Ria Formosa Natural Park stretches along the coast for about 60 km, from Ancão (Loulé) to Manta Rota (Vila Real de Santo António) and occupies an area of about 18.600 hectares.
The diversified landscape of this Natural Park is due to the channels formed under the influence of different sea and river tides, which provide idyllic landscapes, a vast area of salt marshes dunes, islands and channels.
The park is a system of barrier islands that links to the sea through six inlets. Five of these inlets are natural and the sixth is an artificial inlet opened with the purpose of providing easier access to the port of Faro.
The Ria Formosa system has different and sometimes contradictory uses. Part of the system is a Natural Park but Ria Formosa also plays an important role in the regional economy. The system supports activities like seafood farms, the port of Faro and tourism.
The Ria Formosa is a wetland of international importance as a habitat of aquatic birds and it is a stopping place for hundreds of different birds during the spring and autumn migratory periods.