Praia de Benagil

In a deep valley a few kilometres east of Carvoeiro is the little fishing village of Benagil. The beach here is possibly a clue as to what Carvoeiro was like many years ago. However, at Benagil there is still a busy little fishing fleet with boats that can be seen pulled up on the beach at the bottom of the slipway.

There are other similarities to Carvoeiro too, such as the high ochre cliffs that flank the beach and the fact that these two stretches of golden sand are approximately the same size. The main difference is you will probably have a little more room to spread out at Benagil.

One reason Benagil never gets too busy is that parking can be at a bit of a premium during the summer months. There isn't actually a car park here, just street parking on the road which runs up and down the valley.

The limestone cliffs around Benagil have been eroded into various weird and wonderful forms over the years. In varying degrees of yellow and orange, grottoes, arches, pinnacles and caves have all been carved into the cliffs.

Perhaps the most impressive example of this is just around the corner from Benagil. The Algar de Benagil is a cathedral like cave with arched entrances and a small beach inside. This is best reached by boat or kayak and there are regular trips from the beach at Benagil.