When people think of the Algarve Coast in Portugal, Lagos and the Benagil Caves come to mind. But a lot of people actually don’t know that you can do a Benagil Cave tour from Lagos Marina. So you don’t need to drive all the way to Benagil to see the famous caves along Portugal’s southern coast.
Of course, if you already have a car and want to explore and see Benagil then you can just drive down there. There are some great Benagil Cave kayak tours and even boat tours that go from Benagil.
If you’re staying in Lagos and want an easy way to see the Caves de Benagil and the Carvoeiro Caves without having to drive anywhere then the Benagil Cave tour from Lagos is the perfect option for you. This tour starts and ends by the Lagos Marina and lasts 2 to 2.5 hours (depending on the tour you book) which is enough time for you to see the beautiful caves.
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Everything you need to know about the Benagil Cave Tour From Lagos
There are multiple companies that do boat tours from Lagos to the Benagil Caves. We decided to go on the Benagil Cave Tour with Lagos Grotto Trips because we met Connie, one of the owners, down at the marina. She was super friendly and not pushy at all to get us to buy tickets – and then it was fun for Jo since Connie is Danish too! Lagos Grotte Trips is run by Connie and her Portuguese husband and we always try to support small local companies like that.
Most of these tours from Lagos to the Benagil Caves last a few hours since most companies have speed boats and can cruise along the Algarve Coast quite quickly. We really enjoyed the tour and recommend it to anyone wanting to see the famous caves along the Algarve!
Where does the Benagil Cave tour from Lagos start?
As we mentioned earlier, one of the best parts of going on a boat tour from Lagos to the Benagil Caves is that you don’t have to go far at all. You can walk to the Lagos Marina from almost anywhere in Lagos and that’s where all boat tours in Lagos start.
Sometimes the tour companies will get you to meet at their ticket stands on the main roads next to the Lagos Marina but it’s only a few meters away from the actual marina. When the tour is over, you will get dropped off at the same spot you started from.
Instead of driving or taking a bus to Benagil, you can hop on one of these Benagil Cave tours from Lagos and enjoy the nice boat ride along the Algarve Coast. We preferred doing it this way instead of driving to Benagil so we got to be out on the water for longer and see more of the beautiful coastline.
What you can expect to see on the Benagil cave tour from Lagos
#1 Enjoy the Algarve Coast
Many locals and tourists say the Algarve Coast is the most beautiful coastline in Portugal. It has plenty of beautiful golden sand beaches, caves, and cliffs which you’ll get up close to on this boat tour from Lagos to the Benagil Caves.
The coast stretches all the way along Southern Portugal from Sagres to Faro, and on this tour, you’ll be sailing past Alvor, Portimao, Carvoeiro, and Benagil. Seeing the coastline from out at sea is amazing and you can get some really good pictures of the coast. Plus some inspiration for beaches you want to visit after the tour!
#2 Spot dolphins (if you’re lucky)
Fun fact: You can almost always find dolphins out in the Algarve. Even though this tour doesn’t include dolphin sightings, if you’re lucky, dolphins may just swim next to you on your way to Benagil. We, unfortunately, didn’t see any dolphins, but it’s quite common.
You can also go on a designated dolphin boat tour from Lagos if you don’t end up seeing them on this tour. Who knows, you may get lucky and see both the Benagil Caves and dolphins on one tour!
#3 Get up close and inside Benagil Cave
On this tour, you’ll get right up inside Benagil Cave and have the chance to take some awesome pictures. Even the iconic one with the big hole in the roof of the cave. We were quite surprised at this as we didn’t think we’d actually get inside the caves on the boat. So it was pretty cool that we did!
You won’t be able to get to the beach inside Benagil Cave. To do that you’ll have to go on a Benagil Kayak tour but you’ll still be able to get to see the inside of the cave. The experienced skippers can navigate the boats quite well that they actually navigate them inside some of the other bigger caves in the Algarve as well!
Is the Benagil Cave tour from Lagos worth it?
In our opinion, the Benagil Cave tour from Lagos was totally worth it. We saved so much time by going straight from Lagos instead of renting a car or taking a bus to Benagil. So we actually ended up saving both time and money because even once you’re in Benagil you have to go on a tour there to actually see the caves.
Another nice thing about doing the tour from Lagos was that we got to see a bunch of the Algarve coastline between Lagos and Benagil. Accessing some of the other caves was super fun too although it’s not for people who tend to feel claustrophobic!
You can see more information on the Benagil Cave tour we went on here. The company was super professional and we had a great experience with them. For the price and what we got out of it, it was fantastic.
You can book the same Benagil Cave tour here.
A few other Benagil Cave tours you may like
If you want to check out a few other options or if the tour is booked out (this happens quite often during peak season), then you might want to check out some of these options:
- Algarve: Benagil Cave Boat Tour and Algarseco Coastal Walk
- Portimão: Benagil Cave and Ria de Alvor Nature Reserve Tour
- From Lagos: Benagil Sea Caves Speedboat Tour
You may also like…
- 5 Awesome Boat Tours to do in Lagos, Portugal
- How to Explore the Ponta Da Piedade by Boat Tour in Lagos
- Top 20 Things to do in Lagos, Portugal
- 3 Ways to Visit The Benagil Caves by Kayak
- The Best Ways to get from Lisbon to Lagos
Recap of our experience and review on our Benagil Cave tour from Lagos
If you’re in Lagos and want to experience and see the Caves de Benagil then a boat tour there is the best way. It’s affordable, beautiful, and the most convenient way to see the caves if you’re staying in Lagos and don’t have a car.
You’ll cruise along the coast and see the beautiful coastline of the Algarve and maybe even get lucky and see dolphins. Of course, if you really enjoy the tour and the Benagil Caves you can always go back to Benagil and spend a day hanging around the beaches and the caves.
There are plenty of Benagil Cave kayak tours and some people even swim to the caves during low tide. Whatever you end up doing though, we hope you’ll have a great time. Lagos, The Algarve, and the caves are all beautiful and it’s a special area of Portugal that’s worth exploring!
If you have any questions about boat tours, Lagos, Benagil Caves, or anything Portugal related then feel free to DM us on Instagram or leave a comment on this post and we’ll get back to you!
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