Intrepid outdoor types wishing to walk the Via Algarviana now can find a passport in any of the region’s Tourist Information offices. This can be stamped as proof of completing the various sections.
The passport scheme aims to highlight and publicise the route as well as to provide a mental incentive to keep going along the 300 kilometre path spanning the Algarve.
There are 14 sections to get stamped by the route’s partners. When the passport is complete it can be scanned and emailed to the Via Algarveana management which will send a small memento of the heroic achievement.
The benefit for the organisation is the collection of statistics, such as 'which section of the route is the most popular and at which time of year?'
The route, for those travelling east to west, starts in Alcoutim on the Guadiana river and finishes at Cape St. Vincent having followed an inland course through the Monchique hills and the Serra do Caldeirão passing through forests and remote villages.
This route is one of the wonders of the Algarve and for those that have managed the walk, an unforgettable experience - invariably in a positive way.
Promotional video for the route is at: http://www.viaalgarviana.org/?lang=en
