 Breathtaking views. Stunning coastline. Soaring cliffs. Turquoise ocean. Endless blue skies. That is the Seven Hanging Valleys trail in Portugal’s Algarve coast. Southern Portugal offers a lovely selection of hiking trails but this is a stand-out one. It’s a remarkable gem of a trail that has recently been named ‘Best Hiking Destination in Europe’. It’s easy to see why. The Seven Hanging Valleys trail is not a particularly long hike or vigorous one but I recommend wearing shoes with a good tread as the terrain is a bit sandy and rocky. You won’t find much shelter on the trail because of the openness of the cliffside. Be sure to take extra precautions with sun, wind and rain. We parked our car at the Praia da Marinha and walked westward to the beach side cafe at the other end of the trail. A cold beer is a mighty motivation on a hot day, isn’t it? Between the beach and the beer you will be awed by the scenery, the sound of crashing waves in the caves and caverns, and the view of endless ocean.  The trail is well marked and easy to follow. Yellow and red markers guide the way. You’ll see them along the trail. They look like this one painted on a fence. The coastline is dotted with caves formed by waves an erosion over hundreds of years. The trail takes you right above the area’s most popular one, which is accessible by boat only – the Bengali cave. On a really nice calm day there’s a constant convoy of high powered motor boats rushing passengers to and from all the caves. Standing high above the caves puts the height of the cliffs in perspective. I can only imagine what it must be like to be inside a cave looking up at the cliff looming tall. Layers and layers of sediment make the limestone cliffs what they are (forgive my lack of any geological terms and knowledge). Over time the porous limestone erodes as the ocean waves carve out sinkholes. It’s so fascinating! In this photo (below) the arrow is pointing to people standing inside one of the caves. They look so tiny! As the 6 km trail continues you get a real sense of why it’s called Seven Hanging Valleys. The trail takes you up and down the seven valleys and in out and of some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Wherever there is a beach, you can count a valley. All the beaches were accessible – some easier than others. Every beach was unique. Some were completely isolated and other were part of very small towns with really cute white houses. All in all, hiking the Seven Hanging Valley trail is a lovely way to spend the day. You can walk in one direction and get a ride back to your car (please don’t drink & drive after that beer!) or walk a return trip. The hike looks entirely different walking in the other direction. Either way you’ll be amazing at the sheer beauty of this coast. And, on a hot sunny day, you’ll likely appreciate that beer like I did – so worth the trek! For more information on hiking in the Algarve region, click here.
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