Carvoeiro Caves — Attraction in Lagoa

This was ridiculously cool. Rough start but well worth it. Here's the story (we took the longer tour, which you should always choose), y'all stick with me.

We booked online more than a month in advance. When we arrived the morning of our trip, they had no record of us, an oversight by the website folks. The ladies manning the front were a mix of distressingly apologetic and furious with the person that messed up. An amazing Portuguese rant occured. It was beautiful and terrifying. Anyway, they couldn't get us on the boat, but offered a slot that afternoon at a DEEPLY discounted rate. It was raining and cloudy anyway, so we accepted and hung around town for a few hours. Moral of the story, CALL AHEAD THE DAY BEFORE to check weather and co firm your reservation.

Cool, so afternoon rolls around, skies clear up a bit but the seas are VERY choppy. Dudes are fighting to hold the boat while we clamber through the surf to get on. Too easy. 3 families, one with a little boy, more on that champ later.

And then our tour guide stepped up. Dude is half DJ, half extreme boating daredevil, and half standup comedian. I'm aware that's too many halves.

We go zipping through the surf, in and out of a dozen or more caves. I've never seen anyone drive a boat like this guy. Ever done a donut in a little boat in a cave with surf crashing everywhere and barely any clearance? We sure have. Dude is probably one of the most knowledgeable folks on the coast about all the caves, it sounds like he has spent most of his life boating and exploring the coastline and caves like some sort of speedboat spelunker.

Keep in mind, no other boats are seeing what we are. Sea is too rough for smaller boats, and the larger tour boats can't fit in most of the caves. You know who had a bad day? The kayakers. Those poor folks were just getting pulled through the swell by a motor boat looking like a bunch of seasick kindergarten kids tied together so no one gets lost at the zoo. We waved. They couldn't wave back because they were hanging on for dear life.

We look back at the two ladies who have the little boy on our tour and he is taking a nap. We are rocking through rain and waves and Poseidon's wrath and this little dude is sleeping through it. What a boss.

Long story short. Take this tour. Confirm your reservation. Put your phones/cameras down and interact with the...

We had booked a boat trip for 4 adults and 2 children (5 and 9). We booked the 90 minute cave tour (I believe that there is also a 60 minute tour). I would recommend booking the trip directly at the 'CarvoeiroCaves' kiosk which is on the far left hand side of the beach. If you book at one of the many local travel agencies you will possibly pay more as they take a commission fee. When you're due to board, go the kiosk area. There is small room where you can leave you footwear and belongs (if needed). I would recommend wearing flip flops or some other kind of waterproof shoe. This is because you will board and disembark the boat at the beach shore. If the sea is choppy you may have to exit into a few inches of water. DO NOT WEAR SHOES YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET WET!! The staff at the kiosk area were really friendly and chatty and fielded all our questions. They were great with the kids. One of our group was suffering from a foot condition that meant his foot could not get submerged in water. Due to the breezy conditions on the day we had booked to sail, the staff could not guaranteed that his foot would not get wet getting on and/or off the boat. They issued a full refund without question and were really accommodating and reasonable about the whole situation. The cave tour was fantastic. Taking your camera is a must - we went on a breezy day and other than a bit of spray, we remained quite dry. You may want to put your electronics in a plastic bag if worried about this. The 'captain' of the boat appeared to be an experienced sailor and handled the boat well, even in the conditions. The trip involves going inside some caves and can be quite narrow. Any one who suffers from claustrophobia may want to bear this in mind. All in all a fantastic trip and well worth every penny. A must if staying...

Impromptu, on Oct 5, 2023, we took a Bolt car from Lagos to Carvoeiro Beach to go to the Benagil Caves.

Arriving at 11am, we did not make any pre-booking and were not sure if we could see the Cave given the recent boat accident with no fatalities.

At Carvoeiro Beach, we saw two booths selling tickets. We spoke to one of them and he told us the only available slot was 4:30pm “take it or leave it”. Because of his obnoxiousness, we went over to Carvoeiro Caves (next to it) to enquire. We were thankful that 2 elderly ladies before us decided not to take the remaining 2:30pm slot. And just like that, we secure the chance to visit the Benagil Caves. We got more than that… the coastal line with all the caves is spectacular.

Of course the most spectacular of all is this Benagil Cave. Just when I thought I have exhausted all my bucket list! You marvel at how Mother Nature, through erosion carved this beautiful cave with an “eye” over millions of years.

I am so thankful for the good weather and the chance to view this piece of artwork that no human being could create.

I even got more than what I bargained for. The 1.5 hour tour covered more caves and grottos than I could ever imagined. Our guides are skilful (the sea was rather choppy that day) and funny. They even stopped the boat for the trippers who wanted a swim. I wished I was in my swim suit !

I highly recommend Carvoeiro Caves. Here’s some preparation you can make ahead of time : Wear slippers or waterproof shoes because u need to board the board from the beach.

Otherwise, you’d need to leave your shoes behind… which we did, and it was thankfully not stolen.

The next time I return, I...