Kayak Benagil Cave in a Small Group with 1st kayak tour company
4.8

Kayak Benagil Cave in a Small Group with 1st kayak tour company

By SecretAlgarve
Recommended by 93% of travellers
93% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
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Ages 4-75, max of 10 per group
Duration: 2h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: Portuguese, English, Spanish
More

Highlights

  • Use of kayak
  • Vests and pucks
  • Cylinder for mobile phone


Start:
  • R. dos Pescadores 8400, 8400 Lagoa, Portugal
    There ́s a big parking on the top of the hill. Walk down the road to the left. Meet us at the beach bar you will see the colleagues with the Secret Algarve Uniform. Please call if you can't find us. +351937987106
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 113203P1

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Not recommended for travellers with back problems
    • Not recommended for pregnant travellers
    • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
    • Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
    • People over 100 kg (220 lbs) are not allowed
    • Minimum age 4 years. Minimum age 4 years
    • This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travellers

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 113203P1

    From
    C$70.50
    per adult
    Select date and travellers

    Similar experiences

    Itinerary
    • R. dos Pescadores 8400, 8400 Lagoa, Portugal
      There ́s a big parking on the top of the hill. Walk down the road to the left. Meet us at the beach bar you will see the colleagues with the Secret Algarve Uniform. Please call if you can't find us. +351937987106
    • Pass by
      Praia da Marinha
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • SecretAlgarve
      4.8 of 5 bubbles1,373
      Benagil, Portugal
      Joined in January 2019
    • B9567ZXbrettg
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Holiday highlight
      We had an amazing day. This trip was greatly enjoyed by the whole family, including the teenage kids. It was a general consensus among the family that this was our highlight of our week in Algarve.
      Written February 14, 2025
    • amoghv509
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Awesome experience
      It was an awesome experience. Our guide Rafael was fun and shared a lot of info at every stop. We had enough time to click photos and videos.
      Written October 28, 2024
    • conversationcafer
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Totally worth it :)
      I am not a "kayaker" but love to take advantage of this kind of activity while on holiday - the professional manner, friendliness and "extra mile" attitude of the SecretAlgarve team was refreshing. I am in a service industry myself and totally love it when a service provider excels and making an experience memorable, fun and enjoyable...thank you!
      Written October 22, 2024
    • Abbyfam
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Sunrise small group kayak tour
      Took this 2 hrs & 30 tour yesterday and absolutely loved it. Four of us in total (two double kayaks) and our guide Francesco had amazing time. Started tour at 7:45am (bit later than expected due to Oct sunrise times). The water was calm and skies were pink. There were no boats out yet and a couple other kayak tour groups but first cave you visit in the main Benegil cave as it’s a quick paddle from their shore. We entered but could not disembark on the shore due to the new govt regulations. Disappointing but we knew this in advance. The water was calm enough that we could paddle inside for some photos without being bounced around by waves. I’m not sure this would be the case later in the day. As we progressed to other caves the waves were crashing inside and our guide did not find it safe for us to enter them. Appreciated our guide being cautious of the waves and our safety. Heard many bad reviews of other tour co’s putting their guests in unsafe rough situations. Not the case with Secrets Algarve. This co. came highly recommended for safety and that’s what we experienced. We’ve kayaked before but would not say we are experienced in crashing waves inside tricky dark caves around rocks! We did not feel rushed and our guide shared history of the cliff erosion etc. On way back there were significantly more tour groups and many boats full of tourists so I highly recommend the earliest time slot available. Getting us earlier was well worth it and would use this company again for sure! They provide dry bags and life jkts but no water shoes available so if this is an issue for you bring some along. We aren’t travelling with sandals so we brought a small towel along. You will for sure be wet from the waist down!
      Written October 20, 2024
    • 943gwb
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Not to be missed.
      What an amazing tour. Morning was chilly but our group was small (only 6 plus our guide). Being able to see Benegil cave at sunset was spectacular. We had the cave to ourselves so could linger and take in the beauty. Other caves we were able to beach our kayaks and explore, seeing the history in the rocks around us. An experience not to be missed.
      Written October 9, 2024
    • arongregoryp
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Kayak
      Many and special thanks to Francisco (and also to his colleagues) who guided us through the waves (it was a cloudy and windy day) explaining how to paddle, the cave’s name, ecc. It was fun and I’ll recomend it; we’ll return for sure. Grazie from the Italian/Filipino couple!
      Written September 27, 2024
    • NorthStar162938
      0 contributions
      2.0 of 5 bubbles
      Terrible conditions.
      Unfortunately the ocean was extremely rough the morning of our trip. The guide was nice but should not have taken us out in such awful conditions. We didn’t take pics or enjoy the caves because we were busy taking care to maneuver the kayaks safely in and out of each cave. He also took us past our beach to more caves knowing full well that we would be fighting the strong current on our way back to the beach. It took us a long time to head back. Wish the trip had been postponed by the tour operator. Also, wish I had researched the kayaks we were going to use. No backrest which made the long paddle very uncomfortable.
      Written September 27, 2024
    • taiyon136
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Awesome review!
      First kayak group of the day. The guides Marcel and Henrique were very accommodating. Fantastic experience worth traveling for. Makes me wish to stay longer and do it again.
      Written September 24, 2024
    • InigoGarcia
      0 contributions
      2.0 of 5 bubbles
      Disappointing Tour - More of a Kayak Rental than a Guided Experience
      I was really excited about this tour after reading the reviews, and though I found the price a bit high, I was willing to pay given the positive feedback. The initial experience at the company's location was enjoyable. The introduction was informative and created a sense of excitement. However, things took an unexpected turn once we got out to sea. Unfortunately, our guide was completely silent throughout the trip. While we visited beautiful caves and took photos, there was no explanation or commentary about the caves, their history, or even any casual conversation. Marcel, our guide, simply led the group from one cave to another without engaging with us. Although he wasn’t rude and seemed nice enough, it was strange to be on a tour where the guide offered no insights. Having done similar tours before, this was the first time I experienced such minimal interaction. To make matters worse, we noticed other tour groups around us with guides who were much more engaging, sharing stories and creating a lively atmosphere. If you’re looking for that type of experience, I’d recommend considering other companies. In summary, it felt more like an expensive kayak rental (€30+ per person) than an actual guided tour. You might be better off just renting a kayak at a lower price if you don’t expect much interaction from the guide.
      Written September 23, 2024
    • LizInTheUK10
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Must do on the Algarve
      Loved the sunrise kayak tour with Marco on September 5th! Lovely, friendly guide who took good care of us on this great tour. Seeing inside Benegil Cave was exciting and Marco took some great photos of us. Also had the chance to kayak inside some other caves too and disembark on Marinha Beach for a while. Seeing the sunrise while out on the water was great and we missed out on all the later crowds. There are toilets where you can change at Benegil Beach and Secret Algarve sends you links for parking locations. Free lockers are provided at the office, where you can leave your valuables. You are also provided with a dry bag to take out in the kayak. Would really recommend this tour to have the locations to yourselves before the crowds arrive later in the day!
      Written September 22, 2024
    • Carol G
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Sunrise beautiful - need better kayaks
      Friendly guide and beautiful sunrise. Negative is kayaks uncomfortable (no back support and seats have water coming in). Caves are fun to see and liked going before crowds at sunrise. Note: have to walk to their building down to the right which has no signs from half way down beach so we all waited outside before figuring it out. Rec- get a sign or place a person out front near street
      Written September 14, 2024
    • 505alexisk
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing guide but poor customer service from desk guy
      Pros: Our guide Marcell was amazing! We got to see all the caves and even spend some time at a beach due to how fast the group was able to kayak 😊 The caves and grottos were really beautiful and the weather was perfect at our 8am time slot. Cons: for an 8am time slot I received a call at 7:40am asking where we were and saying we were “very late” from the desk guy, I noted we were on track to be there at 7:45am and he said he wasn’t sure if we could make the tour as we were very late. No where prior to that phone call were we given a time other than 7:45am to be at the tour. Then when we arrived the same desk guy with long curly hair tried to shake us down for 10 extra euros. I informed him that we had tickets and already paid and showed evidence of both. Be warned to other people that he is trying to steal extra money from unsuspecting people!!!
      Written September 10, 2024
    • 106saanvic
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Loved it
      Very good tour with experienced instructors. Enough time to take pictures and see all the caves. A good arm workout too.
      Written August 26, 2024
    • jasonbE2208KG
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Special experience for a low price.
      This was magnificent, our guide Conrad was amazing, very informative. The rules about where you can and cant go changed right before we went and he still made it very interesting. Lots of caves to go in, beach visit. Only real advice go early no later than 9am slot. They also supplied dry bags and/ or lockers. I am also a big guy 6’3 212 and no problems
      Written August 24, 2024
    • miles833
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great tour guide kept the energy flowing!
      Great trip with a guide Pietro who kept the energy flowing and customised the tour to our group. Yes the actual Benagil caves is busy at peak times but the guide helped us navigate around the other tours in our bubble and took us into some othe caves that were not busy at all. Heaps of fun I recommend!
      Written August 23, 2024
    See all 1,373 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

    Popular mentions

    4.8
    4.8 of 5 bubbles1,030 reviews
    Excellent
    904
    Very good
    59
    Average
    32
    Poor
    18
    Terrible
    17

    brianna C
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nov 2024 • Solo
    I went early in the morning which was based on other reviews of having fewer people and they were right. The tour only had five people and the guide was amazing at creating an intimate experience. I was scheduled for two days prior and high waves and winds prevented the trip. The company communicated via WhatsApp about rescheduling and provided excellent customer experience. I couldn't recommend this company and the guides more.
    Written November 12, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Odyssey09277205483
    6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2024 • Couples
    This was an amazing experience and were able to get onto the shore (read more below)! The kayak to the cave is about less than 300 meters from the launch point - not physically demanding whatsoever. I recommend going at 7:30am for a better chance of there being less people in your pictures.

    Also, you should note that before booking this experience, to keep up with updates to the Portugal's Court decision as to whether they decide to close accessibility down due to the large boat getting wedged in one of the arches of the cave back in 2023. Highly recommend reach out to one of the staff for confirmation on this so you don't have any bad surprises.
    Written April 22, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    ljc
    Bangor, UK68 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Positives:
    Excellent communication
    Clear instruction beforehand
    Good value for money
    Safe lockers
    Shoes kept safe after walking to beach
    Plenty of time taken - not rushed
    Visited lots of different caves
    Definitely a worthwhile experience

    Tips/Suggestions:
    Did a 1030 trip in November and it was busy enough - can’t imagine how crazy it must get in high season. Definitely go as early as you can to avoid the crowds

    Think it might be useful to wear helmets as very possible for you to bang your head on cave walls, especially if sea is rougher than it was for us. In UK this would be a safety cert

    Guide’s humour was a bit cringy at times but this is personal preference. He was just trying to enthuse the group I guess

    Instruction on water was not always clear or easy to hear - then guide got a bit frustrated and shouty when you didn’t do exactly as he wanted

    Overall, very pleased with the service and would recommend this company
    Written November 3, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Jess G
    1 contribution
    1.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2024 • Friends
    I booked a kayak trip for three and disclosed within the booking ahead of time that one person on the booking was pregnant. Upon arrival we were told the pregnant person was not allowed to join the trip and that we would not be given a refund for that person because we didn't let them know ahead of time. This is simply not true and despite three attempts to get in contact with the company to request a refund they have ignored all contact. Very disappointing.
    Written April 23, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    debndon
    Phoenix, AZ212 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Sept 2022
    We did the 8:30 am Benagil Kayak Experience trip. This is a great way to experience the rock formations and caves of the Algarve. While this is a super popular destination with tons of kayaks and sightseeing boats the early morning trips are a little less crowded. If you really want to avoid the crowds try their sunrise trip. The Benagil algar, a large cave with a hole in the top, is less than a 5 minute paddle from Benagil beach. It’s an impressive sight. They spend about 30 minutes at the algar which is about 15 minutes too long but it does give everyone a chance to get all the photos they want. After the algar we continued down the coast and entered 3 more caves, 2 were a short loop and 1 was a short out and back. We also took a quick spin through some beautiful formations down the coast.
    We were a total of 20 guests in 10 double kayaks with 3 guides. There were also other groups in the area as well as sightseeing boats. One of guides, Marcel, told me that it’s even more crowded in the afternoons with tons of boat traffic. The sit-on-top kayaks are super stable. You get in and out on the sand and the guides push you into the sea and pull you out. The algar de Benagil is the only place you get out other than back on the Benagil beach where the tour starts.
    This is easy kayaking with generally calm seas. Secret Algarve does a safety and instructional talk before you head down to the beach and outfits you with life jackets and dry sacks. They also have storage lockers for any valuables you don’t want to take on the kayak. You can leave your shoes in a bucket at the beach and do the trip barefoot. You do get wet on this trip so plan accordingly. The temperature in early September was perfect in the morning. I was not too cold or too hot wearing a long sleeve sun shirt. We spent 1.5 to 2 hours on the water.
    Written September 27, 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    SophTophi
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2023 • Couples
    We had previous kayaking experience so weren’t sure if a tour was worth it or if we should just rent kayaks, but I’m glad we went with the tour!
    We saw caves we would have missed otherwise (and definitely never would have entered on our own!) but the guides helped everyone through the narrow caves and made sure we were safe and having fun.
    It gets crowded so I would recommend going as early as possible
    Written April 17, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Dana G
    Toronto, Canada7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fabulous tour. Francisco, our guide, was amazing. So sweet, helpful and funny. He gave a great kayaking lesson before we got into the water. He attached a comfy seat with a backrest into each kayak and pushed us into the water at the start and pulled us in at the end, so you barely had to do any work at all other than paddle. Another tour guide, for some unknown reason, yelled at him on the beach, and Francisco maintained his cool throughout. He is a class act. He also took photos of us in the Benagil cave and was so friendly. The views are breathtaking and it was very nice to be with a small group. We took the 930 am tour and it was already very busy on the beach and in the cave. I’d recommend trying to get on the 830 one if possible. We have no problem though parking at 9 AM in the lot close to meeting area. One concern about all of these kayak tours is that the large motor boats are not supposed to come within 150 m of the cave; we saw some coming as close as 40 to 50 m and it is a miracle that they do not hit the kayaks. There is a risk involved, especially if you have no experience paddling a kayak. There should be designated hours for motorboats that differ from the kayaking time-slots. Overall, a fabulous experience. I’d recommend after the hike grabbing lunch… There’s a good pizza place at the top of the hill. After lunch, do the Seven Hanging Trails hike from Benagil beach to Praia da Marinha. Stunning views from above and it’s cool to see Benagil from a different vantage point than on the water. One more add, if you have a waterproof phone case that hangs around your neck, definitely use it.
    Written July 10, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Lori W
    London, UK7 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mar 2023 • Couples
    Overall kayaking experience was okay but as a seasoned kayaker and someone who's been on mlultiple similar experiences around the world, it wasn't the best.

    Main issues/ areas for the company to improve on:
    1) It wasn't clear that the only kayaks available would be doubles. We probably wouldn't have booked if we'd known this or at least would have been prepared to have had less free reign.
    2) Pitched as an experience where you can have a relaxed enjoyable trip but so many people in a group it often felt like a rush to get in an out of a cave in seconds and there was no hype from the guides on the water to get people excited.
    3) No information or talking on the tour. Was expecting an actual tour including some info on where we where visiting but this barely happened.
    4) Most areas we visitied were absolutely packed with similar tours and boats meaning when we visited the last stop - actual benagil caves - it was heaving. No instructions were given e.g 'we're stopping for 20 minutes use this time for photos', no offers of help to take photos, again no talking. We were pretty much brought to the caves and just let with no explanation.

    Overall it felt rushed, a little manic and not very prepared.
    If there had been some historical info or other interesting fact sections this would probably have made up for the long waits and busy waters. Without this it felt at times, more stressul than enjoyable.

    This trip was actually recommended by a friend so was disappointed but perhaps the company or guides had an off day as others seem to have rated this very highly.
    Written April 10, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thanks for your review but we think you might be confused about which company you booked with, as there are many companies in Benagil doing kayak tours. Are you sure you booked with Secret Algarve? This is not the way we do our tours, we interact a lot and explain the customers about the caves, cliffs, sea, wildlife and even some folks and myths, also inside the benagil cave we allways explain the process for the formation of it. Can you tell us the names of the guides that took you on the tour? Please review this information as it is very important for us.
    Written April 11, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Melanie B
    4 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Aug 2024 • Family
    An amazing experience but also not what we had envisioned. Our guide was knowledgeable and patient. We had very young kids with us so were basically paddling single kayaks in fairly rough waves and wind. Wouldn’t recommend for those who have never really kayaked before. And there were so so so many other kayak groups and small and large boats going about the caves. It was very chaotic and the amount of other people and boats somehow took away from
    The experience of getting to ocean kayak this magical coastline. Also a big bummer we couldn’t get out of the kayaks on the beach of the Benagil cave. Our guide explained that rules had recently changed because of so many people visiting the cave. Overall, would do this experience again but probably at a different time of day for possible smaller crowds (we went at 11a). Our guide suggested that the early morning times or anytime after 4p are usually the best options.
    Written August 27, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Matt D
    1 contribution
    1.0 of 5 bubbles
    Sept 2024 • Couples
    My girlfriend and I booked this for 14/9. We had to reschedule to 16/9 due to weather which is totally fine. On 16/9 we paid €20 for a 45 minute Uber to the meeting point. We were told at the meeting point that no kayaking would be taking place all day. I have no idea why they chose not to let me know this via email or on the app. It would’ve saved us €20 and 45 minutes. So we then had to pay another €20 on another 45 minute Uber back to where we had just come from so that we could visit the caves on a boat instead. On this boat trip, one of the places we stopped was the meeting point for the kayaking. WE SAW PEOPLE KAYAKING!! Keep in mind we had just been told that no kayaking would be taking place all day!! To make matters worse, they didn’t even refund me until I asked them to!! Zero communication. So if I didn’t contact them, they wouldn’t have even refunded me.
    Written September 22, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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    Kayak Benagil Cave in a Small Group with 1st kayak tour company provided by SecretAlgarve

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