Algarve's Top Attraction
Exploring coasts and caves...
We moved to Portugal’s Algarve coast on 20 January 2022. It took us 916 days to get to its number one tourist attraction. We are glad we did!
Algarve Discovery
If you check TripAdvisor, Viator, etc. you will find they all list boat trips to view the central Algarve coastline and its magnificent caves as their number one attraction. Perhaps we never made the trip because it was a 90-minute drive from our home. But when one of our dearest friends visited from the US last week we purchased tickets with Algarve Discovery1.
Friends recommended we take the first tour of the day, explaining that the waters get quite crowded during later sessions. We paid 30€/per person for their 90-minute tour starting at 9:00. We received our tickets via email and immediately received a link to the location in Google Maps. The day before our trip, we received another confirmation email with additional contact information in case we had any questions and the map link again. We arrived early (as always) and met Sarah in her pink t-shirt and baseball cap at 8:45. She explained that 15 people had signed up for our tour. We waited till nearly 9:15 to accommodate straggling guests who went to a different dock, ignoring the perfect instructions Algarve Discovery provided. We quickly donned our lifejackets and boarded the 16-passenger boat.
Our young, knowledgeable, and entertaining tour guide Gabriel spoke four languages (Portuguese, English, Spanish, and French). All but two of the passengers spoke English … allowing Gabriel to only repeat himself once. Captain Pedro expertly moved us around the other boats, scores of kayaks, and several pods of dolphins. (We were led to believe that we had more dolphin sightings than is typical.)
Benagil Cave
The photo above was taken from the travel website.2 To get this famous vantage point you must be standing on the beach…which is not possible during this type of boat tour. However, the small inflatable boats used by Algarve Discovery provide more accessibility than many other tour operators. Benagil Cave is just one of six or seven caves we saw that day.
In addition, our guide pointed out famous beaches…
Rugged coastlines with exceptional walking trails, and…
Local sardine fishermen. One came close enough to throw Denise an early lunch.
Final Thoughts
Before I go, permit me to share a few observations/suggestions:
Waters can be choppy in the cooler months or during windy days. July and August are ideal months for this activity.
Before going I read in a local online newspaper, that kayaks had been banned in several caves (including Benagil). Either the article was incorrect, the ban has been lifted, or it is not being enforced. I can report we saw 100+ kayaks, nearly all in tour groups along the coastline and inside the caves.
Ferragudo is a quaint little town just a 10-minute drive from the docks. Consider one of its many reasonably priced restaurants for lunch. We can recommend O Barril.
Consider walking along the coastline at nearby Algar Seco.
Divertir-te, tchau
Nanc
If you go, purchase your ticket directly from Algarve Discovery to save 5€/pp vs. TripAdvisor or Viator.
You might be thinking that you have seen this photo before. That is because it is the most popular screensaver photo on Microsoft Windows.
Interesting report as ever. We have had an apartment in Olhão for 9 years now & have still not done this trip.
Thanks for this info. My wife & I will be visiting the Algarve in early October, and will definitely want to do a boat tour like this.