Praia de Vale Covo: the #1 guide
Praia de Vale Covo is a secluded beach in the municipality of Lagoa. The beach is west of Praia de Vale Centeanes and east of Praia do Carvoeiro. Vale Covo beach is characterized by a huge cave in the cliffs, which makes this beach truly breathtaking. Let’s discover this beach.
Watch it in 4K
Are you curious to see Vale Covo beach and its amazing surroundings? We recommend to watch the following short video to see more of this beach.
The beach
Praia de Vale Covo is a small beach, located in a beautiful cove between two cliffs. The cove faces southwest.
The strip of sand of Praia de Vale Covo is very small. In fact, the beach completely disappears at high tide. That is why it is best to visit this beach during low tide. Since the beach is so small, the sand is always moist, which is good for building sand castles.
On the east side of the beach you can see an huge cave with an enormous arch. This cave characterizes the beach. It is in fact possible to visit this cave during low tide. It is an amazing experience. Furthermore, the cave is also a popular destination for many boat tours in the area, especially in the morning and early afternoon.
You can see a small islet in the water, about 50 metres from the beach. It is another unique feature of this beach.
The cliffs at Praia de Vale Covo shelter the beach against the wind. In addition, they protect the beach against the waves. That is why the water on the sea here is very calm. The water here has an amazing green/blue colour. It is great for swimming, snorkelling and diving. In fact, there is a diving centre on top of the cliff called Algarve Divexperience.
Vale Covo beach is more difficult to reach than other nearby beaches. This means the beach is usually quiet. There are not a lot of people on the beach. If you go early, you will surely have the beach to yourself.
If you explore the cliffs near the beach, you can discover some fossils in the rocks.
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How to get there
The easiest way to move around in the Algarve is by car. If you don’t have one, make sure to rent a car. Praia de Vale Covo is about 1200 metres east of Carvoeiro, just in front of the Tivoli Carvoeiro resort. You can park your car on the side of the road, near the beach.
When you come on foot from Carvoeiro, follow the Carvoeiro boardwalk past Algar Seco and continue on the cliff top until Tivoli Carvoeiro. There is a staircase from the cliffs on the western side of the beach. However, the stairs are not in good condition: they only go half way down the cliff. You have to climb the last part down and then of course back up again. This can be a bit hard for some people, which means that Vale Covo beach is not suitable for people with mobility issues or small children. Praia de Vale Covo is harder to get to than other nearby beaches.
Hotels
Vale Covo beach is relatively close to Praia de Vale Centeanes. Thus we recommend the same restaurants and hotels as you can find in the article about Praia de Vale Centeanes.
Another option is to quickly check the availability of nearby hotels. Below you can find a map with the location of hotels near Carvoeiro. By changing the date of your holiday, the map will show you the current prices.
Excursions
Praia de Vale Covo itself is visited by some boat tours and for good reason. If you want to see more of the coastline, we recommend to go on an excursion. Some of our favourite excursions in the area are listed below.
Facilities
Vale Covo beach has no facilities and no infrastructure. It is a wild beach. The nearest restaurant is called Sal & Tal and is about 200 metres away.
Facilities in Praia de Vale Covo:
- Restaurant: no
- Bar/club: no
- Toilet: no
- Shower: no
- Water sports: no
- Sunbeds: no
- Parking: no
- Lifeguards: no
- Blue Flag beach: no
