Praia da Salema

Despite being located about halfway between Sagres and Lagos the sleepy little village of Salema has largely escaped the ravages of tourism. This is partly because this part of the coast falls just within the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast Natural Park.

And it isn't just the tranquility of this Algarve fishing village that has been preserved. Salema is one of the few villages along this coast which retain any of their traditional character. Here you will see fishermen still bringing their boats up the beach with a fair portion of the catch landing on the tables of local cafes and restaurants.

The beach here is a good sized stretch of fine golden sand backed by the gently sloping ochre cliffs that are typical of the Algarve. At Salema though, you get the best of both worlds; the gentle, clear azure waters of the south coast combined with the unspoilt peace of the western Algarve. On top of that, Praia da Salema is a Blue Flag beach so you are not only assured clean water but safe bathing with a seasonal lifeguard patrol.

At either end the beach is flanked by cliffs of red sandstone and ancient yellow limestone. These limestone rocks are of particular interest to fossil hunters and in 2001 dinosaur footprints were discovered in the cliff face.