Unfortunately, our only chance to visit Faro (for a few hours) happened to be on a cloudy day with occasional rain showers. We took the Aminaris ferry boat to Ilha Deserta (Desert Island) so that we can spend our time there. We (children ages: 5, 7, 11, and 13) really enjoyed ourselves and the beautiful area despite the weather. The... More

We took the boat trip from Faro to ilha Deserta only with the intent of having lunch at the restaurant there which had been in our plans for some times. The boat trip out was a lovely ride although for true tourists, there was little information or history about what you were passing etc (we took the shuttle only 10€,... More

Took the 10 € shuttle tour down to the island in the morning. We decided not to take the guided tour but to rather "just" go there and see. Departing 10:00 in the morning the boat made its course to the island and after 35 minutes it arrived. Basically and interesting, very quiet, place on earth. Seen lots of people... More

We took a tour at 25 euros per person, which allegedly provided us with the expertise of a marine biologist. Our guide was entertaining, particularly listening to him tap-dancing between his versions of English, French, German, Spanish - all a bit off! We were treated to a few views of the occasional bird, but nothing exceptional. You can get a... More

My husband and I can highly recommend taking an Animaris boat tour to Ilha Deserta. They run all year round. We caught the 10.00 am ferry to the island, took an hour to walk leisurely around the island along the board walk and then the beach, followed by a coffee in the restaurant, before taking the 12.45 pm ferry back... More

The boat ride out to the island was nice, and our naturalist informed about the wildlife, sealife, birds in the area. He was quick to see and point out things of interest. And our 2+ hour walk around the barrier island was great, after being mostly in cities in Portugal. We spent more time there than many, because we walked;... More

We were a bit disappointed by the guided tour. There were very few birds to see and very little else said by the guide. However it is a beautiful region and the island was gorgeous. The restaurant also excellent and very friendly and helpful staff throughout ashore and afloat. My recommendation is to ask first about the number of birds... More

This is the second time I visit Deserta Island. Last year I paid the ferry, but this time I had an unforgetable experience, the nature tour is amazing, time move fast, we see lot of birds and I coudn'd imagine they migrate from so far region. If you like birdwatching tour, make sure to bring binoculars and a piece of... More

I was in charge of a group of 23 people in early March 2013 and Animaris put on a special nature tour just for us for a very reasonable price. The smallish boat we were on was very comfortable and gave great views of the islands and wildlife - which we were most interested in - with the boat stopping... More