Praia da Falesia, Albufeira

Falésia Beach (Portuguese: Praia da Falésia, meaning Cliff Beach) has a cliff that begins in the Barranco das Belharucas Beach and extends to Vilamoura.

The beach is part of a continuous stretch of sand almost 6 km in length. It is flanked by a line of high cliffs in deep tones ranging from reds to whitish, in contrasting colours with the green of the pine groves above. At the western end, the cliff is high but soft, composed of sand and clay, so the rain wears away grooves and gullies.

To the east, the cliff is gradually losing height, while remaining deeply eroded. It is this erosion that keeps the beach sandy. As a result, small cones of sand form at the base of these cliffs, where typical dune plants such as sea daffodils, sea bindweed, spiny thrift, Cretan trefoil and sea holly have taken root. These species intermingle with the more monotonously-coloured vegetation typically found on cliffs, which here mostly consist of Mediterranean saltbush.