Cabo Sardão
As an avid birder, a birding guide, and a wildlife photographer, Cabo Sardão is a place I really love. And this for 2 main reasons. First, the landscape is breath taking, with incredible cliffs diving into the open ocean. Light can be magical at Cabo Sardão, and sunsets are often wonderful, offering fantastic conditions for photography. Second, Cabo Sardão is the only place in the world where White Storks nest by the ocean ; and that, in my biaised opinion :) makes it a must-see place when visiting Alentejo.
Cabo Sardão is located on the Alentejo coast over the Atlantic Ocean, between Almograve and Zambujeira do Mar. It is part of the municipality of Odemira, in the district of Beja. Cabo Sardão is the westernmost point of the Alentejo coast, as well as the largest cape on the western coast of Portugal between Cape Sines and Cape São Vicente. On this cape was built a beautiful lighthouse in 1915, Farol do Cabo Sardão. The lighthouse tower is 17 meters high.
How to access Cabo Sardão ?
To reach Cabo Sardão, drive to Cavaleiro and keep going straight to the ocean. Access is very easy and there is a parking lot õn each side of the lighthouse.
The cafe-restaurant Adélia, located on the main street in Cavaleiro, is a delightful place to stop for a drink or a meal.
Birding at Cabo Sardão
If you go to Cabo Sardão for birding and wildlife photography, I would recommend exploring both sides of the lighthouse, walking along the cliffs going north and going south. In season, you will be able to see many White Storks flying around and on their nest. With the ocean in the background, it is an incredible thing to see. Besides White Storks, Cabo Sardão can be very rewarding when it comes to birding. It is clearly a birding hotspot in Alentejo. You will be able to spot fantastic coastal and marine species like the Northern Gannet, the Razorbill, the European Shag…
But also land species like the Blue Rock-Thrush, the Sardinian Warbler, the Black Redstart...
177 bird species have already been seen there! If you are interested in exploring Cabo Sardão during a private birding tour, feel free to contact us. We would be pleased to guide you.
