Five Active Ways to Explore the Algarve Coastline

Step off the bus in any coastal town in the Algarve and within minutes you’ll have encountered enough companies selling speedboat tours of the coastline to make you wonder how the hell there are so many ways in the English language to combine the words ‘adventure’ and ‘boat’.

Skipping across the waves from the relative comfort of a plastic chair with an ice cold Coca Cola in hand isn’t our idea of adventure, though. With that in mind, we thought we’d put together some suggestions for how to see this spectacular part of the world under your own steam. We stayed in Lagos and our recommendations are somewhat reflective of that. If you don’t have access to a car, we’ve tried to recommend a local guide where locations are harder to reach.

Standup Paddleboarding

Admiring the sunrise as we paddle around Ponta da Piedade

Kicking things off with our absolute top recommendation, we believe there’s no better way to explore the ruinous limestone formations of the Algarve than by paddleboard. This ponderous mode of transport allows you to get up close and really contemplate the fossilised formations and pockmarked facade of the rock. For the best experience, aim to be on the water shortly before dawn. You’ll have the dramatic architecture of the coastline all to yourself, along with the opportunity to watch the sun rise between the golden limestone arches. There are a few companies offering sunrise paddleboarding tours but we recommend Nowhere2far, who are always first out on the water.

During business hours the Lagos peninsula is a bustling tourist economy with dozens of boats bothering the cliffs at any given time, leaving the leisurely pastime of paddleboarding more akin to navigating the obstacles of a wakeboarding course. Moreover, the sense of peace and solitude at dawn is regenerative as the sun creeps over the horizon, its rays bouncing over the waves and bathing them a husky orange. A paddleboard gives you access to parts of the coast that boats are just too large to approach. Explore the myriad caves and coves, and duck through impossibly small arches transforming this beautiful coastline into your own paddleboarding training ground.

Sea Kayaking

Kayakers weave in and out of the limestone formations

If you’re looking for some Adventure Lite - or perhaps you’re travelling with children - then there is no better way to get up close to the golden cliffs while still enjoying the tranquillity of the water than with a sea kayak.

Multiple companies line the walkways of the Marina de Lagos hawking tours. They’ll ferry you out to the peninsula where you’ll slip onto the water in your rented kayaks for a guided tour of the grottoes, dodging speedboats as their skippers playfully attempt to upset the kayaks with the force of their wakes. Back onboard the main boat, refreshments are available and the tunes are cranked as the top deck becomes a diving board for thrill seekers. It can feel a bit sanitised, somewhat akin to a coach tour, but Kayak Adventures Lagos depart from Praia da Batata beach, allowing you to make your way out to the formations under your own steam. It’s a relaxing and yet surprisingly efficient way to explore the different features of the coastline - look out for the Arc de Triomphe, the elephant and the camel, and explore some of the smaller caves that boat passengers will never have the pleasure of seeing.

Trail Running

Viewing the Lagos coastline from the clifftops gives it a totally different perspective

So far we’ve explored the coastline from the surface of the water but the clifftop offers a totally different perspective, the karst formations looking completely unfamiliar from above and playing more of a supporting role to the centre stage beauty of the vast open ocean. The new clifftop boardwalk snakes around the Ponta da Piedade peninsula with enough lookout points and alternative loops to allow you to repeat your run without retracing more than a few steps.

We’ve put together an Algarve coastline trailrun GPX file for you that clocks in at just over three miles (or just over five kilometres). The loop is a mixture of boardwalk, tarmac and earth, and can be quite comfortably traversed in street shoes. Do make sure you take in a few of the detours to see the best bits of the coastline. We particularly recommend descending the steep steps of the Miradouro da Ponta da Piedade for a dip or stopping at the Ponta da Piedade lookout point to watch the sunset. There are also spectacular sunrises to be seen from all across the boardwalk and we do recommend running at dawn or dusk to avoid the heat - and crowds - of the day.

Swimming

Swimmers and kayakers land on the beach of the Benagil Cave

If you’re planning a visit to any part of the Algarve, then the Benagil Cave (otherwise known as the Benagil Cathedral) is surely high on your list of must-see attractions. Made famous by Windows Spotlight, and inspiring office workers the world over to book holidays to nearby Carvoeiro, the striking strata of the cave walls are reminiscent of sand bottle art and are illuminated by the gaping sunroof in the ceiling.

Enjoy the smug satisfaction of swimming through the cave entrance and landing on the beach as the swathes of boats ferry tourists in for a perfunctory two minutes a pop, as they clamber over each other to snap a photo of you on your own exclusive beach beneath dome art beautiful enough to rival that of the Sistine Chapel. Boats are not permitted to land inside the cave and the only ways to feel the sand beneath your toes are to swim or kayak. If swimming, set off from Plaia de Benagil and keep to the left as you enter the cave, careful not to swim too close to the cave wall. We do not recommend this for inexperienced swimmers - the tides are stronger than they look and you’ll have to contend with the wakes generated by tourist boats as they motor past you. If you’re not a confident swimmer, we recommend booking a local guide such as Vagabundo Travel who provides floats.

Top tip: Take a dry bag and enjoy a picnic on the beach.

Hiking

Limestone cliffs glowing in the afternoon sun

We couldn’t wrap this article up without a hiking recommendation. The Seven Hanging Valleys Trail is a Best Of tour of the rugged Algarve coastline, with clifftop views from Praia da Marinha at its eastern point, through to Praia do Vale de Centeanes. It’s a linear walk but, at a cool 6km, retracing your steps back to the starting point makes it a casual half-day outing. You can walk it in either direction and there’s a hopper bus that runs from point to point if you don’t fancy doubling back on yourself - tickets can be purchased on the bus.

The views are spectacular, combining the best of the region’s rugged limestone with white sandy beaches. The route will take you over Benagil Cave where you can see the famous skylight - you could even stop at Benagil Beach and hire a kayak to paddle into the cave itself. There are plenty of GPX routes online and even more local companies willing to take you on a guided tour - these can be particularly helpful if you’re not staying near either start point, as they’re difficult to reach without a car.

As always, our golden hour rule applies - for Algarve beauty squared, go at sunrise or sunset.