Salt Pans of Reserva Natural do Sapal de Castro Marim e Vila Real de Santo António

An important natural product is extracted from the sea's saltwater here. Only through the power of the elements, sun and wind, which evaporate the water in the saltworks' shallow basins, does pure salt remain. Even today, you won't find a kitchen without salt to season dishes. But in earlier times, it had an additional significance: It was important for preserving food—making it so precious that salt was called "white gold."

Here you can not only see how the salt is extracted, you can also watch flamingos

Look out for the flamingos on the ponds. The route around the ponds is circuitous and can be a little rough in parts. I got a puncture on the city bike I used and had to cycle back to hotel with a flat tyre :)