La Ria de Alvor, l’un des meilleurs spots portugais

The Ria de Alvor (Alvor Estuary) is situated in the Algarve, Portugal, between the towns of Lagos and Portimão. Its 1450 hectares comprise the estuary, dunes, marshes and salt-pans, as well as the Quinta da Rocha and Abicada peninsulas with their mixed habitats of brushwood, forest and agricultural land. It was designated a Natura 2000 site due to the presence of species and habitats that are a European priority.
Although the Ria de Alvor is a relatively small area within the scope of the Natura 2000 network in Portugal, its intrinsic value in terms of biodiversity deserves recognition. It is the most important wetland area within the Algarve and constitutes the last green, undeveloped area of this coastline. It is a highly important ornithological point of passage on the East Atlantic migratory corridor. More than 300 species of birds have been recorded so far.
Guillaume Réthoré, an EcoServices guide for the A Rocha association (www.arocha.org), describes us this spot. EcoServices proposes several formulas to discover the birds of Algarve.