Touring around Bubulcus & Bolotas (Alentejo, Portugal)

Castles

This is the country of castles. Almost every place on a hill has a castle or a fortress. They are all within vision of each other, which facilitated communication in the time when there was no GSM. From the terrain of Bubulcus & Bolotas three castles are in sight: Estremoz, Evoramonte and Arraiolos.

Arraiolos castle

Evoramonte castle

Evoramonte: the knot

History and pre-history

There are many historical and pre-historical artefacts in the surroundings. Too many to mention them all. Pre-historical are the menhirs, dolmen and cromlechs. The Almendres cromlech is a must. Smaller but not less impressive is the cromlech of Vale do Meio. You will need a route description to find it. From the time of the romans there is much more preserved. The roman ruins in Torrega are worth a visit. The historical city of Évora (World Heritage) also has a lot of roman monuments and more. Roman, Gothic, Manueline, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassic, all the epochs of history can be found in Évora.

Cromeleque de Almendres

Cromeleque de Vale do Meio

Roman Ruins in Torrega

Walking and Cycling

The surroundings offer ample opportunities for cycling and walking. The area is relatively flat with enough height difference to provide a challenge to the sportive cyclist, but flat enough to keep it pleasant for the recreational cyclist. We have prepared several route descriptions which are available at the reception. You can also check our described Wikiloc walking, cycling and mountain biking routes.

A view over Bardeiras

City trips

At 35 km distance lies the UNESCO world heritage city of Évora. It is worth a full day visit. Estremoz city, at 20 km, is known as the “white city” because of the winning of the white marble. It has a rich history and the Saturday morning market is a must. The village of Arraiolos, also at 20 km, is famous for its tapestry. But there are many more cities worth a detour like Vila Viçosa, Monsaraz and Marvão. The Spanish city of Badajoz is only 1 hour away.

Évora

Arraiolos

Estremoz

Water in the surroundings

There are several beautiful sites with water in the surroundings. We mention Maranhão lake and Divor lake and the river beaches of Mora and Fronteira. A bit further away is the big artificial lake of Alqueva. Very closeby is the little river of Divor with its rapids. It is a well hidden secret, difficult to find. We can provide you with route descriptions to all of these places.

Alqueva lake

Rapids in the Divor river

Birds at the lake of Maranhão

Wine route

In a radius of 30 km around Bubulcus & Bolotas you can find over 15 wineries. The Alentejo is a wine producing region with a long tradition, with wines that will surprise you for their excellence, aromas and colours. We are happy to inform you about the wineries in the vicinity and the possibilities for visiting and tasting.

Bubulcus & Bolotas Camping

Experience nature with all senses