Silves to Alte (Via Algarviana)
16 km · Moderate
The Silves to Alte section of the Via Algarviana is a day-long walk through the agricultural heartland of the central Algarve interior, passing through a landscape of orange groves, carob woodland, cork oak forest and small farming hamlets that has changed remarkably little in the past century. The route covers approximately sixteen kilometres and takes five to seven hours, making it a full day's walking at a comfortable pace. It is graded as moderate, with no severe gradients but sustained gentle ascent and descent across rolling terrain that accumulates over the distance.
The walk begins in Silves, the former Moorish capital of the Algarve, whose enormous red sandstone castle dominates the skyline above the Arade river. From the town centre, the Via Algarviana trail, marked with red and white horizontal stripes on posts and walls, heads north-east through the outskirts, passing through orange groves that extend up the valley floor. The citrus industry is central to the economy of the Silves municipality, and the scent of orange blossom in spring is one of the defining sensory experiences of the Algarve interior.
The trail climbs gradually out of the Arade valley into a landscape of rolling hills covered in Mediterranean maquis: cistus, mastic, wild rosemary, lavender and tree heather. Cork oaks are abundant, and many bear the painted numbers that indicate the year of their last bark harvest. Cork harvesting, which takes place between June and August on a nine-year rotation, is a skilled manual operation that has been practised in this region for centuries. The stripped trunks, revealing vivid red-brown inner bark, are a distinctive visual feature of the landscape.
The middle section of the walk passes through scattered hamlets of a few dozen inhabitants, where whitewashed houses with orange-tiled roofs sit among smallholdings growing vegetables, figs, almonds and carobs. Carob trees, with their dark, leathery pods, are a signature species of the Algarve interior. The pods have been used as animal feed, as a chocolate substitute, and in recent years as a health food ingredient, and the trees give the landscape a particular character, their dense canopies providing shade along otherwise exposed tracks.
The trail traverses several low ridges, each offering views back towards the coast to the south and into the increasingly hilly interior to the north. The walking surface is predominantly compacted earth and gravel, following traditional agricultural tracks and drovers' paths that have been incorporated into the Via Algarviana route. Some sections pass through areas of eucalyptus plantation, which are less attractive but provide shade. The trail is well-maintained by the Almargem environmental association, which manages the Via Algarviana and provides route information and GPS tracks on its website.
Birdlife along the route includes azure-winged magpies, a species restricted to Iberia and eastern Asia, which are commonly seen in small flocks among the cork oaks. Hoopoes, with their distinctive pinkish plumage and crest, forage on the open ground, and woodlarks and Sardinian warblers sing from the scrub. In spring, the trail passes through areas of exceptional wildflower diversity, with orchids, anemones, asphodels and various members of the pea family creating vivid colour against the red earth.
The approach to Alte descends through almond orchards and olive groves into the village, which appears below as a cluster of white buildings around a church tower. Alte is one of the prettiest villages in the interior Algarve, with traditional architecture, natural springs, a small museum and several restaurants serving regional cooking. The village makes a satisfying destination, and the combination of a good lunch and the bus back to Silves or the coast provides a natural conclusion to the day.
Transport logistics require some planning. There is no direct public transport between Silves and Alte, so walkers typically arrange a taxi for one direction or use a combination of bus services via Loulé or Albufeira. Alternatively, a car can be left at one end and retrieved by taxi at the conclusion of the walk.
Highlights
- Orange groves and cork oak forest in the Algarve's agricultural heartland
- Scattered farming hamlets with traditional whitewashed architecture
- Azure-winged magpies, hoopoes and exceptional spring wildflowers
- Alte village destination with natural springs and traditional restaurants
- Part of the 300 km Via Algarviana GR13 trail across the Algarve