Wherever you choose to go on vacation, a place with the open sea is the best way to revitalize your mind, body, and spirit. Why not take it a step further and get into swimming with some dolphins?
On my recent trip to Portugal, I knew that a dolphin tour had to be on the itinerary. Luckily, one particular tour in Albufeira was easy enough to sign up for. Albufeira is a city in the district of Faro, located in the southern region of the Algarve in Portugal. It’s a beautiful coastal place with low elevation and a bustling city of around 40,000. The beaches were always full of locals and tourists soaking up the sun and enjoying the clean blue tide.
The one outdoor activity I dedicated a whole day to was a dolphin watching and caves cruise. The actual event itself was only around three hours, but it was so relaxing that I couldn’t help but enjoy the beach for the rest of the day afterwards. (Note: Don’t forget your sunscreen. Portugal is temperate, but on a clear-sky day, it can get pretty toasty. Nobody wants to spend the rest of their trip sunburnt.)
We got to go inside sea caves and see some serious student rock formations unlike any I’d ever seen before.
Experiencing the Algarve on the cruise was incredible. To start, we departed Albufeira and headed over to Carvoeiro Beach to explore the stunning and otherworldly sea caves and unique formations of rocks in the area. I wasn’t entirely sure if it would be a “look don’t touch” situation, but thankfully, we were given the opportunity to do some swimming and even diving to find cetaceans and dolphins.
There were a number of highlights that stuck out to me on the cruise. To start, you really get a different perspective of the water and the natural formations from a boat as opposed to the shore. We got to go inside sea caves and see some serious student rock formations unlike any I’d ever seen before. Surprisingly, the caves had a lot of native blossoming flora that photographed really well, even in the darker parts of the caves that sunlight couldn’t reach.
It was such an up-close and personal experience with an edge of casual enjoyment.
When we had the chance to see dolphins off the coast, we were lucky enough to find a large group of them breaching. We had the option to swim, as the boat was still in a shallower area of the beach. It was such an up-close and personal experience with an edge of casual enjoyment. The only strict part of the cruise was the safety briefing once we boarded-- otherwise, it felt more like a family trip on a boat with water activities.
The experience I had in Portugal was really life-changing. It was the first time I had the opportunity to get in touch with the ocean in an entertaining and informative way. There was something about seeing dolphins in the wild that was calming and a reminder of how much our natural world matters. I couldn’t recommend a trip to Marina de Albufeira enough.
Don’t forget to book your dolphins adventure once you will be planning your trip to Portugal. Also, in Egypt, Chile or in the Dominican Republic you may enjoy some adventure with dolphins on the open sea.
Portugal
