With more than five miles of pristine white sands, this island’s beautiful beach, worthy of any in the Caribbean, is definitely its main attraction. That and the peace and quiet as not many UK tourists are familiar with it. You definitely won’t find yourself fighting for a sunbed or trying to find a small square of sand to lay your towel down. And as for hoards of people on lilos in the water. Forget it!
Inhabited by about 1000 people, this tiny, largely untouched island was originally a small fishing community, but now many of its 1000 residents work in tourism.
Little Ilha da Culatra, off Portugal’s popular Algarve coast, is an incredibly beautiful island in the natural park of Ria Formosa, near the town of Olhão. The main attraction of Culatra Island is its beach.
There are no roads, so you have to walk everywhere, but it’s quite tiny, and a long boardwalk leads to the beach.
There are no cliffs like at so many of the famous beaches in Algarve, but there are dunes as far as the eye can see.
If you are lucky, you may even see dolphins and orcas in the distance.
Surprisingly, this beach is never crowded, and is a little quieter than the beach of Ilha do Farol to the west. There are parasols and loungers for rent and lifeguards in the summer by the end of the boardwalk, but continue walking east (to the left when facing the sea), and the beach becomes deserted.
Some people take advantage of this seclusion and sunbathe nude, although it’s not recognised as a naturist beach.
The white sand and the water are very clean, giving it a Blue Flag certification. The sea is usually calm in the summer and good for snorkeling.
Many people enjoy the long walk by the sea all the way to the deserted eastern end or west to the lighthouse that marks Ilha do Farol. In fact, many take a ferry to Culatra and then on the return to Faro they depart from Farol (or vice versa).
You can reach Ilha da Culatra on ferries departing from Faro and Olhão. In the summer, there are around 10 departures per day, but these vary every year. In the winter, the number of departures drops to about half of the high season. Always double-check the time of the last ferry at the pier, as you don’t want to be stranded on the island until the following morning or have to pay for an expensive ferry taxi!
From Faro, the ferry reaches Ilha da Culatra in 40 minutes, and from Olhão in about 30. The ferry can’t go at high speed due to the shallow waters of the lagoon of the Ria Formosa Natural Park, but it offers the opportunity to admire the view of the coast and shorebirds like flamingos.
The departure point in Faro is the pier by the Porta Nova gateway of the Old Town walls, close to the marina. In Olhão, the departure is from the ferry terminal on the eastern end of the waterfront avenue (Avenida 5 de Outubro). You can buy two-way tickets from the stands by the piers. When you arrive in Culatra, you have to walk a bit to get to the beach (about 20 minutes). You need to cross the village, but it’s quite easy — just walk straight ahead from the pier and then follow the boardwalk.
There are no hotels in Ilha da Culatra, you should stay in one of the several hotel by the pier in Faro for the ferries to the island.
For more information visit www.faroportugaltourism.com/faro-beaches/ilha-da-culatra.html.
Jet2,com, Ryanair, British Airways, and easyJet all my fly to Faro from UK airports year round.
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