From the impressive coasts of Sagres and the Cape St Vincent, the Portuguese coast turns to the north to meet the Atlantic swell. Praia de Cordoama and Praia de Vale de Figueiras are well known board surfing beaches, but a kayaker or SUP surfer could have fun there too after checking the wave heights on Surfline.com . Compared to the southern beaches, the western beaches have a much more remote feeling – at times you could almost imagine dinosaurs roaming around.
There are a few rivers meeting the sea, where more gentle paddling can be had. The first is the river leading down from Aljezur, and further up north (and technically no longer in the Algarve, but still worth a visit) is Vila Nova de Milfontes. Here you have the best of both worlds – flat water for the beginners, and surf if you go over the bar. Vila Nova de Milfontes is also the home of Paddle South Portugal (Facebook paddlesouthportugal) who do lessons and tours in surfski and are a Nelo dealer.
