Roam around a nature reserve
While the beach reigns supreme in Monte Gordo, a 10-minute drive changes the colour palette from gold and blue to shades of green. The Marshland Nature Reserve of Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo Antonio is the oldest reserve in mainland Portugal, and boasts a lengthy catalogue of different wildlife species. In winter, flamingos and spoonbills flock here, and you’ll see white storks arrive in spring. Then, in autumn, chameleons scuttle around and start nesting.