Portugal > Faro > Algarve coast and Benagil sea cave
Algarve coast and Benagil sea cave
N 37°5.45', W 8°24.013'
2015-10-10
http://www.visitalgarve.pt
Our rating: 7.00
Overall rating: - Rate this place - 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The southern coast of Portugal (Algarve) is the main resort area of the country. This is a popular beach resort with the length of 150 kilometers, which was named the best golf resort in the world in 2013 and 2014. We had planned to rest for a few days on the coast and were looking for some deserted place, with few tourists. We chose the area between the beaches of Benagil and Albandeira. Here are no cities and in late September - early October the beaches were almost empty. Stayed at the Suites Alba Resort & Spa (booking.com ), which is owned by Portuguese football legend Luis Figo.
Hotel Suites Alba Resort & Spa ©Yuriy Buriak
Hotel Suites Alba Resort & Spa ©Yuriy Buriak
Living houses and hotels in Portugal are not located on the beach and therefore it's possible to walk freely along the coast. Around the hotel pass the trail The Seven Hanging Valleys, its description as well as a description of other hiking trails in the Algarve region can be found in this pdf document (12 Mb). The coast is extremely picturesque.
Algarve coast ©Yuriy Buriak
Algarve coast ©Yuriy Buriak
Coast near Hotel Suites Alba Resort & Spa ©Yuriy Buriak
Algarve coast ©Yuriy Buriak
Marinha Beach ©Yuriy Buriak
During the walk we met chameleon and lazy cat.
Portuguese chameleon ©Yuriy Buriak
©Yuriy Buriak
©Yuriy Buriak
Here and there hiding small, cozy beaches.
Malhada do Baraço beach ©Yuriy Buriak
We swam at the beach Albandeira, almost alone. There is a small restaurant "Pirat's" where you can order pizza, salad, pancakes, etc. Actually, there are small restaurants, almost near every beach, which is very convenient.
Albandeira beach ©Yuriy Buriak
The most interesting place of the coast is a huge cave with a hole in the ceiling. It has different names, most often used Benagil cave, Algar de Benagil and Algar Seco. To get there you have to swim about 100 meters from the Benagil beach. From the hotel to the beach we went on the free bikes (20 minutes), also we walked there by foot, along the coast (80 minutes).
Benagil cave location ©Yuriy Buriak
If you want to take photos inside and you do not have a GoPro, then take a waterproof bag, which will float on the water behind you. The second option is a boat. There are boats on the Benagil beach which depart to visit the caves (http://www.tarugatoursbenagilcaves.pt ).
Benagil Beach ©Yuriy Buriak
We agreed to jump from the boat in the water when we are in the cave, and then return to the boat during the next tour, in 40 minutes. Unfortunately boat cannot moor inside the cave due to the waves. In the waterproof bag we put the camera, tripod, and clothing, as it could be quite cold inside the cave.
Benagil cave ©Yuriy Buriak
Benagil cave ©Yuriy Buriak
Getting there: Faro has an airport with low cost airlines. There is a high speed train connection from Lisbon and Porto. Find here the information about local trains and buses in the region of Algarve. We got off the train in Tunes and got to our hotel by taxi for 30 euros.
Tags, Portugal: beach , cave , sea Tags, all countries: beach , cave , sea
- Rate this place -
Location : ------------ 1 - Far beyond the settlements, you must spend minimum a day 2 - Near the small town, you need to walk long distance 3 - Can be reached only by car 4 - A small town with a poor public transport 5 - Outside the settlements, but with excellent transport links 6 - A small town with excellent transport links 7 - Medium-size city 8 - Suburb of the capital or major city, the ability to reach by public transport 9 - Big city 10 - Capital
Impressions : ------------ 1 - No point in visiting 2 - Boring, wasted time 3 - You can visit, if you have a lot of free time and nothing better to do 4 - A lot of things, but not so interesting 5 - It seems to be interesting, but hard way to spoil the impression 6 - There is something interesting, but the rest is not worth the attention 7 - Probably interesting, but for everybody 8 - Very cool, but difficult to see everything and long-distance trails 9 - Very cool, but there are similar facilities in other locations 10 - Very cool, this is not anywhere else
Number of tourists (weekend afternoon) : ------------ 1 - Crowds, impossible to see everything normally 2 - A lot of tourists, a long wait 3 - A lot of tourists, the organization is lame 4 - A lot of tourists, but good organization 5 - There are many tourists, but they are concentrated in one place and you can walk freely 6 - Many tourists everywhere, but the large space is compensated 7 - The average number of tourists. To photograph, you must wait 8 - Tourists are, but they do not interfere 9 - There are few tourists 10 - You are alone
State : ------------ 1 - Only title left 2 - Dull ruins 3 - On restoration 4 - The picturesque ruins 5 - Have not been restored, the state is poor 6 - Partially destroyed, but the rest of the normal state 7 - Have not been restored, good condition 8 - OK, but it is possible to make better 9 - Looks good from the outside, partial repair inside or without repair 10 - In excellent condition, well-groomed area
Picturesque (for the photographer) : ------------ 1 - - 2 - - 3 - Horrible background, normal pictures only from the top 4 - wires and cars do not allow make normal photo 5 - Interfere with foreign objects 6 - In the city, but more or less normal photo can be made 7 - Beautiful, but you can take pictures with just one point 8 - Very nice, but you can only shoot at a certain time 9 - Very nice, but hard to get to the good weather or permanently interfere with tourists 10 - Very nice, but occasionally interferes with the weather or tourists
* - Note: Description of the evaluation is not always appropriate for a particular object, it's just a little help
Our rating - 7.00
Location : ------------ 1 - Far beyond the settlements, you must spend minimum a day 2 - Near the small town, you need to walk long distance 3 - Can be reached only by car 4 - A small town with a poor public transport 5 - Outside the settlements, but with excellent transport links 6 - A small town with excellent transport links 7 - Medium-size city 8 - Suburb of the capital or major city, the ability to reach by public transport 9 - Big city 10 - Capital
Impressions : ------------ 1 - No point in visiting 2 - Boring, wasted time 3 - You can visit, if you have a lot of free time and nothing better to do 4 - A lot of things, but not so interesting 5 - It seems to be interesting, but hard way to spoil the impression 6 - There is something interesting, but the rest is not worth the attention 7 - Probably interesting, but for everybody 8 - Very cool, but difficult to see everything and long-distance trails 9 - Very cool, but there are similar facilities in other locations 10 - Very cool, this is not anywhere else
Number of tourists (weekend afternoon) : ------------ 1 - Crowds, impossible to see everything normally 2 - A lot of tourists, a long wait 3 - A lot of tourists, the organization is lame 4 - A lot of tourists, but good organization 5 - There are many tourists, but they are concentrated in one place and you can walk freely 6 - Many tourists everywhere, but the large space is compensated 7 - The average number of tourists. To photograph, you must wait 8 - Tourists are, but they do not interfere 9 - There are few tourists 10 - You are alone
State : ------------ 1 - Only title left 2 - Dull ruins 3 - On restoration 4 - The picturesque ruins 5 - Have not been restored, the state is poor 6 - Partially destroyed, but the rest of the normal state 7 - Have not been restored, good condition 8 - OK, but it is possible to make better 9 - Looks good from the outside, partial repair inside or without repair 10 - In excellent condition, well-groomed area
Picturesque (for the photographer) : ------------ 1 - - 2 - - 3 - Horrible background, normal pictures only from the top 4 - wires and cars do not allow make normal photo 5 - Interfere with foreign objects 6 - In the city, but more or less normal photo can be made 7 - Beautiful, but you can take pictures with just one point 8 - Very nice, but you can only shoot at a certain time 9 - Very nice, but hard to get to the good weather or permanently interfere with tourists 10 - Very nice, but occasionally interferes with the weather or tourists
* - Note: Description of the evaluation is not always appropriate for a particular object, it's just a little help
Visitor's rating - 0.00
Location : ------------ 1 - Far beyond the settlements, you must spend minimum a day 2 - Near the small town, you need to walk long distance 3 - Can be reached only by car 4 - A small town with a poor public transport 5 - Outside the settlements, but with excellent transport links 6 - A small town with excellent transport links 7 - Medium-size city 8 - Suburb of the capital or major city, the ability to reach by public transport 9 - Big city 10 - Capital
Impressions : ------------ 1 - No point in visiting 2 - Boring, wasted time 3 - You can visit, if you have a lot of free time and nothing better to do 4 - A lot of things, but not so interesting 5 - It seems to be interesting, but hard way to spoil the impression 6 - There is something interesting, but the rest is not worth the attention 7 - Probably interesting, but for everybody 8 - Very cool, but difficult to see everything and long-distance trails 9 - Very cool, but there are similar facilities in other locations 10 - Very cool, this is not anywhere else
Number of tourists (weekend afternoon) : ------------ 1 - Crowds, impossible to see everything normally 2 - A lot of tourists, a long wait 3 - A lot of tourists, the organization is lame 4 - A lot of tourists, but good organization 5 - There are many tourists, but they are concentrated in one place and you can walk freely 6 - Many tourists everywhere, but the large space is compensated 7 - The average number of tourists. To photograph, you must wait 8 - Tourists are, but they do not interfere 9 - There are few tourists 10 - You are alone
State : ------------ 1 - Only title left 2 - Dull ruins 3 - On restoration 4 - The picturesque ruins 5 - Have not been restored, the state is poor 6 - Partially destroyed, but the rest of the normal state 7 - Have not been restored, good condition 8 - OK, but it is possible to make better 9 - Looks good from the outside, partial repair inside or without repair 10 - In excellent condition, well-groomed area
Picturesque (for the photographer) : ------------ 1 - - 2 - - 3 - Horrible background, normal pictures only from the top 4 - wires and cars do not allow make normal photo 5 - Interfere with foreign objects 6 - In the city, but more or less normal photo can be made 7 - Beautiful, but you can take pictures with just one point 8 - Very nice, but you can only shoot at a certain time 9 - Very nice, but hard to get to the good weather or permanently interfere with tourists 10 - Very nice, but occasionally interferes with the weather or tourists
* - Note: Description of the evaluation is not always appropriate for a particular object, it's just a little help