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Most tours go to the Benagil Cave. The large, beautiful and most famous cave of the Algarve. You can also visit this on your own. The more time you can spend in this beautiful spot and perhaps chill out on the beach of Benagil. In our opinion, you should definitely not miss a visit to the Benagil Cave! We tell you here how to get there, what you will find and in which ways you can admire the cave!
WHAT IS THE BENAGIL CAVE?
The Benagil Cave is a large well-known cave of the Algarve. (Lagoa). Recognizable from this cave are the two large holes on the side. This is a kind of gateway. And the top one big hole. In the cave there is a beach and one large rock where you can pose nicely. It is especially cool when the sun shines into the cave, giving you a beautiful light effect.
BOAT TRIP
In the Algarve (from Albufeira, Lagos and Portimão, among others) there are many providers who organize boat trips along the most famous beaches, caves and rock formations. Of course, the Benagil Cave is included in this. The boat will sail a bit into the cave so that you can admire the inside. The boat cannot moor completely as there is also a stretch of beach in the cave and it gradually becomes shallower here. You are also not allowed to leave the boat, which is a shame.
A nice tour is the boat trip Caves and Dolphins (yes they swim here too!) from the operator Dream Wave
SWIM
The Benagil Cave is not very far from the beach, only 150 meters. If you swim slightly into the sea and then look to the left, you can already see the cave. However, the power of the sea is often overestimated. So be really careful with this, because swimming it is still quite a bit. There is also a flow at certain points that can drag you along. We do not recommend this.
In addition, you can of course not take such beautiful pictures since you cannot take a camera, phone or drone with you.
KAYAK
The most ideal picture is to visit the cave by kayak. This way you can admire this beautiful cave at your own leisure. The sea is quite rough at the beginning with higher waves. Your kayak will not stay neatly still until you sit on it! This requires some strength and stamina with a few bruises as a result. But once you are seated and have paddled the first few meters, it is doable. We rented our kayaks at the compant Taruga Tours. You can rent a kayak for 45 minutes or 1.5 hours. They have a counter on the beach itself. 45 minutes was enough for us. We were able to paddle in peace, admire the cave and take pictures. If you want to be sure of a kayak, you have to reserve this in advance online.
Tip: As soon as you get on your kayak, you may be washed over by the waves. Make sure you have a waterproof bag. We had wrapped the camera in a few plastic bags and then put it in the backpack with a waterproof case around it.
SPOT THE CAVE FROM ABOVE
Characteristic of the Benagil Cave are the three holes. Two on the side and one on the top. You can also view the cave from the top. For this you walk across the large parking lot of Benagil. Then you can walk through a kind of gate. Walk through the grass. See the photos below the Benagil Cave for the route from the parking lot. Walk towards the sea and you will automatically see the Benagil cave on your left from above. This gives you a very cool perspective.
PARKING
Between the Benagil beach and the Cave from above is a large parking lot. Very simply called: Parking Benagil. This one can actually not to be missed. You can enter this parking space in the navigation or you can type in Praia Benagil. Even then you will pass the parking lot. This is on your left when you arrive.