Praia da Afurada is an especially beautiful beach set beneath sheer sandstone cliffs. It is just around a headland from a small, crowded textile beach (Caneiros), but the terrain of Afurada ensures that it never gets overcrowded. The beach is accessed via a steep trail that is not for the faint of heart. Those prone to vertigo or not in shape for the descent should avoid this beach, but those who make it will be rewarded with a fantastic view through the natural sea-level tunnel in a headland to the east. A good many visitors who make the effort to reach the bottom choose to enjoy the spectacular and uncrowded setting in the nude. If you happen to visit on a day when there are more textiles than nudists, you may be more comfortable stripping off beyond the boulders near the east end of the beach.

Access to the beach is very steep and a little hard to find. Walk west above the beach (to your right when facing the ocean) and look for a white metal post with hints of peeling red paint next to the cliff. The post is about the height of a door and the circumference of a telephone pole. Keep going west a little past the post another 15 or so meters, then watch carefully for the path down to the beach. It is a narrow path through a gully. A rope near the bottom assists visitors down the last stretch of the descent.

VISUAL RESOURCES

GPS: 37.1033, -8.5091

municipality, district, region, country
      Lagoa, Faro, Algarve, Portugal

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