4X4 Exploration

Delight in an exhilarating off-road journey along the Algarve’s verdant lands, pristine streams and lush mountains and visit a distillery that manufactures bracingly strong brandy. From a rural wonderland on the outskirts of Portimão, you’ll set out in a 4x4 vehicle and explore the verdant Serra de Monchique mountain range, which provides fertile farmland by trapping moisture from the sea. You’ll pass by flourishing fig, almond, orange and carob trees grown on terraced land, a method of crop cultivation used by local farmers since Moorish times.

At higher elevations, you’ll stop to see the stately cork oak tree, which can live for 200 years. You’ll learn how its bark is peeled away every 10 years to harvest cork used for flooring, shoes and bottle stoppers. At a nearby distillery, prepare for the delicious burn of aguardente, or firewater, a potent brandy distilled from ripe strawberries and sweetened with honey, a perfect way to finish a tour that celebrates the fruitful harvests of Portugal’s bountiful land.