Benagil Caves Tour: Portimao, Carvalho and Marinha Beaches
The Algarve coast in the South of Portugal is famous world-wide for the beautiful limestone cliffs that are dropping into the turquoise ocean. They create a stunning scenery with unique rock formations and some impressive sea caves. This stretch has plenty of must visit sites, but Benagil sea cave should be on top of your list.
There are many caves in the Algarve. A few are submerged, while others can only be visited in good weather. Some of them are very small and others are large enough to have small inland beaches. Some let the sun come in, while others are quite dark.
Photo: Benagil Caves Tour. Algarve.
THE ALGARVE CAVES FROM PORTUGAL
The Algarve is a breathtaking coastline with a mixed landscape of tall cliffs, some idyllic bays, sandbar islands, along with hidden caves and a fair few oddly-shaped rock formations. This natural beauty captivates visitors and they tend to explore much more of the region than they anticipated.
These rock formations are mainly based on the coast between Lagos and Albufeira, so this area is sometimes referred to as Costa de Ouro (“Golden Coast”). This name describes the color that the cliffs and rocks have here. You can join a tour or rent equipment and take a journey in this part of Portugal.
You’ll discover dozens of wonderful beaches and each one has a unique scenery and atmosphere. If you´re lucky, you might even see a few dolphins.
Many of the caves from the Algarve region are only accessible by sea, but this makes the experience even more interesting.
Algarve Portugal Cave Tours
You could spend a lot of time exploring the entire coastline of Algarve and yet always find something new. The variety of landscapes and beaches is different from any other European coastline.
The South of Portugal has breathtakingly wild beaches that attract surfers and sea lovers.
Photo: Praia dos Três Irmãos. Algarve.
THE BENAGIL CAVE: ALGARVE´S HIDDEN TREASURE
The caves from Benagil are a marvelous sight to witness.
A Benagil cave tour will give you the opportunity to see the wonderful array of colors that come from the sun and it is reflecting off the water. Besides, the walls of the cave are adorned with complex patterns from the erosion of the rock.
Inside, the cave has a tranquil atmosphere because the sound of the waves that are crashing against the walls create a beautiful melody. This spot is also great for swimming and kayaking, and this makes Benagil Sea Cave a must-visit destination for any person who wants to explore and experience the wonders of nature.
Benagil Sea Cave is an amazing natural wonder you should not miss
Photo: Algarve.
Photo: Albufeira.
Benagil Cave
The Benagil cave, which is also known as Algar de Benagil in Portuguese, is the most popular cave from the Algarve region, Portugal.
This wonder of nature has already been listed in several travel guides. It is considered one of the most beautiful caves in the world by Condé Nast Traveller magazine, and also Huffington Post has also mentioned it as one of the top 10 coolest caves around the world.
Due to the fact that it dates more than 20 million years ago, part of this cave has collapsed, and now it has a wide-open hole in the center that is known as ‘the eye’. Here is how natural light enters the cave and it creates a spectacle, especially at sunrise and sunset.
Seeing the Benagil cave from the inside is absolutely impressive
Photo: Benagil Caves Tour. Algarve.
Note that you can only get inside this cave by sea, so consider taking a boat, a kayak, a SUP, or if you are brave and adventurous enough, you can swim to the cave.
Moreover, you can hike to the top of the cave. Hiking will take you to the hole from where you can see inside. Nevertheless, hiking is not just as imposing as getting inside this cave.
Photo: Golden Coast. Algarve.
Photo: Praia do Camilo. Lagos.
How to Choose Your Benagil Cave Tour
If you’re considering taking a Benagil cave tour, you have plenty of options to choose from.
In these tours you get the chance to sail along the rough coastline of the Benagil area, visit some intricate caves and beaches, and also admire the Algarve coast from a very unique perspective.
Besides, you get some adrenaline rush because some of these caves are tiny, and you may think that the boat can’t squeeze inside.
The best part is that some of the tours include a stop to swim.
It can be tiring, especially because of the rough sea conditions and the strong sun. But if you’re the adventurous type, this tour is for you.
The Benagil cave is among the most impressive natural wonders that are placed in the Algarve
Photo: Albufeira. Portugal.
PORTIMAO PORTUGAL
Portimão is the second largest city from the Western part of the Algarve and it is known as the city where some of the best fish dishes from Portugal are cooked.
Portimão offers an extensive array of distractions like spending a day at the beach, visiting the Municipal Theatre of Portimão, learning about its history and culture, or trying out activities like skydiving, surfing, boat trips or kite surfing, among others.
You can walk along the Arade river and the nearby marina, or head to the old docks that have been transformed into a promenade of restaurants. Here you can enjoy the fresh catch of the day or some other typical Portuguese delights.
Photo: Praia dos Três Castelos. Portimao.
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACHES IN ALGARVE PORTUGAL
Photo: Beautiful Beaches in Algarve.
As we already told you, the Algarve coast is famous for its rocky coastline because it has some dramatic gold-colored cliffs. In this part of the world, the ocean hit these rock walls for decades, so nature has created some unique sights.
According to Living Tours, these are the caves of the Algarve that are the most beautiful:
Photo: Ponta da Piedade. Lagos.
PRAIA DA MARINHA
Praia da Marina (Navy Beach) is one of the most famous beaches form the Algarve region, near Portimão. It has fresh water because it is bathed by the river and not by the sea.
The yellow and dense sand from this beach is different from the sand found on the remaining beaches of Portimão and it has an enticing crystal-clear blue water.
Marinha beach is bordered by some amazing orange-yellowish limestone cliffs that have an incredible variety of rock formations. What makes it special, apart from its extraordinary natural beauty, is the fact that it’s placed in a small town.
The way to Marinha beach may be a bit difficult because getting to it means taking a footpath with a sharp descent. But we can ensure you that the visit is worthwhile.
Photo: The caves of the Algarve.
VISIT THESE AND OTHER PLACES
If you visit the Algarve, take the opportunity to visit these and other places on its coast. Whether you visit them by foot or choose a boat trip, they always give you a lot of fun and adventure. Besides, they have another advantage: they can be done by everyone who is looking for some good discoveries.
