Ilha Deserta and Farol Island: a small group boat trip in Ria Formosa from Faro

Got to visit two islands, Farouk and Illha Deserta. Was a pleasant afternoon with a nice guide who gave us background info on the islands and the wildlife. Good if you like walks. Nothing was open during this time of the “not deadly at all virus that shall not be named”, so be prepared to bring your own food and drink if you are hungry.

Our guide was really friendly and knowledgeable, in addition to English he spoke French and Spanish! We stopped half an hour on Ilha Deserta and one hour on Ilha do Farol, such a pleasant boat ride, it's designed for a small group (10 people) but we were only 5 which was perfect. I recommend booking the tour on a weekday for a more private experience.

On the 1st of March I booked the 3hour Ria Formosa trip to share with friends We all arrived with great anticipation and starting off the trip ducking under the railway line We were laughing straight away and looking forward to an adventure We spent very little time within the Formosa and although the guide was very knowledgable and gave us a large card of pictures of birds we hoped to see none of this transpired we were whisked out across the lagoon to two islands one with a single inhabitant and his dog which could have been rugged and beautiful if it were not for all the rubbish and plastic lying on the beach We were then taken across the lagoon to the second island where we were left for 45 mins when 5 mins would have been sufficient Then back to the harbour without any further stops Very disappointing when we were expecting to have gone from Faro to Quinta meandering through the wildlife This was not my Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall moment !!!

This tour was very relaxing, with amazing views. We met the tour guide at the harbor and boarded a small boat. We then drove towards the islands, and our guide was telling us interesting facts about Faro and the surrounding area. We visited two islands on our tour, which was a neat experience with some breathtaking views of the Atlantic ocean. One of the islands has a beautiful beach, with a small restaurant on it. Even though it was not warm enough to go in the water, we enjoyed strolling on the beach and the views.

Faro is an excellent location to use for travel to the rest of the Algarve. Trains and buses connect to all points of the South Portugal and beyond.Flights are convenient.The culinary adventures can be blended with comfort food and delicious desserts.Most of all,local service people and the citizens are caring and attentive to your questions. This was a brilliant trip to enjoy and relax oneself.

This was a great day out. The guide was very informative and entertaining. Very glad we chose this trip. Would definitely recommend.

great time did not have the chance to see much bird and only visited 2 islands whereas it was say that we will see 4 of them but it was still a great time, peacefull and very pretty!!

Boat ride spoilt by the weather - raining for much of the trip. Catamaran itself was good as was the skipper Fernando. I'd have liked a bit more time spent on the bird life/watching than on the two stops but I guess the weather did not help. Nice trip though.

Seemless and hassle free from start to finish. Boat has luxury seating so a very comfortable ride. Great timings and you get to spend plenty of time looking around the islands. Highly recommended.... Tip: Take a hat as the journey back in can be a bit blowy. :-)

Francisco was excellent, very knowledgeable about the wildlife and history of the area, plus has a great sense of humor. The boat was very clean and my kids had a great time. It was a highlight of our 6 days in the Algarve.