Cool Caves and Hot Adventures In Portugal
The landscape in Portugal is absolutely amazing. It’s dry, dusty land framed by blue skies. For the first two weeks I’m sure we did not see a single cloud. Water was scarce, there were wildfires not far from us, and temps were in the 100s. If we spotted any elusive clouds, they were fleeting, high and certainly never came to rescue us with shade. But we are not ones to sit home in the air conditioning! (Well, Rosie would like you to know that she would have preferred that.)
Highlights include meeting a lovely German family with three kids and spending two fun days on the beach with them, as well as having a visit from our friends Sarah and Jose Luis who flew in from Madrid and experienced the epic caves with us.
Canal de Tavira
One of the most amazing hikes (walks) was crossing the Canal de Tavira at low tide. As we walked through inches and sometimes a foot or so of water, we saw all the shells, hermit crabs, clams, and other marine life that are usually out of sight. Jordan was the hermit-crab whisperer. Rosie found all the perfect, tiny conch shells. The sand is soft and stretches for miles. Once we crossed the canal we arrived at the outer beach (usually accessed by a boat ride) where white sand meets blue water for as far as the eye can see. It was probably the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen and it’s impossible to capture the vast expanse in a camera lens.
Sagres, Southernmost Point in Europe
After surfing one evening we headed to Sagres for dinner just so we could say we went there: we went there.
Tuk Tuk Tour in Tavira
I love alliteration, especially when it’s true. :) We spent a day in the historic town of Tavira, a Moorish town (8th c.) of which remnants still exist today, though the Romans settled the area well before that (Roman ruins are everywhere in the Algarve, including a hike we did that included remains of a road dating to BC). The tide flows in to meet the Gilao River and the waterfront is flanked with salt pans and flamingoes. While most of Portugal’s coastal towns were destroyed in a massive earthquake in 1755, there are still many preserved and rebuilt historic sites. There’s the Santa Maria do Castelo Church which houses some tombs of knights, the Tavira castle and lots of cobblestones—basically all the things you need to be a medieval town in Europe.
Benagil and the Famous Caves of Portugal
The most fun day we had in Portugal was with Jose Luis and Sarah, visiting the caves by boat. We left from Lagos and spent several hours touring the magnificent coastline. Benagil is the most famous cave and it has three openings that allow access into the cave and sunlight on the beach. Most grottoes including the large one at Benagil are reachable only by water and at low tide, but when reachable, you can guarantee you’ll be there with a crowd! Aside from Benagil, there are many caves along the coast and the rugged landscape is breathtaking. We even stopped for a little swim and paddle board before returning for an amazing dinner in town. We are so glad Jose Luis and Sarah were with us to experience this (and the good photos are all to their credit) and we loved spending several days with friends (!!) and taking full advantage of the amenities at their awesome hotel in Portugal.
