however was much more interesting, and really made this walk for us. There were the usual Algarvian regulars – Woodchat Shrike, Larks, Corn Buntings and Sparrows. Then there were the Red Rumped Swallows.
The highlight was the Short-Toed Eagle. We first spotted this juvenile on the outskirts of Corte António Martins, but quickly lost sight as he followed the thermals south. I got a few photographs of him in the distance, good enough for identification purposes but not amazing shots. Then when we stopped for our picnic near the ‘BoaVista’ trip point he joined us again, and fortunately I had a camera in my hand rather than a sandwich!
As you have probably gathered I haven’t shared anything in the order we walked, but have instead hopped about as I remembered different things. Hopefully one day the lovely Jo will share her version of the walk and if she does you’ll get a proper sense of what it is like to walk! In the meanwhile here are some other Monday walks and also all my Algarvian ones to date. Hope you had a lovely weekend and enjoy your Monday.