Lisbon Kayak Tour
Lisbon has plenty to offer as a city break, from famous views, historical buildings, museums, bars, restaurants and more. Did you know you could also do a kayak tour in Lisbon? Perfect for those who are feeling a little adventurous and for something different to do to break up all the city walking.
Have a quick search online and you’ll discover that there are so many Lisbon kayak tours available. All offer a very similar experience, and all are pretty similarly priced. So how do you choose?
We had a couple of options that we mulled over for a few days but ultimately it was the online reviews that sold it to us. We booked this Lisbon Kayak Tour & Picnic through Airbnb. Every review mentioned how fun it was, how the hosts Nuno and João were great guides, and how much they enjoyed the whole experience. We wanted in on that.
We turned up at the shop that morning unsure of what to really expect of the day. Our group had 12 guests in total, made up of couples, friends, sisters and solo travellers. We had a great mixture of people and one of the best things about these kinds of tour trips is that you get to talk to people from different cultures and age groups. Of course, being the only Brits on the trip (amongst 7 Americans and 3 Belgians) and it being the week after the Queen’s funeral, the first thing we were asked was about the Queen.
Anyway. We split between cars to travel down to the Arrábida Natural Park area. Now we were in Nuno’s car so can only comment on that, but the conversation was flowing (maybe a little weird on the topics at times) and we had a Spotify playlist going between us. I believe it took us around an hour to get to the beach from where we set off in Alfama but it didn’t really feel like it and, as we got closer to the destination, the views were beautiful!
Kayak Tour Itinerary
- Meet up at shop in Alfama district
- Travel to Arrábida Natural Park area
- Equipment set-up & safety briefing
- Kayak towards private beach
- Beach games – football
- Lunch and relax
- More beach games
- Snorkelling
- Kayak back to main beach
- Travel back to Lisbon
Kayaking to a Private Beach in Portugal
After having a quick toilet stop, we made our way down to the main beach and started setting up all the equipment. That included pumping up the kayaks – quite a tiring feat to be honest! But once done, we had a safety briefing and then were off into the water.
To begin with, the weather wasn’t actually that great. The water felt very choppy and it was difficult to stay moving in the right direction… sea kayaking is tough! But we made it around to the little beach.
This is somewhere that can only be accessed by water or a long hike, and whilst it did have a few other people there soaking up the sun, it definitely felt like we had our own little beach to enjoy. Soft sand, clear water.
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We kicked off the fun by playing a game of football – which is much more difficult in sand! This isn’t something you have to do, but I thought it was a good way to break the ice between everyone. I got into it more than I was expecting to be honest, really enjoyed having a little run about with friendly competition. It was good fun and definitely set us up for lunch.
A huge spread welcomed us, with food including tuna/ham/cheese sandwiches, a pasta salad, eggs, fresh fruit and veggies, nuts, crisps and dates. Plenty to go around, all tasted great and we also had a couple of caipirinha’s to wash everything down. Very nice indeed.
After that, we had more time to play some beach games, including spike ball and volleyball, as well as the time to just relax in the sun, have a paddle or try some snorkelling before heading back into the kayaks.
Booking a Kayak Experience
If you’re looking for some serious kayaking time, then I have to say this probably isn’t the tour for you. However, if you’re looking for a beach day out to slot into the middle of your city break, with a bit of kayaking, then it’s a great choice.
I really enjoyed this day, having only had a little kayak experience beforehand. It felt like a much-needed break from all the hustle and bustle of being in a city and after all the walking we had done in the days previous.
So, would you book a kayak tour in Lisbon? If you try this tour, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
