Serra de Monchique

Half an hour inland from the Algarve beaches the land climbs into a range of rounded, wooded hills that feels like a different region entirely. Foia, at 902 metres, is the high point of the Algarve and has a road to the top, and it gives its name to foyaite, the nepheline-syenite rock the range is made of; Picota, the second summit, reaches 774 metres. Below it grow cork oak, chestnut and eucalyptus plantations, with terraced smallholdings and the strawberry tree whose fruit is distilled into medronho, the local spirit. Caldas de Monchique sits in a wooded ravine on the way up, a small spa settlement built around warm mineral springs used since Roman times. Wildfires have burned through parts of the range in recent years, and the regrowth is plain to see on the slopes.

Highlights

• Foia - the Algarve's highest point, with coast and inland views on clear days.
• Caldas de Monchique - a spa hamlet around warm springs in a wooded ravine.
• The cork and chestnut woods - stripped cork trunks and the autumn chestnut harvest.
• Picota - the second summit, reached on foot rather than by road.

When to go

Spring brings flowering slopes and clear air; autumn brings the chestnut harvest and the medronho stills. Summer is hot and hazy, and the sea view from Foia usually disappears into it. Winter can be wet and misty up here, several degrees colder than the coast. Weekday visits avoid the coach tours running up from the resorts.

Good to know

The Foia summit is topped with masts, aerials and a car park, so the setting is functional rather than scenic. Haze blocks the coastal view on most warm days. Burned areas from recent fires are still bare in places. Roads are twisting and narrow, and Caldas de Monchique is small enough to see in twenty minutes.

Nearby

Portimao, the Odelouca reservoir and the Alentejo border country.

Key facts