Which Benagil boat tour?

The short answer

For most visitors the Portimão RIB speedboat is the simplest way to see Benagil cave: about 1.5 hours, a skipper, a safety briefing and a route along the coast. If you want more time on the water and a search for dolphins, a longer trip from Portimão with a marine biologist takes about 2.5 hours. If you are staying near Lagos, a boat cruise to Ponta da Piedade shows a different stretch of cliffs. All are subject to the sea, and none promises wildlife. The kayak option sits apart from all of them, because it starts on Benagil beach and asks you to paddle.

The speedboat from Portimão

This is the trip the site is built around. It meets at the Portimão pier and runs along the coast past the forts and the cliffs to the Benagil caves. Tours run in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish, as a group or a private booking, and a sunset option is offered. The page advises against it for pregnant women, people with back or heart problems and wheelchair users. Swimming at the caves is forbidden, and nobody leaves the boat inside them.

The sunset option

The booking title mentions a sunset option, and the description says the trip then ends with the sky changing colour on the way back. Treat that as an option on certain dates, not a fixed feature, and check the calendar. Sunset times move through the year, so this guide prints none; the start time is in your booking email. Check the calendar for the dates on which it runs.

The longer dolphin trip

A separate boat trip from Portimão takes about 2.5 hours and adds a marine biologist who talks about the coast's geology and marine life, a swim stop if the sea allows and a search for dolphins further out. It is described as wheelchair accessible, which the speedboat page does not offer, and it runs in four languages. Its page notes that the boat can stay in the caves only a few minutes and may not land passengers. A reviewer calls dolphin sightings partly luck, so treat them as a bonus.

The kayak tour

A guided kayak tour starts on Benagil beach, with an introduction to kayak safety, and can run as a direct trip to Benagil cave and back or a longer route past several caves and arches. Its page lists one to two hours and says private or small groups are available. It excludes more people than the boats do, including children under four, non-swimmers, and people with low fitness or claustrophobia. Read the full list before you book, and see the boat or kayak guide for how the two compare.

Read next: Benagil by boat or by kayak?

Ponta da Piedade from Lagos

Ponta da Piedade is on a different part of the coast, near Lagos, and a boat cruise from there shows natural rock arches, sea caves and secluded beaches. Its page gives about 75 minutes and a limit of ten participants. This is not a way to see Benagil, but it is a sensible choice if you are based in the west. The page warns that the tour depends on weather, and that touching marine life and plants is not allowed.

How to choose

Match the trip to your base, your time and your tolerance for the sea. If you are on a tight schedule, the speedboat is the shortest. The Ponta da Piedade page says bad weather can reschedule or cancel that cruise, so give yourself a spare day when the forecast is poor. If you are only in the area for a day, pick the trip that starts closest to where you are staying.

• Short, simple and focused on Benagil: the Portimão speedboat.
• More time and a dolphin search: the longer biologist trip.
• Staying near Lagos: the Ponta da Piedade cruise.
• Want to paddle: the guided kayak tour from Benagil beach.

Read next: Benagil by boat or by kayak?