Aldeias do Xisto
Aldeias do Xisto is a territorial network of 28 schist villages in central Portugal, managed by ADXTUR, offering sustainable tourism, nature…
Sustainable Tourism
Stays that give back: eco-resorts near Tavira, off-grid retreats in the Monchique hills, and revived schist villages like Cerdeira. Travel that leaves the place better.
Projects in this focus
Quinta da Meia Eira
Quinta da Meia Eira is a rural guesthouse in Horta, Faial Island, Azores, set on a 60,000 m² property facing the Atlantic Ocean, combining f…
Horta das Laranjas
Horta das Laranjas is a local accommodation and personal textile art / vegetable garden project in the centre of Serpa, Alentejo, born from …
AlgarvianRoots
AlgarvianRoots is an ecotourism company based in Silves, Algarve, offering guided hikes, e-bike tours, birdwatching and cultural workshops t…
OTSA – Observatório do Turismo Sustentável dos Açores
OTSA is the Sustainable Tourism Observatory of the Azores, a non-profit association founded in 2006 by the Regional Government, the Azores T…
Cabril Eco Rural
Cabril Eco Rural is an eco-tourism and sustainable development project set in the village of Cabril, within the Peneda-Gerês National Park, …
Sustainable Cork Oak Restoration
Located in São Brás de Alportel in the Algarve, the Eco-Cork Factory is a certified, family-run cork processing facility offering guided fac…
Oriolus Ecotours
Oriolus Ecotours is a Porto-based ecotourism company offering guided birdwatching, wildlife and nature photography tours across the Douro an…
Quinta Lamosa
Quinta Lamosa is a pet-friendly eco-tourism property in Arcos de Valdevez, offering tree houses and bungalows within the Peneda-Gerês Nation…
Retiro Atlântico
Retiro Atlântico is the first glamping site on São Jorge Island, Azores, set within a certified organic farm featuring Europe's largest coll…
Rota Vicentina
Rota Vicentina is a non-profit association managing a 750 km walking and over 1000 km cycling trail network along Portugal's Southwest coast…
Feel Sustainable
Feel Sustainable is a Portuguese project blending sustainability, Feng Shui and spirituality to design nature-based experiences, tourism str…
Eco Life Experience
Eco Life Experience is a sustainable eco-tourism and education platform based in Sintra, Portugal, offering workshops, reconnection activiti…
Portugal Farm Experience
Portugal Farm Experience is a tour platform connecting travelers with real farms across Portugal for hands-on activities like fruit picking,…
Casas da Levada
Casas da Levada is a charming agritourism property in Ponta do Pargo, Madeira, offering six individual houses for B&B and self-catering stay…
Inland Portugal
Inland Portugal is a licensed travel agency offering soulful, small-group journeys through Portugal's rural interior, connecting travelers w…
Casa das Palmeiras
Casa das Palmeiras is a sustainable rural tourism farmhouse in Gandufe, Mangualde, featuring a pedagogical farm, animal-assisted experiences…
Ericeira Tree Garden
Ericeira Tree Garden is a family-run agro-tourism project in Santo Isidoro offering rooms and villas immersed in a green, tranquil setting c…
Sterna - Aveiro Ria Tours & Birdwatching
Sterna is a nature tourism company operating solar-powered, silent boat tours and birdwatching experiences across the Ria de Aveiro. It comb…
Figueirinha Ecoturismo
Figueirinha Ecoturismo is a sustainable rural tourism property near Odemira, Alentejo, offering accommodations amid cork oak forests and oli…
Isatour Ecotourism
Isatour is a Biosphere-certified rural accommodation and tourism activity provider located in Adsamo, Vouzela, within the Vouga-Caramulo Nat…
Quinta do Luar
Quinta do Luar is a rural farm in Goujoim, Armamar, offering 100% organic family farming, eco-tourism, forest bathing (silvoterapia), and ar…
Bétula Studios
Bétula Studios is a sustainable rural accommodation in Montesinho Natural Park, near Bragança, featuring contemporary studios designed for l…
Rio-A-Dentro
Rio-A-Dentro organizes nature boat tours on the Tagus River near Lisbon, using environmentally friendly boats to explore wildlife, wild Lusi…
Terramadome
Terramadome is a 7-hectare organic and experimental farm near Penamacor, Beira Baixa, offering eco-friendly self-built accommodations, works…
Vida Pura
Vida Pura is an eco-friendly retreat centre near Odeceixe in southwest Portugal, operating on solar energy, harvested water, and biodynamic …
Quinta do Vale da Páscoa (Ecoaldeia do Vale)
Quinta do Vale da Páscoa is a sustainable luxury B&B and working farm in Póvoa de Midões, Tábua, central Portugal, blending eco-accommodatio…
Cerdeira - Home for Creativity
Cerdeira - Home for Creativity is a revived historic schist village in Serra da Lousã offering EU Eco-Label-certified accommodation, arts an…
Salema Eco Camp
Salema Eco Camp is the first hotel unit in southern Portugal committed to a regenerative tourism model, offering glamping, eco lodges, campi…
Portugal's Infinity Eco Resort
Portugal's Infinity Eco Resort is a sustainable agritourism retreat near Tavira, Algarve, set across 15 hectares of ancient carob and olive …
Biovilla Sustentabilidade
Biovilla Sustentabilidade is a sustainable development cooperative located on the Herdade de Pinhal Basto in Palmela, Portugal, combining na…
Rural Escapes Portugal
Rural Escapes Portugal is an off-grid nature retreat in the Serra de Monchique, Algarve, offering hosted retreats, wellness workshops, and s…
Sustainable tourism in Portugal
Tourism is a large part of the Portuguese economy and a large part of the pressure on its coast and water. The places listed here are trying to be the other kind: small, off-season as well as on, staffed locally, and built or restored rather than newly cleared.
They range from eco-resorts near Tavira to off-grid retreats in the Monchique hills to Cerdeira, a schist village in the Serra da Lousã brought back from abandonment as a place for craft and residency.
Staying somewhere that also farms, teaches or restores land is the simplest version of travelling well here. See also the eco-tourism and experiential learning, retreat centres and low-impact travel focuses. Dated activities from these projects are listed in our events calendar.