VisitAlgarve - Portal de Turismo do Algarve

This beach lies at the bottom of a very deep valley next to the little fishing port of Benagil. The fishing village to which it owes its name stands high above on the cliff top. Access to the beach is through the area reserved for the fishing boats, which also take tourists on trips to visit the area’s sea caves and unspoiled beaches. Once you have passed the colourful fishing boats, the beach stretches out eastwards to the imposing ochre-coloured cliffs of carbonate rock with an abundance of marine fossils. Also known as shell mounds, they bear witness to a bygone time when the sea came farther inland. These rocks are now craggy and deeply eroded by the combined effect of the rain (which dissolves the limestone rock) and the mechanical force of the sea. In Benagil, you can see eroded rocks typical of karstic landscapes, such as caves or sinkholes, cut into the cliff face.