Birdwatching in Ria Formosa: Eco-Friendly Solar-Powered Boat Tour from Faro
4.8
33 Ratings
Faro

Embark on an eco-friendly solar-powered boat tour in Ria Formosa, Faro. Explore the birds and nature while practicing responsible tourism and supporting local conservation efforts.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Marina de Faro - Starting point of your Faro Eco Boat Tour.
    You’ll find Lands at our offices in the ground floor of the building of Ginásio Clube Naval de Faro (Nautical Club of Faro). Google Maps Code: 2387+25 Faro
    Please be so kind and check in for your tour at least 10 minutes before the departure time of your boat trip.
    Discover the birds and…
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What's Included
  • Local guide
  • 2.5-hour Eco-boat tour
  • Use of binoculars
  • Life vests
  • Live commentary on board
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Food and drinks
  • Tips (optional)
  • All other extras
Additional Information

The Faro Eco Boat Tour is an environment-friendly, solar-operated voyage.
This tour guarantees a tranquil journey showcasing Faro’s wildlife and nature. Experience a Natural Park in the Algarve on an intimate boat excursion guided by a local expert, all the while promoting sustainable tourism practices.
As Lands is managed by professional biologists,…

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Location
Lands - Eco Boat Tours (Main Office and Departures)
Our offices are on the ground floor of the Ginásio Clube Naval de Faro (Nautical Club of Faro - located on the backside of the marina). Address: Lands - Turismo na Natureza Edifício Ginásio Clube Naval - Piso 0 Doca de Recreio de Faro 8000-541 Faro Algarve – Portugal Google Maps code: 2387+25 Faro
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.8
(33 Ratings)
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Philip_g
Oct 14, 2024
Great experience - Super trip, with a knowledgeable guide, super quiet boat and plenty of birds to be seen (30 species counted) including Audouin's and Slender-billed Gulls, Caspian and Sandwich Terns, Osprey, Spoonbill, White Stork and Greater Flamingo.
Review provided by Viator
Bartlomiej_g
Oct 11, 2024
Fantastic experience - I was very satisfied with the boat tour, even though I didn’t expect much because the weather was very cloudy, and rain was also forecasted. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how quiet the eco boat was, how knowledgeable the guide was, and how much respect was shown for the birds' habitat. Together with the group, we spotted over thirty different species, more than seventy percent of which were new to me. The highlight of the tour was definitely seeing an osprey and a kingfisher. For anyone thinking of bringing a camera like I did to take photos, I highly recommend having a long lens or even a teleconverter, though keep in mind that on cloudy days, photos may come out dark. I’m attaching a few of my photos, but overall, I’m really very happy with the experience. It exceeded my expectations, and I can highly recommend it to everyone. The guide was excellent, with a great sense of humor and attitude. People should have in mind that this is not a zoo - what you are going to see depends on weather, birds, luck and a lot of patience, so people who love and respect the nature are going to enjoy this tour!
Review provided by Viator
L9150nzgp
Aug 3, 2024
Great experience. Excellent guide. Awesome boat. Really good value. Will go again. - Thoroughly enjoyed the 2.5hrs birdwatching trip on their completely silent solar powered boat with Lands.pt. All staff we interacted with were super friendly and helpful, and our guide was excellent. Really knowledgable and with a genuine enthusiasm for the wildlife, along with giving us really good insights into local history and socioeconomic context of the area. Top marks, we couldn’t be happier. As well as the eco credentials, the silent running of the solar boat was an absolute joy. Boat was handled expertly, very comfortable and well equipped. We went out on a baking hot day and the breeze out on the water was really refreshing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Peter_l
Jun 17, 2024
Bird watching - Great knowledgeable guide, great bird watching, lots of birds, well recommended. Can combine with other trips.
Review provided by Viator
Mariachiarapi
Jun 7, 2024
This was amazing! - Thank to our guide that explains a lot of information to us. June is not the perfect month to go for birdwatching but we saw 27 different species of birds! This is incredible. Very recommended, even for those who’s not a birdwatcher. The tour was so relaxing and pleasant. The view very special.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aderrygirl
May 18, 2024
Great for birdwatchers - This was the best thing we did on a recent visit to Faro. Our guide was Andrei and he was very knowledgeable and informative. The boat is very quiet and the water calm. There were only seven of us on the trip so we could easily hear everything he said. We went at low tide so there were lots of landing sites for the birds. Everyone was offered good quality binoculars and a chart of birds we might see. We were thrilled to see flamingos, spoonbills, even an osprey and storks flying past ,as well as lots of other more common birds. We had a short stop on the beach to stretch our legs but two and half hours just flew past! A highly recommended trip if you enjoy birdwatching.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Connie_m
Apr 17, 2024
Great birdwatching tour with a fantastic guide! - Fantastic tour, relaxing and so peaceful! Our guide had a soft voice and was pointing out all the various birds along the way! Would definitely recommend!
Review provided by Viator
J-and-i-ingermany
Apr 5, 2024
Rewarding, Delightful, and Easy - My wife and I were delighted with Birdwatching in Ria Formosa -- a 2.5-hour excursion by solar boat. It was arranged by "Lands - Eco Boat Tours". A birdwatching outing is not a trip to the zoo: you make an effort to get to an area where birds feel relatively secure, and you hope that there will actually be some birds there. During our excursion, we were very lucky with respect to seeing birds: not only did we see a wide range of birds, but we saw them well. Moreover, "Lands - Eco Boat Tours" provided each participant with quality binoculars, a laminated map of the area, and a chart showing the species of birds often seen in the area. All those items were very helpful. Also important is that our guide, Luis, provided relevant information about each species -- in particular, information about its migration patterns and its preferences with respect to habitat. Almost as rewarding as seeing multiple species of birds was the pleasure of gliding very quietly through some of the very numerous channels of Ria Formosa. Thanks to its electric power system (partly recharged by solar panels), the boat was silent, and there was no vibration. Indeed it seemed that we were not intruding on the birds but simply sharing with them the space, the water and the sunshine. In any event the section of the Ria Formosa near Faro is not isolated: there are oyster beds, fishing boats, airplanes over head, and Faro is always in sight. It is, in principle and in practice, a shared environment. At the furthest point from Faro, Luis gave us an opportunity to walk for 20 minutes or so along the sand bank that separates Ria Formosa from the Atlantic. That too was very nice. However, it was not quiet: the waves pounding the surf made a lot of noise! In sum, we liked the "Birdwatching in Ria Formosa" excursion. We found it stimulating yet comfortable, and we recommend it to others.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chloe
Feb 4, 2024
Great Tour, Great Guide! Thanks Manuel! - Manuel was an excellent guide on our eco tour of Ria Formosa! He was very knowledgeable, friendly and humorous- you could also tell he is passionate about nature and the natural park! The electric boat really made this boat a special trip as the birds were undisturbed. I would definitely recommend this trip!☀️🦅
Review provided by Tripadvisor
907traveler_2014
Oct 9, 2024
Don’t do it if it’s cold, windy, or rainy - It got windy, cold, rainy out of nowhere (not on the forecast) just before our tour started. Definitely could have been an enjoyable experience if it wasn’t raining and cold. The guide explained that it rarely rained, so our group must have had bad luck. The group was offered the option to do 1 hour and receive a partial refund or go the full 2 hours—this would have been awful. The group chose the partial refund option. I do feel like they should have offered the option for a full refund/ just cancelling. I still gave it 4 stars because there were blankets on board and the guide offered his jacket to me. He said he wasn’t cold but I’m not sure if I believed that! I appreciated the jacket! We did see 12 species of birds.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).
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