Have you been dreaming of visiting Algarve, Portugal? If you’ve been pondering the thrill of cliff jumping or the exhilaration of coasteering in this breathtaking coastline Algarve, you’re not alone!

Perhaps you’re curious about the safety measures in place or contemplating whether this once-in-a-lifetime experience is worth seizing. Look no further, as we bring you expert insights gained from five weeks of traveling in Portugal’s landscapes, including heart-pounding coasteering and cliff-jumping escapades in various regions.

Whether you’re a couple seeking adrenaline-pumping thrills or a family yearning for unforgettable moments, we’ve got you covered. Join us as we delve into the mesmerizing world of coasteering in Algarve, where jagged cliffs, pristine caves, and azure ocean vistas await your exploration.

Get ready to dive into an adventure of a lifetime as we uncover the secrets of this beautiful coastline, from Lagos to Sagres, in an action-packed tour of rock formations, cliff jumps, and hidden caves, all within the safety of expert guidance and buoyancy aids. It’s time to book your next adventure and make waves along the Algarve’s rugged shores.

What is Coasteering?

In a nutshell, Coasteering is an all-in-one experience that treats the coast as an eco-adventure playground. It’s about cliff jumping, rock-hopping, shore-scrambling, swell-riding, cave-exploring and swimming from coast to coast. Jade and I have been to several adventure activities however we had never heard about Coasteering until we visited Portugal.

We are here to share about one of an life enriching experiences. Doing my first ever 12 meter (40 foot) cliff jump in Algarve, Portugal. In this blog post you’ll learn about what is Coasteering, where to do it in Portugal and how was our experience.

How challenging is it?

Cliff jumping has been one of the most challenging and nourishing experiences for our souls. Last time we did cliff jumping in Hawaii, we waiting for an hour before we jumped off a cliff! However doing cliff jumping as part of a guided Coasteering in Portugal was a completely unique experience. It required us to do over 15+ cliff jumps, swimming in the open ocean, and hiking along the coastal rocks.

From waiting an hour to do our first cliff jump to doing 15+ cliff jumping was definitely a thrilling experience. We recommend this experience to moderately fit people as it does require some physical exertion.

Where can you do Coasteering in Algarve, Portugal?

The only place you can currently do guided coasteering in Algarve is in Sagres. Book the best Guided Coasteering Experience in Algarve. Our guide was a local who had been doing coasteering since he was a kid, and now sharing his love for coasteering Algarve.

We highly recommend going with a guide unless you have experience coastering. We love group activities since it gives us the opportunity to meet new people. Thus, we booked this group tour for 6-8 people. However, the universe had other plans for us. To our surprise, none of the other group members showed up and it was only us two who who showed up! We were thinking “Holy Moly, it’s just going to be us jumping off the cliffs!” – we had hoped to see others jumping before us. On the bright side this adventure became a private guided tour.

This is a MUST DO activity and life changing experience in the Algarve! We highly recommend booking this tour as they have a great 24 hour cancellation and rescheduling policy. Book early in your trip (during your first/second day). If the weather conditions are not favorable, you can always reschedule for later in your trip.

The Coasteering Tour Experience of Cliff Jumping!

What to expect

The tour starts with preparing your gear (helmet, wetsuit, coasteering shoes) and going through safely precautions. After which the guide will drive you to the coasteering location. Fun part the coasteering experience starts off directly with cliff jumping! The experience was well planned. Our guide made us experience jumping from 2 meters first to test out the waters. As we got comfortable, the height kept incrementally increasing from 2 to 12 meter jump. After every jump, we continued exploring along the coast, exploring caves, learning about the natural eco-system, and learning various ways to jump safely based on the cliff formations.

Our Experience

Jumping off from 2 meters to 6 meters height

Initially I was scared to jump from the 2 meters height, however I realized that it was my responsibility to lead me and Jade into this experience. Jade has a severe fear of heights since she was a kid, yet she challenged herself to go outside of her comfort zone. As a husband, I wanted to give Jade the comfort and confidence that this is doable. This is exactly what we travel together, to challenge us to go beyond our mind and physical limiting beliefs. This thought helped me push through the initial jumps of 2 meters to 6 meters height. As Jade watched me do these jumps elegantly, it also gave her confidence to jump out. After every jump, I would look back and cheer Jade on. Even though her legs were shaking before every jump, I’m so proud she did it!

Jumping off from 8 meters height

After jumping off 8 meters height, I was mentally preparing myself for jumping off the final 12 meters cliff. During that moment, Jade was prepping for her 6 meters jump! Jade was going through her mental battles as we could see her legs were shivering. She kept saying “I can do this, I got this”. We kept encouraging her saying “You got this Jade!!!”. It was this moment where I realized she is literally facing her fears and pushing herself beyond her physical limits! Watching her I realized I have not even reached close to my physical limits yet. I was empowered watching Jade face her fears!

Jade stopped at the 6 meter jump (18 feet) but she did it three times! After that, she had the option to swim along the caves to follow us. So if you’re worried you can’t make all the jumps, you are never forced to jump. You always have an option to not jump, the alternative would be to swim along the path as others continue jumping. This is why Coasteering activity is so fun and adaptable to every age group!

The final cliff jump – Jumping off from 8 meters (40 feet) height!

Finally the time came to jump off the highest 12 meter (40 feet) cliff jump, and I still can’t believe I did it! I was doing this jump for both me and Jade. This cliff jump is going to be a very precious memory for me. It will remind me of how much me and Jade have grown as a couple. How we have inspired each other into growing and supporting each other in all difficult situations. Before jumping off the cliff into the cave – I consciously made myself to let go of all my limiting beliefs and I welcomed all the positive energies from the universe to guide us in living the best version of our life.

Hope you loved reading our experience and it inspired you to do something outside of your comfort zone! We hope all of you get to live the best versions of your life. You can watch Jade’s 6 meters and my 12 meters cliff jump video below.

The Verdict: Do we recommend Coasteering?

If you only had 3 days in Algarve, YES, we highly recommend adding this to your itinerary! This is the best activity we did in the Algarve. It is great for solo-travelers, couples, friends trip, and even families. From this experience, we learned: 1) Sometimes in life, you just have to take the leap. Overthinking will only stop or slow you down. 2) Your limits are far greater than you think. 3) Doing this activity as a couple, helped us create unique memory together and taught us more about how to support each other. The person who went in and the person who came out were completely different.

What are you waiting for? You can book this activity at GetYourGuide Coasteering Experience. It includes free transportation from Lagos and Sagres.