21st century treasure hunting

They use virtual nicknames and when they’re out hunting, they’re discreet as they don’t want their treasure exposed to the curious eyes of passers-by – which they call “muggles” (à la Harry Potter, here meaning people outside the geocaching world). Some come up with their own personalised stamp, or key rings, which they exchange with fellow geocachers.

“Yes, the exchange of presents within cache containers is an interesting component to the whole game which some participants take more seriously than others. I’ve already found compasses, Swiss penknives, watches, collector’s coins and other really high value trinkets.

Normally, presents are only meant to have a symbolic value – but sometimes the owners (that’s to say, the creators), leave more valuable items, to stimulate visits to their caches – particularly if they’re in obscure or difficult to get-at places”, explains Gustavo Vidal, from Lisbon, who goes by the name of “Prodrive”. Vidal is one of Portugal’s big names in geocaching, with 6,876 finds to his name since he began geocaching in September 2006. He’s also one of the administrators behind «Geopt» - the geocaching website founded in April 2010.

The ultimate objective of geocaching is, of course, to find the treasure. Generally, whoever creates a cache hides it in a determined place for a well-defined reason. Because of the stunning landscape (Green Shades), or because the place has some historic or cultural interest.

Many caches have imaginative titles, or are linked with old legends and regional folklore. “To weave good intrigue some owners get creative and imagine whole stories around their caches”, Vidal tells us. These are all freely available on the official geocaching site (www.geocaching.com). It’s here too that people can sign-up for the activity (it’s free).

Miguel Ângelo Henriques and Carla Amaro, 33 and 29, are both teachers in Portimão, of Maths, and Portuguese and Spanish, respectively. They discovered geocaching through a friend in the second half of 2009. Since then “we haven’t stopped, from the north to the south of the country!” say the couple – known in the milieu by the name “CarlaCroftIndyMiguel”.

“Our enthusiasm today is just as much as it was at the beginning. Geocaching leads to the discovery of some incredible places that would otherwise be difficult to find. Places like Vistas de Pássaro – a paradise beach in Albufeira – a grotto on the outskirts of Portimão, or the doll sculptures of Barão de São João. Sometimes we get frights because we find ourselves on the edge of cliffs, or because we’ve taken the car to places that are really only good for major-league off-road adventures” but in the end, it’s all a “good laugh”, with lots of memorable photos to share online.

Each cache has two classifications which vary between 1 and 5. The first has to do with the kind of terrain: the highest score (5) has to do with the kind of specialist equipment needed (climbing gear, diving apparatus, jeep) or the difficulty rating of the course – while the second classification has to do with the size of the cache. It could be easily visible (1), or very difficult to find (5).

“Basically, the GPS will localise the cache with an error margin of approximately three metres – which is the current precision of this positioning system. From that point when technology has done its job it’s down to the “human factor” (perspicacity!) to discover the cache”, explains Vidal.

On a Portuguese site, a geocacher compares conditions for practising the activity in Portugal and in England - where “everyone goes out into the country the minute the sun shines. In Portugal, people go to the local shopping centre…”

Gustavo Vidal agrees. “In a way, he’s right. Portuguese people tend not to value their natural heritage and landscape. But the exponential growth that geocaching has had here proves that, in the end, the Portuguese do rate contact with Nature. Maybe they simply needed a reason to enjoy it more often”.

He stresses, “the Algarve is one of the regions of Portugal where I’ve found the most caches, and also where some of my favourite spots are – not just the Costa Vicentina, but the grottoes of the Barlavento area”.

Another geocaching heavyweight in the world is Esparagosas, a British senior, resident for many years in the Algarve and a former “walker” who has created almost 20 caches in the region (and discovered more than 400!). He tells us of the benefits of this activity for tourism.

“I get the impression that a lot of foreigners come to Portugal to combine the prospect of good holidays with the chance of some interesting geocaching. We have a magnificent stretch of coastline here, good weather and lots of natural heritage. Some of the caches involve research and logic to resolve various puzzles. Others require courage – like steep descents or hair-raising climbs – while there are those that involve determination, with multiple pistes by foot or bicycle. Anything goes”, he explains – adding that his caches have been visited by a thousand Portuguese and hundreds of foreigners, particularly tourists.

For the team of teachers from Portimão, “Senhor Esparagosas is unique. He’s one of our idols as he creates really brilliant caches. Here in the Algarve we’ve made a point of finding almost all of them: “Pandora’s Box” and “Fartavacas” are two of the best”.

Since 2010, there are also six official caches hidden along the Via Algarviana – in three of the 14 sections that make up the pedestrian walk/ cycle path that crosses the region from east to west. Anabela Santos and Carla Carvalho from the Almargem Association were not expecting so many comments from people who visit the little plastic soup containers hidden along the way. “Almost every week we receive emails. The most popular site is at Ribeiro do Meirinho” next to the grotto where the warrior known as Remexido hid in times gone by. It’s a place known as “Cova do Remexido” by local people.

One of the features that separates geocaching from other Nature-related activities is the effort taken to preserve Nature and stimulate environmental awareness. Participants are encouraged to pick up any rubbish they may find on their travels…

“Would we recommend this activity to other people? Of course we would! We’d encourage everyone. The only request we’d make is that they stick to the most fundamental principle of geocaching: make contact, discover but don’t ruin or vandalize”,” conclude the “CarlaCroftIndyMiguel” duo.