Benagil Cave in the Algarve in Portugal

Benagil Cave in the Algarve in Portugal is certainly one of the most stunning and most visited natural landmarks. Whenever you are searching for things to do in the Algarve, I’m sure that you have seen pictures of the Benagil Cave. Basically it is a grotto with a hole in the ceiling. This hole is called the eye and illuminates the grotto with sunlight. 

As the Benagil Cave is one of the most popular places to visit, it can get very crowded. Benagil Cave is located on the Algarve Coastline in Portugal. Is is a sea cave. As the name says it already, Bengil Cave can only be accessed by sea. You can not simply walk into the cave to admire the beauty of the cave. Exactly this makes Benagil Cave so special. 

How you want to discover Benagil Cave depends on your preferences. There are a few options on how to explore the sea cave. When you don’t want to get into the water and admire the coastline of the Algarve, you can book an organized  boat tour. If you completely prefer to stay out of the water, you can still take a look inside the cave from above. Finally, if you want to step inside the cave, be sure to rent a kayak.

…by Kayak

Whenever you want to visit Benagil Cave by Kayak during peak season, you absolutely need to book your kayak in advance. They are really fast fully booked. The company that offers the kayaks is called Taruga Tours Benagil.

You will rent a kayak without a guide, so be sure to know how to handle the kayak. It is a 5 minutes ride from the beach to the cave. The ride itself is easy but the landing in the cave can be a little bit tricky. If you pay attention, it will work out. 

However, if you want to spend some time in the cave to appreciate this natural phenomena and to take pictures, this is the best way to experience the Benagil cave. Although time is limited by Taruga Tours Benagil because there are a lot of people waiting to get the kayaks, 1 hour and 30 minutes is enough if you only want to discover the main famous cave.

…by Boat

Most people are visiting the cave by boat because it is the easiest way to enter the cave. Almost every company offers boat trips to the Benagil Cave. If you are afraid of water, this is perhaps the best way to still admire the beauty of the cave. Unfortunately the boat will not let you go ashore. They will only drive into the cave, let you take some pictures and then make a u-turn to quit the cave.

Basically there are hundreds of boats entering the Benagil cave everyday. Although I don’t like those boat trips, it is a practical way of visiting Benagil Cave. It is still a natural phenomena that attracts people.

…by swimming

You still have the possibility to swim into the cave. As it is located only about 100 meters from the Benagil Beach, you can also reach it by swimming. This is only to recommend when you are an excellent swimmer. When we were there it was completely forbidden by the police to swim into the cave because of the current. Although there were still a lot of people who swam into the cave. To be honest I also wanted to swim into the cave because I didn’t though about any other possibility like the kayak. However I immediately forget that idea when I saw the current of the sea and felt the temperature of it.

I would disadvise everyone to swim into that cave especially when it is forbidden by the police. This is not to punish you but to safe your life because the sea can be very dangerous.

…from above

If you don’t want to visit the cave from the inside or if you have already done this, you can always take a little walk and have a look inside the Benagil Cave from above. This is not so spectacular as the cave itself but it is quite interesting to see the hole in the ceiling.

Benagil Cave was a highlight in the Algarve and I can only recommend to visit the cave by kayak or the organized boat tours. Did you already visit Benagil Cave? If yes, which method did you chose?

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