The spectacular coast of Lagos is an unforgettable experience to explore on a boat cruise. There are a huge variety of amazing caves and structures among the limestone cliffs, hidden sea caves, and clear waters that is the best experience to visit in a small group from the Lagos Marina. Living in Lagos we have done several of the best boat tours on the Algarve Coast and will share some amazing Lagos boat tours with you. A boat tour from Lagos is one of our favorite activities in the Algarve.
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Lagos Marina
The Lagos Marina situated in the Bay of Lagos is a beautiful harbor and is a popular tourist attraction with a picturesque promenade, and many restaurants and bars. It’s a nice area to come for drinks or coffee, close to Meia Praia Beach, a quick walk to Lagos Old Town. The majority of boat and kayak tours leave from the Marina de Lagos. Stop for a coffee with easy access waiting for your boat tour in Lagos Portugal. Even if you buy a tour somewhere in the town you’ll get on a boat at the Marina. This is the place to go on an Algarve boat tour, whether you are looking to go out on a small boat with a local guide or fancy private charters in a yacht or a large comfortable boat. A boat tour is definitely one of the best things to do in Lagos.
Best Lagos Boat Tours
There are plenty of great experiences and natural wonders to explore from Lagos and we will discuss several tours in this article. The tours below are our favorite 3. Have a great time exploring the beautiful rock formations of this unique coastline in detail on a small boat, having fun on a floating waterpark with a catamaran cruise, or finding dolphins with a marine biologist.
- Small Boat Tour Caves of Ponta da Piedade
- Algarve Catamaran Cruise
- Dolphin Watching with Marine Biologist
Coming to Lagos? We live here, see where we think are the Best Places to Stay in Lagos!
Small Boat Tour to the Ponta da Piedade Caves/Grottos and see the beaches.
The boat tours to Ponta da Piadade from Lagos are a great experience and our favorite boat tours are from the Marina. Western Algarve is known for limestone cliffs, spectacular rock formations, caves, and grottoes along the Atlantic coast. Small boats are the perfect way to explore the rock formations of Ponta da Piedade.
The boats designed and built in Portugal can get very close to the rock structures and even enter and navigate some of the narrow caves of this unique landscape. The boats take small groups to experience the grottoes, secluded beaches, caves, and beautiful landscapes. We have done several tours and the local skipper was very competent in navigating the natural habitat every time. You go past spectacular beaches like Dona Ana Beach and Camilo Beach on this unforgettable boat trip. Your tour guide will point out some interesting and stunning rock formations, take a camera! With a little imagination, see structures resembling, the Titanic, an elephant, a kissing couple, and a camel´s head. Boats don’t stop at any beaches along the way it’s not allowed.
This tour is suitable for the whole family, we took our daughter for the first time when she was 8 months old, and it was great she slept like a baby most of the way. The boats are not wheelchair accessible.
Recommended Tours – Days of Adventure Small Boat Tour, Lagosgrottotrips
- Coastal Tour Cost – € 15 -25
- Departure Times – Multiple departure times throughout the day.
- Tour Time – 1 hour 15 minutes
Algarve Cruise by Catamaran
For a fun boat trip to Ponta da Piedade with paddle boards, snorkeling, water trampoline, and more, join this catamaran cruise from Lagos all the way to Praia da Luz. See the stunning rock formations and unspoiled beaches of the western Algarve, and get some quality time in the sun tanning on the sunbathing nets during this awesome cruise.
Pack some snacks a hat, and suncream, and enjoy this awesome floating fun water park! There is a bar service on board for drinks and soft drinks.
- Recommended Tours – Discover Tours
- Coastal Tour Cost – € 35 – 45
- Tour Time – 3 hours
Sailboat Algarve Gold Coast Half-Day Cruise
Instead of taking a motorboat, you can sail to Ponta da Piedade. The best way to explore the southwestern Algarve is on a half-day round-trip cruise from Lagos to Cabanas Velhas by sailboat. Sail to the southwest tip of mainland Europe. See the pristine beaches of Lagos, the stunning rock formations and caves of Ponta da Piedade, and the black rock of Praia da Luz.
Swim, go snorkeling, and paddle boarding at an anchor spot near Burgau. Enjoy a complimentary meal.
- Recommended Tours – Discover Tours
- Coastal Tour Cost – € 50 – 60
- Tour Time – 4 hours
Dolphin Watching Boat Tours
The Atlantic Ocean is one of the best places to see groups of wild dolphins. Large dolphin populations relatively close to the coast in Lagos result in great opportunities to see dolphins with boat tours departing from the town. Dolphins are social animals often swimming, jumping, and playing around the boats, presenting a great opportunity to view and photograph these amazing animals in the wild. Several great tours for dolphin watching depart from the Lagos marina. Read all about dolphin-watching tours from Lagos.
You have a choice between two kinds of boats for this marine life cruise, a speed boat or a catamaran. Dolphin viewing from both is good with the animals swimming with both kinds of boats.
Recommended Tours –
- Speed boat (RIB) – Dolphin Seafaris,(marine biologist onboard)
- Dolphin Watching Tour by Catamaran – Days of Adventure has an excellent catamaran with a large shaded area, bathroom, and observation deck at the front of the boat, without any age or mobility restrictions. The tour can be booked here, but it is only available from April to October.
Tour Cost – € 35 – 45
The Catamaran is a larger boat and tends to be more stable and comfortable with a roof. This type of boat is better suited for small children and older people (our 1-year-old went with us on a catamaran). Some catamarans are suitable for people with mobility restrictions.
Speed Boat – RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) is closer to the water allowing you to be closer to the water for a great view of the animals. These boats are faster and more maneuverable and allowed for better interaction with the dolphins than the catamaran we were on. The companies we approached said the speed boat is not suitable for children younger than 2 years.
Some companies now have marine biologists on board. They help to identify the dolphins and interpret their behavior. Some trips actually collect data that is used for dolphin conservation.
Dolphin Watching Season
There is a resident population of common dolphins and bottlenose dolphins around Lagos so they can be seen all year round with tours available all year. May to October is the season with more dolphins around Lagos and better weather conditions.
Boat and Kayak Trip to Ponta da Piadade
Explore the amazing rock formations paddling on this kayak tour of Ponta da Piedade. Climb aboard the catamaran transporting all kayaks at Lagos Marina and go by boat to Ponta da Piedade. Once at the cliffs, they launch kayaks and you can start paddling. There are single and double kayaks. The kayak tour consists of 3 parts; driving on a boat (30-45 minutes), kayaking (1 hour), and swimming at grottos (15 minutes). The catamaran will escort the group all the way for safety reasons.
- Recommended Tours – Boat and Kayak Trip
Boat Tour to Benagil Cave from Lagos
The Benagil Sea Cave is one of the most spectacular natural attractions in the Algarve als, the cave is also known as the Benagil Cathedral or Algar de Benagil (Portuguese name). Algar de Benagil can be reached by boat trip, kayak, Stand Up Paddle or even swimming. See our detailed guide to visiting the Benagil Cave. The most popular way to visit the Benagil cave is by boat trip departing from multiple destinations in the Algarve. We enjoyed the boat trip to Benagil from the Lagos Marina. Visiting the Benagil Cave is also one of the best things to do in Portimão.
Driving to the area where the Benagil Cave is located takes about 25 minutes with the fast boats from Lagos. You will visit about 15 to 20 caves and beaches including the Benagil Cave and plenty of the Carvoeiro caves, and see Carvalho Beach, Marinha Beach, and Alfanzina Lighthouse from the water.
- Recommended Tours – Days of Adventure
- Duration – about 2 hours
- Price – € 35 – 45
Lagos Boat Tour Tips
Season for Boat Tours – There are boat tours that operate all year round. May to October is the best weather. More companies operate at this time and a large variety of tours are available. Many tours are not available in winter.
Best Conditions – It is not often that boat tours are canceled in summer. Wind and sea conditions can off-course be too rough and tours will not go out. Check with the operator. We like to check Windfinder Lagos for a forecast of wind and sea conditions.
Pack for Your Boat Trip