Ria Formosa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ria Formosa lagoon, located in Algarve, south of Portugal, is a barrier islands system that communicates with the sea through 6 inlets. Five of these inlets are natural and have mobility characteristics and the 6th is artificial inlet that was opened with the purpose of allowing easier access to the port of Faro.
Presently the main inlet of the system is the Faro-Olhão inlet, which was artificially opened. The process started in 1927 but only in 1952 were the engineering works completed and it assumed the present configuration.
Within the Ria Formosa system, different and sometimes antagonistic uses may be found. Part of the system is a Natural Park but Ria Formosa also plays an important role in the region economy. Beyond the tourist use the system also supports other economic activities like seafood farms and the port of Faro.
The Ria Formosa is also a designated Natural Park of over 170 km² and a stopping place for hundreds of different birds during the spring and autumn migratory periods.
The most important cities near the Ria Formosa are Tavira, Faro and Olhão.
There are also some towns in this area, whose names are: Fuzeta (belongs to municipality of Olhão), Santa Luzia, Cabanas de Tavira (these two to Tavira) and Cacela Velha (belongs to Vila Real de Santo António).
Several buses run from Tavira to Cabanas and back each day. The nearest train station is in nearby Conceição which is on the Tavira to Vila Real line.
[edit] Entertainment
Little villages and towns in the area, like Cabanas de Tavira, have a large number of bars, cafés and restaurants which run along the riverfront and are also dotted around a couple of blocks inland.
[edit] Beaches
The coast of east Algarve has a remarkable mild climate, with sunny days all the year. Winters used to be mild and summers are not very hot. Because of these features, beaches in the Ria Formosa area are well known, like Vale do Lobo, Faro Island, Culatra, Barril, Tavira Island, Cabanas de Tavira, Cacela-Velha and Manta Rota. Barril attracts a good number of naturists and gays. Another gay beach is Cacela Velha. Tavira Island is a beach with a camping park.
