Salinas Do Grelha near Olhão: A Hidden Gem in The Algarve

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The Salinas Do Grelha are a hidden treasure near Olhão in the Algarve. You can learn about traditional salt production and float in a salt lake just like in the dead sea.

I found the Salinas Do Grelha by chance while I spent three weeks in the Algarve. Floating in the salt water was such an incredible experience.

In this post, I wrote down everything you need to know to visit Salinas Do Grelha and I’ll help you figure out if it’s even the right place for you to go to.

Table of Contents

What are the Salinas Do Grelha

Salinas Do Grelha are traditional salt pans located near the town of Olhão in the Algarve. These salt pans are a testament to the region’s rich history and culture.

From May to the end of September, you can watch the actual salt production. The company Segredos da Ria only uses traditional methods for salt production at the Salinas Do Grelha.

You can learn all about the. salt production on a guided tour but the reason why most people, including myself, visit Salinas Do Grelha is to float at their “Dead Sea”.

The “Dead Sea” at Salinas Do Grelha is a salt lake with similar salt levels to the Dead Sea. This high salt level in the water makes you float.

Tina floating in a salt lake at Salinas do Grelha near Olhão — It was so cool to just float around!

Things to know before you visit

The absolutely most important thing to know before visiting is that you need to make a reservation beforehand. You can do this by phone call or via WhatsApp message.

You can find the number on the official webpage of the Salinas.

I sent them a WhatsApp message and booked for the next day, very easy and uncomplicated.

You should not shave before the visit or have any open wounds. Otherwise the salt will burn a lot even in the tiniest wounds.

The webpage says it’s usually not recommended for kids under 6 years as they might get saltwater in their eyes which would hurt a lot. I would say it’s just not the place for kids at all, I’m sorry.

When we visited it was super relaxing until a family with a kid showed up and the kid screamed around and splashed with the fresh water.

A wooden hut with a sign saying MAR MORTO — The “reception area” of the Dead Sea

Things to bring for your visit

Here’s a list of things you should bring when visiting the Salinas Do Grelha:

A bathing suit, preferably an old and dark one. The optional mud can stain a bathing suit and you’ll need to properly wash the salt out afterwards.
A towel
Flip-flops
A reusable water bottle

A picture of changing rooms and a stack of sun lounges at Salinas do Grelha — There are changing rooms available

How to get there

Even though visiting the Salinas Do Grelha is one of the best things to do in Olhão, it’s not in the town itself.

The best way to get there is by Uber, it’s only an 8-minute drive and shouldn’t be too expensive.

It’s also possible to walk from Olhão city centre to the salt lake but this is going to take about 45 minutes and I don’t recommend it.

A small way sign next to a dirt road — The best way to get there is by Uber

Visiting Salinas Do Grelha

Guided Tour

A big pile of salt next to some bushes — Can you believe that’s all salt?!

On a one hour guided tour through the salt pans you can learn everything about the salt production and the harvesting process.

The tours are available in Portuguese, English, French or Czech. The minimum number of participants in a tour is just 2 people.

In the right season, you might be able to see some seabirds around the salt pans as well.

Bathing in the “Dead Sea”

The reason I visited the Salinas Do Grelha was to float in the “Dead Sea”. The salt lake has the same salt concentration as the Dead Sea in Israel. This high salt concentration makes it possible to float in the water.

You get a floating neck cushion so your head is higher. This would not be necessary to float but it helps protect your eyes, nose and mouth from accidentally getting saltwater in it.

Getting in the water was such a unique experience. At first, I just walked normally into the water. But as soon as I lifted both of my legs, I suddenly started floating. And then I even had trouble getting my feet back to the ground.

Floating in the lake is such a cool experience and I highly recommend it. The only downside was that the water wasn’t as warm as I had hoped. 26°C sounded quite warm but when I just floated and didn’t do anything else I got cold after a while.

Mud treatment

Tina in a bikini covered with mud everywhere — The mud is supposed to make your skin super soft

For a few euros, you can get a bowl of salt mud from the ocean. It’s supposed to have some healing properties and it’s supposed to make your skin super soft.

First off, if you do want to do the mud treatment, I recommend bringing an old bathing suit. The mud can leave stains on a bright bathing suit. Luckily all the stains came out of my bikini after I washed it in the washing machine.

You put the salt mud all over your body, let it dry in the sun and then you go float some more in the salt lake.

When I tried to wash the mud off in the salt lake, I had salt crystals all over my skin. This made my skin the opposite of soft but after having a shower with fresh water all the crystals came off and I did have super soft skin.

Amenities

A few sun lounges with straw umbrellas — You can rent a sun lounge

Salinas Do Grelha offer a range of amenities to make your visit as comfortable as possible:

Toilets
Changing rooms
Fresh water showers
Benches
Sun lounges for hire
Drinks for sale
Different salt products for sale, which make for great Portuguese souvenirs

The reception area of the Salinas do Grelha

Final thoughts: Are the Salinas Do Grelha worth it?

Floating in the Salinas “Dead Sea” was such an incredible feeling, so in my opinion, it’s definitely worth it.

If you’ve been wondering what floating in the dead sea would be like but the actual dead sea is too far away, Salinas Do Grelha is the perfect place to go in the Algarve.

And afterwards, you can explore more of what Olhão has to offer, like taking a bout tour from Olhão to explore the beautiful Ria Formosa Natural Park, one of the seven wonders of Portugal.

Salinas Do Grelha near Olhão: A Hidden Gem in The Algarve

What are the Salinas Do Grelha