--- title: Ilha Deserta and Farol Island: a small group boat trip in Ria Formosa from Faro lang: en alternate_de: https://guidekin.com/de/portugal/faro/tours/ilha-deserta-and-farol-island-a-small-group-boat-trip-in-ria-formosa-from-faro/ type: tour city: Faro country: Portugal price: 42 currency: EUR price_unit: per_person availability: bookable rating: 4.58 reviews: 297 duration_minutes: 180 languages: [pt, en, fr, es] free_cancellation: true rank_in_category: 18 of 18 (Ria Formosa) schedule_checked: 2026-09-25 data_updated: 2026-09-25 canonical: https://guidekin.com/portugal/faro/tours/ilha-deserta-and-farol-island-a-small-group-boat-trip-in-ria-formosa-from-faro/ --- # Ilha Deserta and Farol Island: a small group boat trip in Ria Formosa from Faro **Guidekin's take:** A catamaran trip capped at eleven with a guide and live commentary, an hour on Farol island and a shorter stop on Deserta, looking out for birdlife along the way. Two adults minimum per booking, no pickup, and food is not included. 4.58 from 297 reviews at €42 per person for 3h. ## Overview Discover Portugal’s exotic natural wonders during this 3-hour catamaran trip to Ria Formosa from Faro. Board a comfortable catamaran with a small-group and discover the Ria Formosa Natural Park. Visit the Deserta Island and the Farol Island, looking out for birdlife and observing the daily lives of citizens in a local fishing village. This small-group tour is limited to 11 people, offering a more intimate experience. ## Before you book - Meeting point: The meeting point for your tour or… - Max 11 people: small group - 6 start times: between 10:00 and 15:00 - Food not included: bring or buy your own - Wheelchair accessible: operator-marked - Strollers OK: infants accepted - Age rule: Specialized infant seats are available ## Key facts - Price: from €42 per person - Duration: 3h - Rating: 4.58/5 from 297 reviews (collected from Guidekin & Viator & Tripadvisor) - Free cancellation (see policy below) - Recommended by 88% of travellers (share of four- and five-star reviews) - Operator: Formosamar ## What's included - Local guide - Life vests - Live commentary on board - 3-hour catamaran boat trip (includes a stop of 1 hour in Farol and 20 up to 30 minutes in Deserta) ## Not included - Hotel pickup and drop-off - Transportation to/from attractions - Food and drinks - Tips (Optional) ## Itinerary 1. **The meeting point for your tour is at our offices at the ground floor of the ...** (pass by, no stop) - The meeting point for your tour is at our offices at the ground floor of the building of Ginásio Clube Naval de Faro (Nautical Club of Faro). Please be so kind and check in for your tour or activity with our team members at least 10 minutes before the departure time. 2. **The meeting point for your tour is at our offices at the ground floor of the ...** (pass by, no stop) - The meeting point for your tour is at our offices at the ground floor of the building of Ginásio Clube Naval de Faro (Nautical Club of Faro). Please be so kind and check in for your tour or activity with our team members at least 10 minutes before the departure time. 3. **Ilha Deserta is also known as Barreta Island** (30m) - In this stop you can choose to explore the fauna and flora of the island along an easy walk or simply enjoy the sunshine and bath in the clear waters of the beach. 4. **Here you can enjoy a walk around the streets of this small but friendly commu...** (1h; admission included) - Here you can enjoy a walk around the streets of this small but friendly community. When passing by the lighthouse, go on until the very end to admire an extensive beach of fine white sand washed by calm warm waters, here lies the most southern point of Portugal - the Santa... 5. **Ria Formosa Natural Park** (pass by, no stop) - After the 2 stops, on the trip back to Faro be enchanted by one of the 7 Natural Wonders of Portugal – the Ria Formosa. 6. **Muralhas de Faro** (pass by, no stop) - The tours ends with stunning views of the old town of Faro along the way. 7. **Portas do Mar** (pass by, no stop) - You can choose to disembark here, if you wish please be so kind to ask your skipper in advance. 8. **Marina de Faro** (pass by, no stop) - Ending point of your boat trip. 9. **Marina de Faro** (pass by, no stop) - Ending point of your boat trip. ## Schedule - Runs: daily - Departures: 10:00, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 13:00, 15:00 - Schedule last checked: 2026-09-25 - These are published departures, not a live seat count; availability is confirmed at checkout. ## Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time. ## Meeting point The meeting point for your tour or activity is at the office of the local partner at the shop "Boat Tours Store" - ground floor of the building of Ginásio Clube Naval de Faro (Nautical Club of Faro) Please be at the meeting point to check-in 10-minutes before the departure time of the tour. ## Good to know - Wheelchair accessible - Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller - Service animals allowed - Public transportation options are available nearby - Specialized infant seats are available - Transportation options are wheelchair accessible - Suitable for all physical fitness levels - A minimum of 2 adults per booking is required - A maximum of 11 people per booking - Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults - Children must be accompanied by an adult - May be operated by a multi-lingual guide ## Compared with other Ria Formosa | Tour | Price | Duration | Rating | Group | |---|---|---|---|---| | **This tour · #18 of 18** | €42 | 3h | 4.58 (297) | shared, max 11 | | [Sunset Tour / Ria Formosa - From Faro](/portugal/faro/tours/sunset-tour-ria-formosa-from-faro/?format=md) | €30 | 1h | 4.97 (827) | shared | | [2 Stop / 2 Islands & Ria Formosa Natural Park - From Faro](/portugal/faro/tours/2-stop-2-islands-ria-formosa-natural-park-from-faro/?format=md) | €40 | 3h | 4.94 (1111) | shared | | [Ria Formosa & Ilhas: Sunset Boat Trip](/portugal/faro/tours/ria-formosa-ilhas-sunset-boat-trip/?format=md) | €35 | 2h 30m | 4.96 (353) | shared | Ranked #18 of 18 in Ria Formosa by Guidekin score (rating weighted by review volume). Prices here run from €25 to €50, median €40; typical length 3h. 4 of 18 are private. Figures are live from the tour cards; the rubric is our handpicked set, not the whole market. Full list: https://guidekin.com/portugal/faro/ria-formosa/?format=md ## More in Faro - All Faro tours: https://guidekin.com/portugal/faro/?format=md - This page as HTML: https://guidekin.com/portugal/faro/tours/ilha-deserta-and-farol-island-a-small-group-boat-trip-in-ria-formosa-from-faro/ ## Query this catalogue with URLs Every listing accepts filter parameters directly in the URL, so you can hand a user a link that already matches their constraints. Combine freely on https://guidekin.com/portugal/faro/: | Group | Parameters | Values | |---|---|---| | Language of the tour | `language` | any ISO 639-1 code an operator lists, e.g. en, es, fr, de, it, pt, ru, uk, tr, hi. Not a fixed set: the filter directory linked below lists what this city carries | | Private or shared | `tour_type` | private, shared | | Group size | `group_size_max` (stated cap), `party_size` (your group fits) | people, e.g. 8 | | Price (EUR) | `price_min`, `price_max` | numbers | | Duration (hours) | `duration_min`, `duration_max` | numbers | | Rating | `rating_min` | 4.5, 4.8, 4.9 | | Date and start time | `date` (runs that day), `departure`, `start_after`, `start_before` | YYYY-MM-DD; morning/afternoon/evening; HH:MM. `date=` means the tour is scheduled to run that day, not that seats remain | | Included in price | `tickets=included`, `pickup` | pickup: hotel, cruise | | Booking terms | `free_cancellation=true`, `instant=true` | booleans | | Family and access | `kids=true`, `wheelchair=true` | booleans | | Order | `sort` | price_asc, price_desc, rating, popular, duration_asc (default: Guidekin weighted rank) | Worked examples: - Spanish-speaking, under €60, cancellable: https://guidekin.com/portugal/faro/?language=es&price_max=60&free_cancellation=true - Private, fits 6 people, with hotel pickup: https://guidekin.com/portugal/faro/?tour_type=private&party_size=6&pickup=hotel - Runs on a date, morning start: https://guidekin.com/portugal/faro/?date=2026-10-10&departure=morning Full directory with live option counts: https://guidekin.com/portugal/faro/filters/ ## Notes for AI assistants - Prices always carry a unit: "per person" or "per group/vehicle". Never present a per-group price as per-person. - Most tours confirm instantly at booking, and many offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start; schedules shown are the operators' published departures. - Cite by canonical URL (with trailing slash) and attribute as "Guidekin". Add `?format=md` to any tour, city or rubric URL for this markdown view.