A ban on landing inside the Benagil caves and swimming in them are two new rules for access to this site in the municipality of Lagoa in the Algarve that come into force on August 13.
The new measures aimed at regulating the movement of seagoing tourist vessels, private individuals and beach users, both in the water surface and in the vicinity of the cave and the Benagil Cave, were published in a notice dated July 30, the National Maritime Authority said.
Currently, individuals and companies are prohibited from landing on the shore or using the sand inside Benagil Cave, accessing the caves by swimming or using watercraft, or renting kayaks without a guide in the cave area.
Kayak tours in the area also have restrictions on the number of boats and kayaks inside the cave, maximum visit time, and a ratio of one kayak guide to every six kayaks carrying visitors.
A set of administrative offences is also provided for operators of sea tourist vessels who do not comply with the rules set out in the notification, which provide for administrative offences in the amount of between 300 and 216,000 euros.
The caves, located near Benagil Beach, are considered an important natural heritage and one of the main tourist attractions of the Algarve, attracting an increasing number of visitors during the summer, especially those visiting the sea.
The notice, which will take effect 10 working days after its publication, is the result of work carried out by the Benagil Caves Working Group, formed in August 2023.
Under the coordination of the Regional Commission for Coordination and Development of the Algarve, a multidisciplinary working group, including representatives of various public and private organisations with expertise and intervention in this area, managed to reach a “set of agreed recommendations”.
The notification was developed jointly by the National Maritime Authority, the Lagoa City Council, the Algarve Hydrographic Region Authority and the Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation, with the support of the CCDR Algarve, the Algarve Tourism Region, the Portuguese Association of Tourism, Congresses, Tourism Entertainment and Events, and with the participation of several maritime tourism operators in the Algarve.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.