February 2026
Event details
Event Description
This hike starts at the Cabo da Roca car park, in front of the Tourist Office, and follows trails and paths of great natural beauty, especially the panoramic view from Praia da Ursa to Praia Grande, passing by the unmissable Praia da Adraga. A walk not to be missed by all nature lovers.
Adraga Beach
In addition to the well-known beach, depending on the tide, there is a kind of second beach at Adraga where you can go on your own two feet, to the left of those facing the sea, and you can access it through an arch naturally carved into the limestone rock, which anchors both your feet in the sand. You can also see rocks of various shapes isolated from the cliffs, already half lost and adrift in the Atlantic, geological proof of how erosion has not been gentle in these areas.
On the other hand, up there, in the deserted and almost vegetation-free limestone cliffs that embrace Adraga, there are gaps and faults, as is more than normal in limestone, which the rains have blurred until they become small wells and caves, tapered and deep. The most obvious one is the cave on the south cliff, where seagulls usually rest, black as night, and which has been given the name Fojo dos Morcegos. To get there, it's advisable to turn back and take a new route, following the gentler slope upwards and avoiding the literal climbing which we will have to do if we choose to take the shortest distance from the beach.
Praia Grande and the dinosaur footprints
Praia Grande is a vast sandy beach which, to the south, is bordered by a cliff where you can see 66 dinosaur footprints. This cliff is made of limestone and is almost vertical, being a sedimentary rock. Around 120 million years ago there was a plain here where the footprints were marked in these sedimentary rocks. When the Serra de Sintra massif erupted around 80 million years ago, these rocks folded and became almost vertical, showing the footprints of dinosaurs (sauropods and theropods). (Part of the trail is currently closed for safety reasons).
Ursa Beach
A few hundred metres from Cabo da Roca is a little photographic paradise called Praia da Ursa. The westernmost beach in Europe is a wild place, the result of millions of years of erosion caused by the force of the Atlantic Ocean. To get there you have to climb down a difficult cliff. But when you finally reach the sand, you know it was worth the effort. Sharp cliffs between high cliffs, a small sandy beach and countless rocks washed up by the sea provide an almost inexhaustible supply of breathtaking images. (The walk does not include the descent to this beach).
Note: The route is duly authorised by the ICNF (Sintra-Cascais Natural Park).
Some of the points of interest on the walk
Praia da Adraga - Praia da Ursa - Praia do Cavalo - Pedra de Alvidrar - Praia Grande - Fojo dos Morcegos - Cabo da Roca - Natural landscapes
Location
Meeting Point
Cabo da Roca car park
Cabo da Roca - Azóia
2705-001 Colares
Latitude: 38°46’52.01″N
Longitude: 9°29’50.08″W
Meeting time: 9h 20m
Time for lunch: 15h
Route Features and Equipment
Circular
Circuit
Equipment
Footwear and clothing suitable for hiking