Lisbon to Arrabida: Kayak & Snorkeling Day Trip with Pickup

4.93

(146 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We met up just outside the Lisbon zoo, still a bit groggy from the city’s morning buzz. Our guide, Rui, was already cracking jokes as he loaded our group into this cheerful blue van—he called it “the pirate ship.” Crossing the big red bridge (it really does look like San Francisco’s), I realized how quickly Lisbon turns into wild green hills. Someone in the back started humming along to Rui’s playlist—mostly old Portuguese pop and some random sea shanties.

Pulled up at Praia do Creiro, sun already strong enough that I regretted not packing more sunscreen. The wetsuits felt weird at first (sort of cold and rubbery), but once we dragged the kayaks down to the water, I forgot about it. The sea here is this unreal blue-green—I kept dipping my hand in just to feel how clear it was. Paddling along the cliffs, Rui pointed out these little caves where fishermen used to hide out. We tried one—echoey and cool inside, smelled faintly of salt and something earthy. At one point I nearly tipped us over laughing when my friend tried to pronounce “Arrábida”—Rui just grinned and said we’d get it by lunchtime.

The snorkeling part was quieter than I expected. Water cold at first shock but then you get used to it; saw a starfish clinging to a rock and a flash of something that might’ve been an octopus (or maybe just wishful thinking). My mask fogged up halfway through but honestly didn’t care—just floating there with sunlight flickering down felt good after all that paddling. Lunch was simple: sandwiches on the sand, still dripping wet, everyone swapping stories about which cave or jump freaked them out most. Then Rui packed everything up while we lay there half-asleep in the sun.

On the drive back to Lisbon I watched the hills fade behind us through smudged van windows. Still thinking about that stretch of silent water inside the cave—how cool and safe it felt for a minute. Not sure if my arms will forgive me tomorrow but yeah, worth it.