Do you like Algarve’s beaches but you’re tired of just lying in the sun and want to do something more active? The Seven Hanging Valleys Trail (“Percurso dos siete vales suspensos”) might be just what you’re looking for.
It’s a trail about 6km long, officially recognized and maintained, which runs along the crest of the headland that rises above the coast a few km east of Carvoeiro. Access to the trail is free.
Walking along this trail (or even just a fraction of it), you can admire numerous sea stacks, beaches, caves and enchanting views from above that will leave you speechless. Some of the beaches you’ll see aren’t accessible on foot but only by boat, because of the cliffs.
To get the most from the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail, I recommend going on a sunny day (so the colours fulfil expectations), without too much wind, and outside the middle hours of the day, as the trail is entirely exposed to the sun. Bring water and food for a break along the way, and don’t wear flip-flops but shoes.
Map of the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail
On the WalkingPortugal website, right in the middle of the page, you can find links to 3 PDFs that are, in my opinion, very well made, showing the trail in detail, some tips, information on parking and facilities, as well as, of course, all the beauties you can admire along the route.
The trail is declared to be of “medium-high” difficulty if explored in its entirety, but you can easily visit a shorter section by starting, for example, from some intermediate point.
For example, if you start from Praia de Benagil, you can visit the famous Benagil cave both from above (walking along the trail) and from below, by joining one of the boat tours that depart from the beach you’ll se shortly.
Benagil Cave
One of the beauties you can see along the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail is the famous Benagil cave: it’s a cave with an opening towards the sea and another towards the sky, with a beach inside that’s only reachable by boat.
You’ll have surely seen it in some photos on the internet, as it’s the most found in any advertisement for Algarve and, I’ll tell you right away, the colors you see in those photos are always modified with exaggerated saturation.
This doesn’t mean it’s not a beautiful cave to see. To see it from the top of the cavity, walk along the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail starting from the eastern end or from Praia de Benagil.
Want to explore the Benagil cave in an alternative way? Take a look at the guided paddle tour inside the cave or alternatively, the following very cheap kayak tour, which allows you to visit them at your own pace:
Some activities you may like, before going on with the article:
To break the monotony of the numerous photos of the cave taken from below, here’s a photo from above the cave, not too easy to frame in a single shot. 🙂 Although the quality isn’t excellent, at the bottom you can see a boat reaching the beach below.
How to get to the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail
The trail starts on one side at Praia de Vale Centeanes and on the other at Praia da Marinha; there are parking lots at both ends (which you’ll also find indicated on the map above) and there are others along the route as well.
One of these is located in front of Praia da Benagil: it’s a small beach that’s not recommended for those who want to relax but rather for those looking for a boat tour to visit the Benagil cave of the same name; most tours start and end here.
If you don’t feel like walking the entire trail but want to see the Benagil cave at all costs, I recommend the easternmost parking lots, i.e., those at Praia da Benagil or Praia da Marinha.
Boat or Kayak Tours along the trail
If you don’t feel like doing the whole trail on foot but this coastal area fascinates you, there’s more good news. There are indeed some boat, kayak, or even land tours that will take you along this beautiful coast. Some examples with free cancellation:
- 2-hour Kayak Tour to enter the Benagil cave;
- Boat trip along the entire coast, passing through the cave and returning to the starting point;
- Daily trekking+boat tour with hotel pickup option if you don’t have a car;
- Finally, many other activities also in nearby Albufeira.
Other trails in Algarve
If you like this kind of walking, the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail is certainly not the only one; you’ll find others around Algarve. The difference is that the others are less known, less beaten, and might be interrupted here and there due to cliffs and slopes.
However, if you’re excellent explorers, I’m sure this won’t stop you, and indeed I’ll leave you with directions to a couple of rugged coastal areas, similar to this one, for those who appreciate the genre.
The areas I’m talking about are indicated in the orange polygons on this map, which I’m including below for convenience. Don’t forget to take a look at the guide to Algarve’s beaches to discover how many beauties this area offers.
The first is an area just east of the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail, where you’ll find numerous small beaches but also some caves like Algar de Albandiera, Algar do Renato, and Algar dos capitaes:
To reach this area, I recommend playing it safe by heading to this parking lot right in the middle of the indicated area and near the caves.
The second area, instead, is located near the town of Portimão. This rugged area also rises above the sea and features even smaller beaches than the previous ones and other caves that can be visited from the trail above.
To get here, I recommend leaving your car in this parking lot near Praia de Alemao and then starting to climb the trail entrances heading west.
The possibilities don’t end here, however: remember that in Algarve, near most beaches surrounded by rocky coasts or sea stacks, it’s easy to come across some panoramic trail or one that leads to other adjacent beaches: the important thing is to always remember to bring good shoes and water with you!
If you still don’t know which beaches to visit, take a look at the guide to the best beaches in Algarve and the guide to roads and motorways in Portugal to avoid last-minute surprises!
Read also: Where is it best to stay in Algarve?
Finally, for the mentioned trails and other areas to explore, I highly recommend downloading the MAPS.ME application onto your smartphone with offline maps of the Algarve region. These maps are indeed the most detailed you can find, as they clearly show trail tracks, panoramic points, and any other useful information, even water fountains and benches. 🙂
