4 Days in Algarve. Day 3 – from Portimao to Albufeira

From Portimao to Albufeira

Our two week tour was coming to an end. Next day, we had a plane at 6 PM so today we have to see as much as possible. The plan was simple enough. We said goodbye to Lagos in the morning and headed to Albufeira, where we had our accommodation today. The famous cave of Benagil was the highlight of the program. If you want to know how to get there, what to see on the Portimao-Albufeira route and with which company sail along the Algarve coast, then stay with us to the end. 🙂

Watch the video from our entire trip of Algarve!!

Paraiso beach

We didn’t have a specific plan for the Algarve. We have listed several beaches worthy of our attention, and then from this list we choosed the most convenient locations for us. It is hard to see all Algarve beaches in 4 days, so here you will find a hint and photos with recommendations, where to go. Our first stop was Carvoeiro. There are two beaches, including Paraiso. Paraiso is a modest beach surrounded by mighty orange rocks. To get to it we have to go down several hundred stairs. Then we realized how high the Algarve cliffs are. Descent to the sea is quite steep here. Turquoise ocean, quickly becomes navy blue. We met there several divers, who caught octopuses or different sea food in their nets! 😀

Carvoeiro beach

Not that far is located Carvoeiro Beach. Due to the accumulation of white houses, which are increasingly bushy on the beach, may resemble the Greek coast. But no worries, just in case of too much alcohol 😛 , the color of the cliffs would remind you that you are in the Algarve. 🙂 The beaches are worth seeing from nearby view points.

In Carvoeiro we drank a little coffee and move on further.

Alfanzina

The next stop was Alfanzina. There are not too many people here, so we were very happy. There is one of the most important lighthouses in the Algarve. It was built in the early 20th century and is still in use. You can’t admire it close up, because the area is completely fenced. We decided to take a walk around the surroundings rock. Suddenly, we discovered a huge hole in the middle of the rock. So big and so deep that when we dumped the stone we didn’t hear when it fell. 😮 No worries – the hole is fenced, so there’s no way you would not notice it. At this point the coast is exceptionally gray.

Benagil Beach

We finally reach the most desired area of ​​our day – Benagil Beach. If you want to visit this beach prepare for the narrow road, with a fairly large slope. I don’t recommend it to beginner drivers! Parking on the beach is quite small, but you can also park in the street, or go up where you will find a little more space.

On the Internet we read that we could buy tickets there for the trip to the cave Benagil. It was true! The company is called Taruga and for 25 euros (May 2017) it offers a 2 hour cruise along the Algarve coast. There is only one problem. Tickets are sold exclusively on Benagil Beach, but Taruga sails from Portimao. Although in Portimao you can’t get their tickets. Of course they offer a bus ride to Portimao, but back is not necessarily. Take cash with you because they don’t honor cards. We missed 1 euro, but we could have paid 1/2 price, and the second part we provided on spot in Portimao.  We got a ticket for 3;30 PM and it was only 1 PM. In the high season I recommend to arrive a little earlier if you want to be sure that you will get a ticket.

Since we had so much time we decided to relax a bit on Benagil Beach. It reminded us the beach of Dona Ana from Lagos as it was also sandy and covered with lots of sea shells. However, Benagil is much smaller because is surrounded by two powerful cliffs!

Apparently, the famous cave of Benagil is just 800 meters away from here. For me (former swimmer) it’s a mere warm-up distance, that you can swim in the ocean in 15 mi. I wouldn’t dare myself to swim alone. The ocean was still too cold and wavy. Maybe with partner I would be more brave. 😉

Portimao

After a short relac on the beautiful Benagil Beach, we came back to Portimao. We had around 40 minutes to our departure, so we quickly grabbed the kebab, a large portion of delicious ice cream, and we withdrawn money the cash machine. 😀 We reached the port and got lost. It was written where we should meet, but unfortunately we went opposite way. At some point I had tears in my eyes, because I thought that we would lost our trip. Fortunately, we managed to call them and find this place. We made it at the last minute.

Along the coast

To our surprise, the trip was on pontoon, with a row of uncomfortable seats, but with a pretty good engine. When we got out of the harbor, the acceleration was fantastic! We immediately knew that the trip was a perfect choice! Not only lasted a long time, but they took us to really cool places! We had so much fun, almost like on Banana Boating. Everyone really had a great time. 😛 The guides didn’t talk too much, but they told us the most important, interesting and the funniest things!

It is worth spending 25 euros for such a views. Especially, since not all ships are getting so deep into the Benagil cave. If there had been a bigger wave then I’m almost sure our boat would land on the beach! The other cool stuff that Taruga did, is also getting into one of the caves so far, that you have to shine with your flashlight to see anything! 😀

Raivoso beach

We finished our cruise at 5 PM – so we still had quite some time to visit other beaches. The choice fall on Raivoso, which we saw on our boat trip. Rock formations at this place are really beautiful and worth at least short stop. One of these form looks like an elephant. It is much more visible after few Sngrias, but we saw without Sangria as well! 😛 Only the route to the beach is a little unpleasant.

Albandeira Beach

Then we headed to another, equally interesting beach – Albandeira. It’s a pretty little beach, surrounded by mighty cliffs. One of them, a huge bow, attracts particular interest. It can reminds a bit of non-existent Azzure Window. Just look at the pictures and judge yourself!

Sao Rafael Beach

The sun was getting lower and lower on the horizon and we were tired. We decided to have one more stop today, namely the beach of Sao Rafael. You can admire it both from the top and from the beach itself. 😛 However, we strongly recommend descent to the beach. In some places the cliffs are so dense that you get the impression that you are in the Grand Canyon. Rock formations in this place stole our hearts and for us the Sao Rafael Beach is one of the most beautiful beach in the Algarve!

Lost and Found Hostel

From Sao Rafael beach to our hotel we were only a few kilometers away. That is how we got to Albufeira. We stayed on the outskirts of town and honestly without a car it’s really hard to get to the Lost and Found Hostel. However, the hotel has quite a lot of occupancy because it’s really great! It is a pity that we spent only one night here, as I would gladly have exchanged it from the two nights in Lagos. Best hotel during our entire trip. The hotel was clean and modern. There was a restaurant that offers the possibility of buying meals, but you have also a kitchen where you could prepare meals by yourself. To enter the room, you had to walk through the garden, where you could relax. 😉 We highly recommend this Hostel!

And what your impressions of Algarve? 🙂