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Chill or thrill: Algarve incentives

Published: 26/09/2008 - Filed under: Archive » 2008 » October 2008 » Destinations » Features » Features » Destinations » Features » Destinations » Europe »

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Portugal’s coastal paradise offers a fabulous array of outdoor activities and watersports for all tastes, says Jenny Southan.

Standing on the shores of a salt-water lagoon, edged on one side by a golf course and on the other, over the brow of a low dune, by the Atlantic Ocean, we are told to pick a partner. Filipe, tanned and toned in dark green shorts and T-shirt, works for Levante watersports and is our guide to the Ria Formosa Natural Park. “Ok guys, it’s going to be hot today, so make sure you have sun cream and plenty of water,” he says, slipping off his flip flops and strolling towards a line of yellow double-seated kayaks at the water’s edge.

After dumping our valuables in large plastic bags and clipping on life jackets, my team mate and I soon discover that taking to the water in a kayak means you immediately have to work together to synchronise your stroke to get up to a good speed, and in a group it brings out the competitive edge in everyone.

Scudding swiftly up to us, droplets of water flicking off his paddle, Filipe points out some of the local wildlife. “The area is of great ecological importance, with many water birds using it as a stop-off point on their migration between Africa and northern Europe,” he says. “This region of the Algarve is also home to many rare species such as the snowy egret, which nests around here.”

Above us, the hum of a low-flying plane, packed with passengers seeking warmer climes, is a reminder that Faro airport is only a few kilometres away. We beach on a small strip of seaweed-strewn sand some distance up the lagoon, and clamber out of our kayaks, arms aching slightly from the exertion.

The other members of Levante team have brought our gear in the motorboat and we have a few minutes to change into dry shorts before selecting one of the mountain bikes parked on the road beside us. It’s the second stage of our triathlon for the day and we set off along the baking tarmac inland.

Veering off the main road, we pass sparkling saltpans and freshwater lagoons teeming with white flamingos. Cycling alongside, Filipe tells me that they’re pale because of a lack of beta carotene in their diet.

Forging up a steep sandy track, we emerge on a high area of grassland and are greeted by other members of the Levante team who have arrived by jeep to prepare a picnic for us. A table is laid with fresh fruit salad, bottles of port, Amarguinha (a local spirit) and iced water, pine kernels and figs stuffed with almonds, while bottles of chilled champagne are uncorked. Never has bubbly tasted so good.

“If groups want to organise this kind of thing in advance then we can arrange it for them,” says Filipe. “We’ve worked with many companies over the past ten years such as Audi, Microsoft, Citibank and Siemens, and it has been a real success.”

In addition to biking and kayaking eco tours through the nature reserve, Levante also offers a range of watersports on the Quinta do Lago beach, including jet skiing, waterskiing and banana boat rides. We’re trying out the jet skis, and although these motorbike-style beasts have a bad reputation, ten minutes of bouncing off the waves on one is guaranteed to convert even the most timid person into an adrenaline junky.

Plunging knee-deep into the surf, I climb onto a jet ski held steady by a couple of bronzed instructors, and slip the plastic cord attached to the ignition around my wrist. The press of a button turns the engine on and a gentle squeeze of the accelerator takes me into the open sea.

Following a circuit marked out by orange buoys, I streak across the water at 35km an hour, brine spraying my face, slowing down to take the corners and then pushing 40km for as long as I dare. It’s a great buzz, and the red flag signalling me to head back to shore comes much too soon.

If you want less “thrill” and more “chill” when it comes to water sports, then along the coast at Lagos Marina, Southwest Charters have a fleet of 15 luxury sailing yachts, motor boats and sports boats available for hire. Our group is divided between three vessels and I find myself aboard a Quicksilver 630 Commander power boat, zipping passed a forest of gleaming white masts, out of the bay.

The coastline of southern Portugal is made up of dramatic golden cliffs, whipped into outcrops and blowholes, inlets and wind caves. Our driver, Patrick, steers the boat across the aquamarine water, so clear you can see the bottom, past a secret bay where locals fish from rowing boats.

Then from the port side we spot a sleek dorsal fin slowly break the surface. “It’s a minke whale,” says Patrick. “He’s too far in, too close to the harbour. If they’re on their own it usually means they’re dying. Whales should be nine to ten miles out.”

It’s at least 28 degrees and even with the cooling breeze we decide maybe a cold drink is in order, so Patrick radios one of the yachts to organise a place to anchor and swap boats. On board the Beneteau First 375, I meet Southwest skippers Ineke and Keith, who organise teambuilding trips and corporate charters.

Keith, who moved to Portugal from the UK, says: “We can do east coast or west coast cruises but it depends on what you want to do. You can arrange to sail all day, go ashore and have lunch on the beach, go swimming off the boat or just do lots of drinking.

“June, July and August are our busiest months, but we also do five-day winter sailing courses. Demand is definitely growing – people want something different. We can actively tailor-make your experience for you – if you want to go to Spain, for example, we can do that.”

Cracking open a can of Sagres beer (brewed at the nearby town of the same name), we sit back and watch from the sun-drenched deck as the anchor is wound up and the engine started. Once we’re under way, Ineke unwinds a couple of ropes and hauls up the mainsail. Keith, at the helm, explains there is not enough wind to hold our course so we continue to “motor sail” around the coast, past Praia da Luz, so popular with Brits emigrating to the Algarve that they outnumber the Portuguese there, and over the ultramarine shadow of a shipwreck deep below.

“The nortada should pick up in a couple of hours,” says Keith. “This Portuguese trade wind picks up every afternoon and can reach up to 30 miles an hour and when it does, we can switch the engine off and let nature do all the work.”

After kayaking, mountain-biking and jet-skiing, that sounds like the perfect way to end the day.

For more details, go to levante.pt, southwestcharters.com, visitalgarve.pt.

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