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 …
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
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…
Figueirinha Ecoturismo
Figueirinha Ecoturismo is a sustainable rural tourism property near Odemira, Alentejo, offering accommodations amid cork oak forests and oli…
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…
Vida Pura
Vida Pura is an eco-friendly retreat centre near Odeceixe in southwest Portugal, operating on solar energy, harvested water, and biodynamic …
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.