About 20 km • 6-7 hours • Demanding • A succession of beaches • Roman kilns and dinosaur tracks
Praia do Martinhal, reached soon after leaving Sagres. Photo: Vitor Oliveira / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
INTRODUCTION
A Restless Coast of Beaches and Cliffs
Stage 11 of the Fishermen's Trail leaves Sagres, the windswept promontory long associated with the "end of the known world", and follows the cliffs east to the small fishing village of Salema. At around 20 kilometres, it is one of the more demanding days of the whole trail: a constant rhythm of descents to sea level and climbs back to the clifftops, repeated at beach after beach.
The reward for the effort is density. In a single day, the trail passes the remains of a Roman pottery centre, the ruins of a 17th-century coastal fort, and, at the end, on the cliffs of Salema's own beach, the fossilised tracks of dinosaurs that walked this shore some 120 million years ago.
Most walkers cover the stage from Sagres to Salema, though it can be walked in either direction. Shade is scarce, several descents to beach level are steep, and the stretch between Praia das Furnas and Salema is generally considered the most demanding part of the day.
THE ROUTE
From Fortress Cliffs to a Fishing Cove
Leaving Sagres, the trail follows the clifftops east past Praia da Mareta and Praia do Martinhal, then quickly leaves the town behind for a wilder, more exposed stretch of coast. The going alternates between packed clifftop paths and short, often steep drops to beach level, a pattern that repeats along the way.
The most physically demanding section comes in the second half, between Praia das Furnas and Salema, where the path climbs and descends repeatedly over a shorter distance. Praia da Ingrina and Praia do Zavial have beach cafés in season, useful staging posts on a stage with few other services.
The trail is waymarked with the blue and green markers of the Fishermen's Trail. With very little natural shade above the beaches, this stage rewards an early start and a realistic pace: plan on a six-to-seven-hour day, not a stroll.
THE BEACHES
A String of Beaches, Each With Its Own Mood
Few stages on the Fishermen's Trail pack in as many beaches as this one. From Sagres to Salema, the trail touches Mareta, Martinhal, Rebolinhos, Barranco, Ingrina, Zavial, Furnas, Figueira and Salema.
Praia da Mareta and Praia do Martinhal
The first beaches, right on the edge of Sagres. Mareta is a sheltered bay popular with locals; Martinhal, a little further on, is a wide sandy inlet, and the site of the Roman pottery works described below.
Praia da Mareta. Photo: Vitor Oliveira / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Rebolinhos and Barranco
Smaller and quieter than their neighbours, these two beaches see far fewer visitors, reached by steeper paths down from the clifftop.
Praia da Ingrina and Praia do Zavial
Roughly the midpoint of the stage, and the two beaches with services: both have beach cafés in season, making them a natural place to break for water and food. Near Zavial stand the ruins of a 17th-century fort, described in the history section below.
Praia da Ingrina. Photo: Vitor Oliveira / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Praia do Zavial. Photo: Vitor Oliveira / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Praia das Furnas and Praia da Figueira
The trail's character shifts here, into the most physically demanding stretch of the day: a rapid sequence of climbs and descents between the cliffs and the sand.
Praia da Salema
The destination beach, and the heart of the fishing village that shares its name. Traditional boats are still pulled up onto the sand here, and in the cliffs along the beach, layers of limestone preserve something much older than any fishing village: dinosaur tracks, described below.
Praia da Salema, where Stage 11 ends. Photo: Joseolgon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Walk Light on the Sagres to Salema Trail
Many beaches mean many descents and many climbs back to the clifftop, on one of the more demanding stages of the trail. Our luggage transfer service collects your bags each morning in Sagres and delivers them to Salema, so you can take on the climbs with just a light daypack.
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HISTORY
Layers of Time, from the Cretaceous to the Age of Piracy
Dinosaur tracks of Salema. In the limestone layers of the cliffs at Praia da Salema, trackways of dinosaurs are preserved from the Early Cretaceous, roughly 120 million years ago, when this area was a coastal lagoon. In the western part of the cliffs, the tracks of large plant-eating dinosaurs of the iguanodon type can be seen; the site is recognised as one of the region's geosites. Easiest to spot at low tide, they are easy to miss among the sunbathers, but they are one of the most tangible traces of deep time on the entire Fishermen's Trail.
The Roman pottery works of Martinhal. On the slope above the beach, between Praia do Martinhal and Praia dos Rebolinhos, the remains of a Roman pottery centre are still visible. Ten kilns have been identified so far, one for building ceramics and nine for amphorae, alongside fish-salting tanks (cetárias) found nearby. The amphorae carried the Algarve's fish preserves, such as the famous fish sauce garum, to the wider Roman world. The site has been known since the 19th century, and the main pottery building, about 42 metres long, was defined in excavations in 2011.
The coastal forts. Close to Praia do Zavial stand the ruins of a 17th-century fort and battery, part of the chain of coastal fortifications that protected this stretch of the Algarve from pirates and corsairs. A reminder that this coast was always a frontier between the land and whatever might arrive from the sea.
The ruins on the cliffs near Praia do Zavial. Photo: Vitor Oliveira / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).
WILDLIFE & NATURE
A Coast Shaped by Cliffs, Wind and the Sea
White stork (Ciconia ciconia). The sea cliffs of the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast hold the only colony in the world where white storks nest on sea cliffs rather than buildings or trees, a behaviour unique to this stretch of Portuguese coast. Sagres sits at the southern end of that coast, so keep an eye on the rock ledges above the beaches.
A white stork and chicks nesting on a sea cliff at Cabo Sardão, further north along the same coast. Photo: HK Marshal / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Rock rose (Cistus ladanifer). The papery white flowers that cover the clifftop scrub in late spring come in two forms: one with a dark maroon blotch at the base of each petal, and one, called albiflorus, pure white throughout. It is worth looking closely at a few flowers on the exposed clifftops to spot the difference.
Cistus ladanifer, showing the maroon-spotted form. Photo: Nuno Pequito / Wikimedia Commons (CC0).
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Tips for a Long, Exposed Day
Water and food. Services are limited: the beach cafés at Praia da Ingrina and Praia do Zavial, open in season and roughly at the stage's midpoint. Carry enough water for the full day, and top up at either café if it is open.
The hardest stretch. The section between Praia das Furnas and Salema involves the most repeated climbing of the day. Pace yourself through the earlier, gentler beaches so you have energy in reserve for this final push.
Sun and shade. With almost no tree cover above the beaches, sun protection and an early start matter more on this stage than the distance alone suggests.
STARTING POINT
Sagres: Fortress at the Edge of Europe
Before setting out, it is worth spending time in Sagres itself. The Fortaleza de Sagres, perched on its own promontory above the Atlantic, is tied to Prince Henry the Navigator and the Age of Discovery, and its clifftop walls offer sweeping views back along the coast you are about to walk. It is also where, in 1587, the fleet of the English privateer Sir Francis Drake anchored and his men stormed the fortifications, a chapter of adventure and piracy that gives this corner of Portugal its swagger. Sagres has cafés, supermarkets and outdoor equipment shops for last-minute supplies, along with easy bus and taxi connections to Cape St. Vincent, a short detour to the west.
EXTRA TIME
What to Do in Salema
If you have time to spare in Salema, the village rewards a slower pace:
- The dinosaur tracks — in the cliffs along the beach, easiest to find at low tide.
- The beach and harbour — watch the small fishing fleet come and go, still hauled up onto the sand much as it has been for generations.
- Fresh fish restaurants — several small restaurants along the seafront serve the day's catch, a fitting end to a stage built around the sea.
- A quieter pace — with none of the nightlife of the larger Algarve resorts, Salema is best enjoyed simply: a swim, a late lunch and an early night before the next stage.
Stage 11 packs an unusual amount into a single demanding day: a string of beaches, a Roman industrial site, pirate-era forts and, at the very end, dinosaur tracks about 120 million years old on the beach where the walk finishes. Few stages on the Fishermen's Trail cover as much time, in every sense, in so short a distance.
After a long day of beaches, cliffs and climbs, the last thing you want is to carry your backpack all the way to Salema. Leave the luggage to us: we'll collect it in Sagres and deliver it to your accommodation, so you can walk with only the essentials.
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