A Magical Sunrise Walk in Portimão
Have you ever noticed that there is something incredibly special about twilight, that beautiful time in between day and night? The atmosphere changes, the light turns everything golden and even the animals take note… And if I have to choose I think I prefer the magical sunrise above a nice sunset…
When I moved to my new apartment in Praia da Rocha at the end of January one of the first things I wanted to do was get up early and witness the sunrise on the beach. I’d already seen a couple of stunning sunsets here and thought the sunrises could possibly be pretty good too. And boy, it did not disappoint!!
Sunrise Sunrise, Looks like Morning in Your Eyes…
That first day I went to see the sunrise, it happened at 7:36am (it’s getting earlier though, right today it was at 7:11am). The skies were clear and it was new moon which means it’s low tide early in the morning. Turns out that makes for a perfect sunrise walk on the beach!
It was still so quiet, not a sound outside except for all the birds singing. And one of the great things of such an early morning beach walk is that you have the beach almost completely for yourself, there’s hardly anyone else out there that early.
I made sure I got to this one view point that looks over Praia dos Tres Castelos right in time to see the sun rise above the horizon. And gosh, it feels so magical when the sun finally peeps above the horizon and those first sun rays hit your face.
After that I ran down the stairs and made my way to the big rock on Praia dos Careanos and from there I slowly walked to the east and made my way towards Praia da Rocha.
A morning like this, running on the beach to catch the sun in the best possible way on camera, surrounded by all this natural beauty just fills me with joy so much! It truly is the best way to start my day! This is definitely I want to do more regularly.
Sunrises have always been something special for me, something I could only witness while on holiday or in a special location. I’ve gotten up super early to visit places like the temples of Borobodur (Indonesia) and Ankor Wat (Cambodia) to see the sunrise light up the temple in golden colours, skipped yoga classes to see the sun rise over the Ganges in the foothills of the Himalayas and I’ve climbed volcanos (Bali and Java) in the middle of the night to see the sun rise, … But I must admit it is wonderful to live in a place where you can experience this beautiful time of the day nearly every single day!
Some Tips to Organise Your Own Sunrise Walk
It may seem pretty straight forward but check in advance what time sunrise will be and do some prospection in advance what could be a good spot to watch the sunrise. You want to find a place that has a good open view of the east. Make sure you leave in time to get to your spot in time for the sunrise.
If you’re going to the beach, make sure you also check the timing of the tides. A great app for this is Tide Times app (Android).
It took me a while to get used to the ever changing timing of the tides here in Portimão. Here the ideal time to make a long sunrise beach walk is close to the new moon or full moon, that’s when the tide is low in the morning. The days halfway between new moon and full moon the tide will be at its highest in the morning which means that you can’t walk very far on the beach here in Portimão – though you could still walk on Praia da Rocha.
Beaches elsewhere might have different tide timings, so best check for your location.
And if it’s a bit of a struggle for you to get up this early, make sure you’ve prepared everything. Set your alarm clock, lay out your clothes and have your camera/phone batteries charged. You could even pack a breakfast the night before to take with you on the walk, though I usually just have mine afterwards…
And enjoy this magical time in the morning!
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