37.08° N · 8.67° W · Lagos
The golden cliffs south of Lagos are pierced by caves, arches and rock columns that can only be seen properly from the water. In a kayak you go in where boats do not fit. The guided Lagos Adventure trip lasts 2 h 15 min and costs €40 for adults and €30 for children aged 4 to 11.
Part of Lagos
Who offers it
Independent companies: you book with them, on their terms. Prices are as they publish them and may change.
Step by step
You arrive at the Lagos Adventure base, at the fish market, a quarter of an hour early. They give you a life jacket, a paddle and an explanation of how to paddle.
You paddle out past the harbour mouth and the beaches of Batata and Pinhão towards the cliffs.
Between Dona Ana and the Ponta da Piedade lighthouse, the guide chooses which caves and arches to cross according to the tide and swell.
You head back the same way to Lagos.
It is the calmest, closest way to see Ponta da Piedade. You paddle right up against the cliff face, the guide takes you through the arches when the sea allows, and you stop at a cove you cannot reach on foot.
South of Lagos, the coast breaks up into a labyrinth of ochre rock: free-standing sea stacks, arches that let the water through, caves open to the sea and small coves wedged between cliffs. From above, along the walkways, you see the whole; from the water, you see it from the inside. The kayak fits through passages where motor boats cannot enter, and it goes slowly enough for you to notice the colours of the rock and the green of the water.
The trip is guided and in a group with Lagos Adventure, a company with a tourist-activity licence registered with Turismo de Portugal. The guide knows the coast and decides at each moment which caves can be crossed with that day's tide and swell.
Beginners: you do not need to have paddled before. Children pay their own fare from 4 to 11 years old and go in a double kayak with an adult. It works with teenagers and with active families. You need to be comfortable in the water, because in a kayak you get wet.
Lagos Adventure is on Rua da Docapesca, in warehouse number 9, beside the fish market and the fishing harbour, a short walk from the old town. By train, the Algarve regional line ends at Lagos station, next to Meia Praia. By car from Andalusia, take the Algarve motorway. In summer, parking near the centre and the coves is hard: if you are staying in Lagos, walk.
From spring to autumn, depending on the sea. May, June, September and October are the months with the calmest sea on most days and the fewest people. In July and August the morning sessions fill up first, and these usually have the stillest sea: book in good time. The tide changes what is possible: at low tide some caves are almost dry, and at very high tide others cannot be crossed.
€40 for adults and €30 for children aged 4 to 11. A private trip for a group, from €480. If the sea does not allow a departure, the company cancels and offers you another date or refunds your money.
The trip is called off: it is not worth paddling with waves against the cliff. Switch the plan to the Ponta da Piedade walkways, which can be done in any sea and give you the view from above, or to the walled old town of Lagos.
Who it's for
You have never paddled but want to see Ponta da Piedade from the inside, you are travelling with children from 4 years old or with teenagers, or you like the sea without engines.
You do not feel comfortable in the water or you only have one day of rough sea: then you are better off with the walkways, from above.
What to bring
Map
What you have around the starting point.
More to do
Itineraries
Tips
The sea is usually calmer and in summer you avoid the midday heat.
At low tide some caves are almost dry and at very high tide others cannot be crossed. The guide decides.
Children go in a double kayak with an adult.
The morning sessions fill up first.
Kayak in the morning and walk the walkways in the afternoon: they are two different landscapes.
Questions
No. Before setting out they explain the basics and the pace is relaxed.
Lagos Adventure has a child fare for ages 4 to 11. Adults pay from age 12.
€40 for adults and €30 for children. There is a private trip from €480 per group.
The trip is called off and they offer you another date or refund your money.
Two and a quarter hours, including the briefing beforehand and the return to the harbour.
From the Lagos Adventure base, on Rua da Docapesca, next to the Lagos fish market.
The kayak goes into narrower passages and moves more slowly; the boat is faster and less tiring. If you can paddle for two hours, choose the kayak.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/algarve/lagos/things-to-do/ponta-da-piedade-kayak
