Algar Seco, Limestone cliffs in Carvoeiro, Portugal.
The Algar Seco features rock formations, caves, and natural pools carved by ocean waves into the limestone cliffs along the Atlantic coastline.
Marine fossils embedded within the limestone cliffs of Algar Seco date back 24 million years, indicating the area was once beneath the ocean.
Local fishermen have used the cliffs of Algar Seco as navigation markers for generations, establishing specific routes based on rock formations.
The 570-meter boardwalk provides access to observation points, with steps leading down to caves and rock formations at different water levels.
A cave formation called A Boneca contains two circular openings that frame the ocean, creating natural windows for viewing the Atlantic.
Location: Carvoeiro
Accessibility: Wheelchair inaccessible
Fee: No
Address: Estr. do Algar Sêco 16, 8400-510 Carvoeiro, Portugal
Opening Hours: 24/7
Phone: +351965041785
Website: http://carvoeirocaves.com
GPS coordinates: 37.09281,-8.46552
Latest update: May 12, 2025 18:32
Inland Algarve holds nature reserves, medieval castles, and Roman ruins that together form a wide picture of Portuguese history and nature. Monchique has thermal springs, Silves shows a castle built of red sandstone, and Faro contains a chapel lined with human bones. Natural parks like Ria Formosa provide habitat for many bird species, while historic villages, coastal fortresses, and lighthouses mark the landscape. Travelers through this region encounter places like Cabo de São Vicente, where land ends at the southwestern tip of Europe, the cliffs of Ponta da Piedade near Lagos, or the ruins of Paderne Castle. Caldas de Monchique invites bathing in warm spring water, the Percurso dos Sete Vales Suspensos follows the coast through cut valleys, and Igreja do Carmo in Faro holds another bone chapel. Between these are beaches like Praia da Marinha and Praia do Barril, Roman excavations such as Cerro da Vila in Quarteira, and Palácio de Estoi, a pink palace from the 19th century. The Algarve connects coast and interior, history and nature in a way best explored on foot.
Praia da Marinha
4.8 km
Benagil
3.6 km
Praia do Carvalho
3 km
Praia de Vale Centianes
880 m
Passadiço de Carvoeiro
217 m
Route of the Seven Hanging Valleys
2.8 km
Praia dos Caneiros
4.5 km
Alfanzina Lighthouse
2.1 km
Igreja Matriz de Lagoa
4.9 km
Fort of Our Lady of the Incarnation
514 m
Convent of Nossa Senhora do Carmo
4.7 km
Convent of São José, Lagoa
5 km
Ponta do Altar Lighthouse
5 km
Pintadinho Beach
5 km
Praia de Carvoeiro
686 m
Molhe Beach
5.2 km
Praia do Vale Covo
504 m
Praia do Padre Vicente
1.6 km
A Boneca
4 m
Miradouro do Vale Suspenso
1.5 km
Praia da Corredoura
3.9 km
Praia da Malhada do Baraço
5.2 km
Praia Afurada Naturista
3.9 km
Praia da Cama da Vaca
2 km
Praia do Torrado
4.7 km
Praia do Vale Espinhaço
2.3 km
Algar de Benagil
3.8 km
Praia do Mato
3.8 kmReviews
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