6-hour Boat Tour: Navigating Ria Formosa National Park's Amazing Islands with a Local Expert
5.0
50 Ratings
Faro
Embark on a 6-hour boat tour with a local expert born in a family of fishermen and shellfish gatherers. Explore Ria Formosa National Park's stunning islands and discover the rich fauna, flora, and traditions of this unique ecosystem.
Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Ocean Vibes Algarve - We will spend 6h navegating between some of the islands of Ria Formosa Natural Park. Stoping, close to 1h in Desert Island, close to 1h on the Saint Mary Lighthouse Village, located on Culatra Island. And 2h on Culatra village ( a Portuguese thypical fishing comunity ), with the possibility of having lunch on a restaurant at the passenger responsabilty. We can provide a reservation, booking a table at one of the several restaurants existing on the islands.
What's Included
  • Complimentary bottled water
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Hailing from a lineage of local fishermen and shellfish collectors, I’ve spent my entire life oscillating between Faro City and Ria Formosa. It’s always been my ultimate playfield. I hold an insurmountable passion for the sea, particularly sport fishing.
Even though I’ve dabbled in various facets of hospitality previously, I’ve cemented my identity as a professional Skipper for different companies over the last three years. Presently, I’ve decided to pursue my authentic calling.
For this boat excursion, we’ll embark from Faro Marina at 10AM and our voyage will cover the Desert Island (the southernmost point in Continental Portugal), The Saint Mary Lighthouse Village on Culatra Island, and Culatra Village (an archetypal Portuguese fishing community).
During the tour, there is likelihood of sighting and observing diverse species of fauna and flora, along with the customs and daily life of the National Park.
The boat tour requires a minimum of 2 participants or a sole participant who can cover the cost of two places.

Location
Ocean Vibes Algarve
Passeio Abu Sào Ibn Harune
. Head towards the south (sea) side of the Faro Marina, in front of the boat access door, in the middle. It is in the middle of the boardwalk of Faro´s Nautical Club.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(50 Ratings)
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Empunktw2024
Mar 20, 2024
3h-Ria formosa-Tour - We did the 3h-Ria formosa-Tour we can absolutely recommend it. Pudim is a very friendly and funny person and can tell you a lot about the Ria formosa. Great Tour, great guide. Even spotted dolphins in the river!
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Elaineh373
Mar 3, 2024
An unforgettable experience - Pudim does a great tour, identifying birds, answering questions, giving an insight into local lives & livelihoods. The weather was sunny & the water calm but it was still choppy on the way back due to tides & wind. It being low tide when we visited the islands made it very difficult for our 88 year old mother to climb up onto the jetty steps. Pudim did his best to make it easier, with a step stool and by asking another (bigger) tour operator if we could step through his boat. During our tour Pudim took a call from the licensing authority saying they'd granted a licence for his new bigger boat that had been waiting in the marina since November so the issues we encountered will not be a problem now. Coffees at the 'deserted island' are expensive & service slow, so I'd give that a miss. Pudim showed us to a fish restaurant on Culatra island where we enjoyed an excellent lunch. Pudim is trying hard to build his own business and deserves to be successful so please support him if you can.
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Adamkg1906fg
Jan 14, 2024
Best boat tour - I would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting the Algarve. It was the highlight of our visit, Pudim was very welcoming and friendly. He showed us many spots and different birds. It’s a very intimate experience and something definitely worth doing. Also he will be getting a bigger boat for more people so make sure you check that out. Thanks for the experience Pudim
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Danielle702
Oct 14, 2023
Lovely day experience in the Ria Formosa. - We had a lovely boat trip in the ria Formosa. We were with a group of 5 friends so the boat was ours. Skipper Pudim told us a lot about the birds, oysters and fishermens life. We visited the 3 islands and had a stop on each island for a walk around. For lunch, he brought us to a fish restaurant where the fish literally just had been delivered from the boat from the fisherman. The fish was great! The laguna and the ria Formosa is beautiful and worth a tour around.
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Annemiel1
Oct 13, 2023
nature is beautiful - nice tour in the beautiful nature reserve. flamingos, osprey, cormorant, white eagles... Very tasty lunch in the fish restaurant on the island.
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Myral982
Sep 27, 2023
Perfect - Lovely boat trip. Nuno is a very experienced guy. We enjoyed his boat trip. Told us a lot about the Islands
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Amanda0508
Sep 13, 2023
Fantastic Private Boat Trip - We had the most fabulous half day experience with friends. The skipper Nuno was very knowledgeable about the national park and local history. We visited two islands, Desert Island and the Hangares Island. We were given life jackets and felt safe at all times. A really great trip and would highly recommend.
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Oceeeeaneeee
Aug 18, 2023
Incredible - It was a very great moment. We saw a lot of dolphins, the islands was beautiful. The skipper was very nice, we saw that he loves his job so it was incredible. A lots of thanks again
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Ludovica
Aug 13, 2023
Great experience - The trip was amazing! Nono was a super sailor and tour guide.. he gave us enough time to visit islands and to enjoy the sunset! Obrigada 🙏🏼
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Nataliee500
Jul 22, 2023
Great tour - Had a great time on our 3 hour 2 Island tour. Pudim was so knowledgeable about the history and he was enthusiastic to share his knowledge. The price was cheaper than the others in the area but never the less it was a fabulous tour.
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