For the free spirited
The wild west coast of Portugal
You can feel it before you see it. Just one whiff of the salty breeze, and you can already sense the coastal embrace — warm, inviting — luring you in. Ambling turns in to a frolic, almost breaking in to a sprint as you start nearing it. And then you see it. It’s here — waiting with its arms wide open. You take it all in. The splashing high waves of the cerulean waters — bordered by craggy black cliffs on one end and the endless horizon on the other. Miles and miles of golden sand, mingled with several layers of schist — carved so finely, you’d think a sculpting artist was at play here. The hazel mist, slowly diffusing in to the dusk. The ethereal wildness, uplifting, freeing. It takes you in as you take it in. It’s here. Raw and captivating — it’s the west coast of Portugal.
Costa Vicentina National Park is a 120 km long stretch of protected wilderness, hugging the Atlantic, enclaved between Porto Covo in the northern Alentejo region and Burgau at the south west corner in the Algarve. Often overlooked for the glitzy, instagram-famous, southern Algarve beaches, the west coast of Portugal dwells in rare authenticity, well-preserved in its roots, blissfully unaware of the erosions of over-tourism encumbering its very own neighbours. While it narrowly escapes the clutches of mass tourism, the Costa nonetheless attracts its own kind. Its untamed soul is a magnet for the free spirited. The coastline is a haven for surfers, hikers and dreamers alike.
The entire coastline is a melange of magnificent limestone cliffs, unruly trails and wild beaches. Just seeing this place is not enough. The Costa calls for an immersion, a submission to nature’s true nature, in to the origin. Hiking along the coastal Rota Vicentina trail, peering in to the formidable expanse of the infinite blue, brings you closer to the source, every step of the wild way. Here, it’s easy to find hidden gems. Of the 31 beaches in Costa Vicentina, several are untouched. For a refreshing hiking break, you can easily clamber your way down to tranquil, tucked away beaches for the thrill of chilly ocean dips or to simply soak in the sunlit sand. You can even discover surprise beaches of your own, unnamed on any tourist map, known only to a lucky few. Meandering towards the inland can surprise you too. In stark contrast to the moist embrace of the coast, the inland summer forest of the Vicentina looks arid, with its expanse of cork trees and farmlands exuding hues of rusty orange.
If you look for it, you will also see the trail leaving traces of the ancient past. Near Ponta de Atalaia sits an unassuming archeological relic — a withered ruin of a millennia old Sufi coastal fortress, it’s one of the few reminders of the Moor era.
Cabo Sao Vicente (or Cape of St. Vincent) in Sagres, the supposed south-west extremity of the mainland continent, marks the end (or the beginning) of the Rota Vicentina trail. Only 600 years ago, this very cape was said to mark the end of the world. The 75 meter high cliffs, hovering over the prodigious ocean, probably had something to do with it. While today it’s famed for its surreal sunsets, back in the 1400s, Sagres was a hub for the Portuguese explorers. With its school of navigation, started by Prince Henry the navigator, Sagres drew in the likes of discoverers such as Vasco de Gama and Magellan, and sowed the seeds of curiosity and exploration that would shape its nation and the world for centuries to come. Maybe that’s where it comes from. This rugged coastal treasure trove even today, reeks of an explorer’s soul — free, curious and bold. Of the few who can see the world above and beyond, those who know there’s more to it, and dare to seek it.
The simple joy of a sunset walk on the beach is magnified here — when you find yourself lost in its uninhibited nature, submerged in the sound of the thunderous waves. In a vacillating world, this is a place that held its ground and remained as is — true to itself, as it always was, as it always will be. Unfazed. Unfettered. The stunning Praia de Castelejo, just north of Sagres, is a classic rocky and remote surfer beach of Costa Vicentina. During lower tides, the sand of Praia de Castelejo, joins the shores of the adjacent Praia de Cordoama and Praia de Barriga, to form one of the longest unspoiled stretches of beaches in the western region, primed for idyllic walking and wandering.
Burgau, at the southern end of the National Park, is a tiny blue and white village of 250 residents. Like many others in the region, Burgau was originally a fishing village, and while now tourism is its bread and butter, it still retains a portion of its fishing economy and all the character of a quaint old fishing village. A place where time seems to have stood still, where means are simpler and hearts bigger. Located on a cliff top, it is laden with interweaving cobblestone streets and shops selling figs, beach supplies and Alentejo wines. It’s little namesake beach, set between two cliffs, almost disappears during high tides. But being the locals’ favorite, the beach nonetheless remains bustling, with groups huddled in to the little spaces of sandy remnants of the shoreline. While most of the Vicentina villages quiet down in the night, Burgau keeps the ball rolling with its beach bar that guarantees cold Sagres beer and pastel-de-nata through the midnight hours. Watching the gleaming moonlit waters by the cliffs, you realize you really don’t need more.
Costa Vicentina is a far cry from lavish comforts and cocktails. It’s a place sans any decorations, it remains of the earth, immaculate and real — pleased with the discerning travelers it attracts and inspires. I think you travel here not to escape but to find lasting freedom. The kind of freedom that many seek but only a few are fortunate to find. The kind that effaces the desire for escaping altogether. Much like it channeled the explorers 600 years ago, the Costa still urges you to go on a quest. However, with the world already known today, the Costa beckons you to explore the unknown — with a quest for freedom — the freedom of the mind, the kind only an explorer’s soul can hope to find.
