According to information published on the Participa portal, during this period the aim is to “collect opinions and contributions, subsequently evaluating and weighing them up, as well as making any adjustments that may be justified”.

Last August, a multidisciplinary group was created, with the mission of establishing the capacity for people visiting and determining the conditions of access to the caves.

Located off Benagil beach, the caves are considered to be of “relevant natural heritage” and one of the “main tourist attractions in the Algarve” which, in the summer period attracts thousands of visitors.

According to the progress report prepared by the working group, taking into account the high number of measures to be reached, the complexity of their implementation and the current political situation, it was decided to define a simplified set of recommendations to be applied before the start of the summer season.

Among these recommendations, which should be put into practice at the beginning of 2024, are, among others, the prohibition of disembarking and/or bathing in the cave, use of the beach in the cave, and the prohibition of access to the interior of the caves for anyone who is swimming.

“It is recommended that there be a timetable before visits by motorized vessels dedicated to these visitors and private non-motorized platforms”, proposes the working group in a document published on the Participa portal.


It also being proposed that there be a maximum time for those entering the cave, defined as three minutes for motorized platforms and five minutes for non-motorized platforms.

The working group also recommends the creation of maps of access and circulation of the caves, permanent on-site surveillance using a CCTV system and prohibits diving, or the exercise of underwater fishing and recreational fishing in the vicinity or inside the cave.

However, there is also “a set of measures that […] did not reach consensus” and that should be discussed “at a later stage of the process”.