BEST boat tour of theArade River with Sives as an extra treat
kristinek451, 26-10-2022
What a fun, educational, and enjoyable way to learn about the history of the Arade River, the cities that are along the river, and the current environment. The boat is quiet (remember, solar powered!), moves along at a pleasant speed which allows for great conversation with the captain, Ricardo, and other passengers. Plus the view is specatular the entire time. From the cannaries (mostly what remains are just the chimneys with the stork nests), to the homes nestled along the water or up on the hill, to the fish jumping and birds standing guard, the entire experience is a perfect way to spend half a day.
And then you make the bend in the river and Silves appears with a breathtaking view of the castle and church, then it disappears on the next bend, to pop up again with a different perspective at the next bend. The town of Silves is a delight to explore with cute shops, fabulous restaurants, and bakeries (try the bolo de laranga -- orange cake, it is AMAZING!). The 1.5 hours in Silves isn't enough time to really explore, so plan to go another day and spend hours wandering around.
A huge thank yo to Ricardo for making our afternoon so relaxing and informative. He is a gem!
A very nice boattrip to Silves.
Tats69, 17-10-2022
It was magnificent. A beautiful landscape with even flamingoes, a quiet boat and a very friendly guide.
Silves is nice to visit, even at a rainy day:)
Definitely recomended.
If you want to visit Silves don’t drive go on this trip.
Passenger26832694849, 27-09-2022
We had a wonderful time. Our guide was professional and friendly and told us interesting facts about the river and the port of Portimao. The boat is very quiet so the journey is both tranquil and relaxing. It’s also quite magical to arrive by boat into the centre of Silves. If you’ve not visited the town before there’s plenty of time to explore including a visit to the castle and the cathedral, however, we spent the time eating chicken piri piri in the BBQ restaurant in front of the market. A great day out!
A great day out!
Q8894WEjanem, 09-09-2022
A lovely quiet and peaceful trip up the river to Silves. We had a great view of a kingfisher, an osprey, flamingoes and glossy ibis. Good lunch in Silves and a glass of chilled rose wine on the way back. A great day out!
Definitely worth a visit
Marie Q, 31-08-2022
We had a super time, our party of 8 got mixed up, with some going to the wrong marina which delayed us going as they were having difficulty getting a taxi, Ricardo, our boat guide drove his own car in to pick them up, over and beyond to ensure we had a great day.. Higly recommend this trip to anyone
Fun and Interesting Boat Ride with Ricardo
JtrippinitSF, 21-12-2022
Ricardo shared much of the rich history of the Algarves and Silves during this pleasant nature filled boat trip up the river to Silves. We saw cormorants, flamingo, and storks and learned much about the fishing and industry history of the area.