Arouca UNESCO Global Geopark
Arouca UNESCO Global Geopark, managed by the Associação Geoparque Arouca (AGA), safeguards a territory rich in geological formations, fossil…
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
Sobrenatura Ecoturismo
Sobrenatura Ecoturismo is a family-run accommodation project offering four sustainably built houses at the entrance of the Peneda-Gerês Nati…
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, …
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…
Feel Sustainable
A Portuguese project that combines sustainability, Feng Shui and spirituality to design nature-based experiences, tourism strategies and eco…
Bétula Studios
Sustainable rural accommodation in Montesinho Natural Park, near Bragança: four contemporary studios designed for natural light, silence and…
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.