Visitor guide · Trails
Cliff Walks and Trails Around Benagil
The Seven Hanging Valleys trail (PR1 LOA) runs past Benagil, plus the Algar Seco boardwalk and a short clifftop loop from the village.
The short version
The Seven Hanging Valleys trail (PR1 LOA) runs between Praia da Marinha and Praia de Vale Centeanes, about 5.7 km one-way, with Benagil roughly at the midpoint. There is no shade and the cliff edges are unfenced, so carry water and keep back from the drop.
The cliffs around Benagil carry some of the best coastal walking in the Algarve. The headline route is the Seven Hanging Valleys trail, and there are shorter options for a quick leg-stretch.
Three routes cover the ground within reach of the village. The Seven Hanging Valleys Trail (PR1 LOA) is the long-distance option: an official waymarked path running the whole clifftop between Praia da Marinha and Praia de Vale Centeanes, with Benagil sitting roughly two-thirds of the way along rather than at either end. The Algar Seco boardwalk, over in the wider Carvoeiro area, is a short raised walkway across a different kind of coastal geology, wind-carved limestone rather than hanging valleys. The Benagil clifftop loop is the shortest of the three: a there-and-back stroll from the village up to the viewpoint above the cave's skylight.
None of these walks call for technical skill or specialist gear, but all three run along unfenced limestone cliffs with drops of tens of metres, and the Algarve sun gives little shade anywhere on the coast path. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons to walk them; anyone setting out in July or August should start early and carry more water than feels necessary. The safety notes further down this page are worth reading before you leave the car park.
Seven Hanging Valleys Trail
PR1 LOA- Route
- Praia da Marinha to Praia de Vale Centeanes
- Length
- 5.7 km one-way
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Notes
- Benagil is a midway point, not a trailhead. Unfenced cliff edges throughout; no shade and full sun in summer - carry water and avoid the midday heat. Best in spring and autumn; the Carvalho-to-Vale Centeanes stretch has some pine shade.
Algar Seco Boardwalk
- Route
- Carvoeiro to Algar Seco
- Length
- 0.6 km one-way
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Notes
- Short clifftop boardwalk and steps from Carvoeiro over the Algar Seco rock formations. In the wider region (about 10 min by car from Benagil), not a Benagil walk. Steps make it unsuitable for wheelchairs and buggies.
Benagil Clifftop Loop
- Route
- Praia de Benagil to Praia de Benagil
- Length
- 1.2 km one-way
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Notes
- A short stroll from the village up to the clifftop viewpoint above the cave skylight and back. Roped sections mark the safe distance from the unfenced edge - keep well back, especially with children.
Seven Hanging Valleys Trail (PR1 LOA): segment by segment
The Seven Hanging Valleys Trail is a 5.7 km, one-way, waymarked coastal path (official code PR1 LOA) between Praia da Marinha and Praia de Vale Centeanes, named for the string of small valleys it crosses, each once the mouth of a stream that now empties onto open clifftop rather than down to the beach below. Benagil sits at roughly the two-thirds mark measured from Marinha, so most people walking the full route treat the village as a stop partway through rather than a start or finish line. Walking one-way at an easy pace takes about 2–3 hours, plus time at the viewpoints; the trail is free to walk, has no fixed direction, and can be shortened to just one of the three segments below if you only want a taste of it. Most guides recommend starting at Marinha and finishing at Vale Centeanes, since the Marinha car park is larger and the morning sun sits behind you rather than in your eyes.
Marinha to Benagil - about 2.3 km, 35–40 min
This stretch carries the heaviest foot traffic on the whole trail, and it earns it. The path leaves the terrace above Praia da Marinha and opens almost immediately onto a run of viewpoints over the beach's sea stacks and natural arches, then continues past Praia de Corredoura to a clifftop lookout across the water to Benagil's white houses. From here the trail passes directly over the cave's famous skylight opening, fenced off at a safe distance from the edge, before dropping down a staircase (or, at high tide, a ramped path alongside a clifftop restaurant terrace) into the village and onto Benagil beach itself, where there are cafes, bathrooms and boat pickup points for the cave.
Benagil to Praia do Carvalho - about 0.6 km, 10 min
The shortest and quietest of the three legs. From Benagil beach the path climbs back onto the clifftop and follows the coastline west, running close to an unfenced edge for part of the way; a set-back alternative runs slightly higher up the slope for anyone who would rather keep more distance from the drop. It ends at a tunnel and staircase down into Praia do Carvalho, a small sand beach tucked between limestone cliffs and sea caves, with a food kiosk but no restaurant.
Carvalho to Vale Centeanes - about 2.7 km, 40 min
The longest and least crowded stretch, and the one with the most climbing: a long staircase back out of Carvalho, then a series of shorter ascents and descents across a headland of sea stacks and natural pits (algares), with Farol de Alfanzina, a working lighthouse, visible ahead for much of the walk. Part of this section runs through pine trees, about the only real shade on the whole trail. Past the lighthouse the scenery quietens for the final stretch before opening out at a viewpoint over Praia de Vale Centeanes, where the trail ends at a beachfront restaurant, a good spot for a drink before arranging a taxi or rideshare back to Marinha if you walked one-way.
Algar Seco Boardwalk
A short, easy walk in the wider Carvoeiro area, about 10 minutes by car from Benagil and not a walk from the village, the Algar Seco boardwalk is a raised timber path and steps running roughly 600 m from Carvoeiro's seafront chapel out to a headland of wind and wave-carved limestone. The rock here looks nothing like the cliffs around Benagil: reddish, pitted and eroded into arches, blowholes and hollows rather than smooth hanging valleys. The best-known formation is Algar da Boneca, a passage that ends in two window-like openings in the rock facing the sea. Reaching the lower viewing points involves roughly 70 uneven steps, so this walk is not accessible by wheelchair or buggy, though the boardwalk itself is flat and manageable for most fitness levels. Allow 20–30 minutes round trip without stops, more if you linger at the viewpoints.
Benagil Clifftop Loop
The shortest option on this page: a 1.2 km there-and-back stroll from the village up onto the clifftop above the cave and back down again. It is the easiest way to see the cave's skylight opening without booking a kayak, SUP or boat tour. A fenced viewpoint looks straight down into the hole in the cave roof; the fence keeps everyone back from the unfenced natural edge around it, which limits but does not remove the view. Allow 20–30 minutes including a stop at the viewpoint. It suits anyone short on time, travelling with young children, or simply looking for the classic photo without committing to the full Seven Hanging Valleys route.
Safety on the cliffs
All three routes run along limestone cliffs with unfenced drops in places, and the trails carry little to no shade for most of their length. A few habits make the walk considerably safer and more comfortable:
- Keep back from the edge, especially at the cave skylight and any fenced opening. The limestone is soft, can crumble underfoot, and the drop is not survivable.
- Carry at least 1.5 litres of water per person on the Seven Hanging Valleys trail. There are only a handful of places to buy a drink en route, at Benagil beach and a kiosk at Carvalho.
- Wear proper walking shoes rather than sandals. Much of the surface is loose gravel, bare rock or uneven steps, especially around Carvalho.
- Start early and avoid the midday sun in July and August. Aside from a short pine-forest stretch near Vale Centeanes, there is almost no shade on the trail.
- Stay on the marked path and do not climb fences around caves or algares, both for your own safety and because the surrounding rock is fragile and erodes easily.
Continue planning
Beaches along the way
The trail links three of the walkable beaches end to end: Praia da Marinha, Praia de Benagil and Praia do Carvalho, with Praia de Vale Centeanes at the far end.
Viewpoints
Every clifftop stretch doubles as a viewpoint. The cave skylight and the lookout over Praia da Marinha's sea stacks are the two most photographed.
Where to eat
Cafes sit at both ends of the long trail, Benagil beach midway and Vale Centeanes at the finish, plus a kiosk at Carvalho. Carry snacks for the quieter stretch in between.