Hike along the Arriba Fóssil of Costa da Caparica


Just a few km south of Lisbon on the other side of the river Tejo you've got a 30 km long uninterrupted beach coast called Costa da Caparica and the protected area is called Arriba Fóssil which reaches as far south as the Lagoa de Albufeira. Along all of this coastline you can see the magnificent sandy hills, made up of sedimentary rocks dated to the Pliocene period, which is now a protected landscape and botanical reserve since it contains fossils and has a very unique flora, such as one of the biggest pine tree forest of Europe.

Link to web page and map of the Arriba Fóssil landscape

This area is without doubt one of the nicest places to hike in close to Lisbon as well as sunbathing and for having pick nicks or a swim in the sea (just beware of the currents and occasional big waves!). There are several hiking trails crossing the whole area or you can just walk along the sea by the beach for as long as you feel up to it. The farther you go the less people you meet which is great if you need a pause from big city life or just to wind down a bit.

On this particular hike we started out from Fonte da Telha close to the NATO station. We went as close to the edge of the hills as the trail would allow us to, with a splendid sea view! There were red or blue spray paint markings showing where the trail went ahead so you just had to look for the narrow path and keep checking the spray paint appeared now and then showing you are on your right way. Don't forget to bring enough water with you since there are no cafés/houses with fresh water until you reach the Lagoa de Albufeira from Fonte da Telha.

It took us 5 hours to walk to and fro, some 17 km altogether. The hardest part was to find a path going from the beach and leading up the sandy hills but finally we found one who was clearly visible and easy to go up so we ended just west of the NATO fence and could walk the last bit towards the car parking.

You will walk in the sun for most part of the hike, try to use sunscreen and some kind of hat if you are sensitive to the heat. There will also be really heavy vegetation in the form of bushes which may risp your skin or poke your eyes out if you are not careful. Some parts are not recommended if you have a fear of heights and you should tread those carefully so as to avoid falling down the ravines. I'd rate this hike a medium/advanced level if you choose to walk near the edge of the hills but going by the beach side is very easy and a pleasant experience for the whole family.

I had the lucky fortune of getting a hunting spider to hitch hike on my ponytail for a few hundred meters. It had probably jumped onto me from a bush and decided it liked it there so when I tried to see why it was tickling in my neck it fell don on the ground and looked very grumpy up at me. Always bring a mobile phone with you in case you get bitten by some angry spiders, scorpions, snakes or wasps. Generally these species are quite non aggressive here in Portugal but you might just encounter the animal on a bad day with mood swings in which it decides you should stay away.

During summer time, do take a break at the Lagoa de Albufeira for a swim in the lagoon which has warmer water than the sea, if you like bird watching bring your binoculars!



Location: Praia Fonte da Telha, 2825 Costa da Caparica, Portugal

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