ポルティマオの湖・トップ8

The Bravura Dam stretches across a vast expanse of water that reflects the Algarve sky. On intensely hot days, the water level drops, revealing the riverbed, sometimes even with cattle grazing where there was once water. But in any season, the scenery remains serene and stunning, worthy of its name.

view of Ribeira de Odiáxere

The Foz da Ribeira de Odiáxere is the mouth of a river near Alvor, in the Algarve. It lies on the edge of the Ria de Alvor, a protected nature reserve with marshes and dunes. There's a pier with a small lighthouse, and it's a peaceful spot for walking, birdwatching, or watching the sunset.

The Ria de Alvor lagoon is a protected nature reserve on the southern coast of Portugal, between Alvor and Lagos. It consists of a vast lagoon with sandbanks, dunes, salt marshes, and tidal creeks. This ecosystem is rich in biodiversity and especially popular with birdwatchers for its many migratory birds. The area is a Natura 2000 site and is important for the Algarve's ecological balance.

nice gravel track, bit smelly though!

The oyster farm looks like a wholesale oyster farm. But, we saw a worker and found out they sell oysters directly to the customer. 5€ for a kilo. We bought 2 kilos (34 oysters) for 10€. Compared to 3€ per oyster this was an amazing deal. We took them home and opened them and put lemon and cocktail sauce on them. Delicious!

The tidal flow of fresh, clean seawater is very important for successful cultivation. At low tide, the oyster racks are visible.

At Vale da Lama between Lagos and Alvor, on the shore of the beautiful Ria de Alvor lagoon, an oyster farm exploits 4.5 hectares, good for 200 tonnes of oysters per year, of which 80% are exported to France.