Via Algarviana Sector 1: Alcoutim to Balurcos

About This Route

The opening sector of the GR13: 24.2 km from the Guadiana at Alcoutim through megalithic sites and schist hamlets to Balurcos. Officially graded IV – Hard, with 840 m of ascent on day one.

This is where the GR13 begins: at the pier in Alcoutim, on the west bank of the Guadiana, beside a statue commemorating the smugglers who once worked this stretch of river. Spain is directly opposite — Sanlúcar de Guadiana, close enough to read the signs on the buildings, connected by a small ferry. At 6 m above sea level this is the lowest point on the entire 308.5 km trail.

The sector is graded IV – Hard on the official scale, and the numbers explain why: 24.2 km with 840 m of ascent and 653 m of descent, at roughly seven hours of walking. It is the second-longest of the four "hard" or "very hard" opening sectors, and it comes on day one, before your legs have adjusted. Several people split it at Cortes Pereiras.

Waypoints

Character of the walking

The first three kilometres are flat and easy, tracking the Guadiana through a valley of dryland orchards — carob, almond, fig and olive, much of it still worked. The route then turns inland and west, and the character changes: old paths flanked by drystone walls, hamlets of schist and greywacke, and after Afonso Vicente a forested section where the relief becomes genuinely tiring. The last third is a repeated sequence of gullies and stream crossings. None of it is technical; all of it accumulates.

Heritage on the route

Alcoutim itself is worth an extra night. The village castle (14th century) houses an archaeology museum, the Old Castle dates from the 8th–11th centuries, and the former residence of the Counts of Alcoutim is now the House of Culture. The Dr João Dias Museum and the Sacred Art Museum both require advance booking through the Town Castle.

The Lavajo megalithic complex and the Malhão Dolmen at Afonso Vicente are on the route itself and date to roughly 3500–2500 BC.

Wildlife

Part of the sector crosses the Guadiana Natura 2000 site (PTCON0036). Bonelli's eagle, Eurasian eagle owl, rufous-tailed scrub robin, golden oriole and azure-winged magpie are all recorded here. Otters are present in the watercourses but rarely seen — look for spraint on rocks instead.

Logistics

Getting there: Vamus Algarve bus line 34 runs Balurcos de Cima – Vila Real de Santo António and stops in Alcoutim, which makes this sector unusually easy to do as a day walk with a bus at each end.

Water: Available. Corner shops in Alcoutim and at Cortes Pereiras. The official listing for this sector is "Yes", but that is relative — carry three litres in warm weather.

Cash: ATM in Alcoutim. Nothing after that.

GPX: Almargem publish the official track free as Sector_1_VAlgarviana.gpx, along with a downloadable PDF sector guide.

Route data verified against the official Via Algarviana Sector 1 page published by Associação Almargem, August 2026.