Berlenga Island Small-Group Day Trip from Lisbon

Five friends and I did this tour on Monday, 16th September. John our tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable and happy to answer any questions we had. Berlangas is absolutely beautiful- I'm definitely going back. I would strongly recommend this tour :)

The tour was great to spend a day in contact with nature and a bit of time at the beach. The tour guide, John was nice at all times. A wonderful choice for a day outside Lisboa.

I highly recommend this tour. It is a beautiful place outside the city. A few things to consider before booking. It is not that much time on the island. If you get seasick make sure you take something because the water is rough. I also feel that more time should be spent exploring the island and the fort before the glass bottom boat part of the tour. We were very rushed and then had all this time at the beach after. The water is freezing in Portugal and rather have spent time exploring.

First, let me start by saying you should absolutely visit Berlenga Island. It's beautiful and a wonderful experience, but you might want to consider another tour company. Our guides were knowledgeable, helpful, funny and friendly. My 3 star rating is not reflective on their performance, or the island itself, but rather the difference in the tour from what was advertised. I realize that tours are subject to change based on safety, etc, but the tour company knew in advance that there would be a significant impact to the tour and did not plan for an additional activity. It would have been nice to have known this in advance so we could have made an informed decision to cancel. This "rule" change shorted our day by 2 hours or 20%. First, I booked the tour because it said "small group" limited to 8. There were 8 in the van I traveled in, but there were 2 vans with 8 people each and we moved and travel together as a large group of 16. Next, the morning of the tour we were told that the "rules" on the island had changed, and only 550 people could be on the island at a time, so we would have to leave on the 2:00 PM boat back to Peniche. The tour is advertised as 10 hours, but is really 8 because of the abbreviated time on the island. Our day went like this: Meet at 8:00 AM. We left a bit late as we were waiting for the 2nd van. Travel 1 hour to Peniche. Once at Peniche, we had about 15 minutes to use the facilities or get something to eat or drink. We boarded the boat at 9:20. The boat ride is approximately 45 minutes. I love all kinds of boats, so this slow small boat did not bother me at all; however, we were consistently passed by larger and faster boats heading to the island. We arrived at the Island around 10:10 AM, and had about 20 minutes to hike up to the restrooms or grab something to eat. At about 10:30 the group of 16, with two guides, gathered for a hike to the Fortress. The hike took about 30 minutes. We then had time to look around and take photos. At about 11:35 we boarded the glass bottom boats for a cave tour. The seas were too rough for the kayaks. We docked back at main portion of the island around 12:10. We then had about an hour and forty five minutes for lunch, swimming, beach time or more hiking. We were told not to be late for our 2:00 PM boat back to the main land. We arrived back in Peniche around 2:45 and had about 30 minutes to look around, get an ice cream, etc. We were back in Lisbon at our starting point around 4:00.

I enjoyed the experience! The guide, the fishing boat, walking in the island ...the weather was good! On our way there I sat in the front. in the beginning I was scared but enjoyed the experience.

Our trip to the island was good. Boat ride to the island the day we went was very rough. Because of the rough waters the kayaking option was not available. The sights though were beautiful and we got a little beach time. My only comment was that our tour guides were not very present (visible) during boat ride over and back and were unaware that 2 people got seasick on the way over.

My family of 4 had a great trip. Our guide was personable and informative, clear on the timing of the day. The boat host made sure to check on all of the passengers, as it was a rough day at sea. The day was lovely and the activities were great.

The trip to Berlenga Island was well organized and crisply attended. The island was outstanding and my only regret is not having more time there to simply absorb the special atmosphere. Philip and John were excellent guides.

My trip to Berlenga was amazing, what a beautiful breathless place. My Tour person, JOHN from Spain, was the best guide ever. He was so knowledgeable, answered all questions, kept track of everyone constantly, was helpful, courteous, funny. I have been in many tours, this was the best tour guide I've had. The only thing I suggest to travelers is, if you are afraid of the rough seas like me, this is not a boat tour to go on. I was stressed, scared, and the boat crew did not even give us life jackets with such waves we were encountering. Guide had nothing to do with this. However the captain was a very good at navigating through such shaky waves & rough seas.

The island was beautiful, loved the boat ride. Our Tour Guide John was amazing, so informative, entertaining, caring, directing. I give him a 10. The only thing is I personally would not go back, had no idea in summer the waves would be big, and I've very scare riding small boats with those waves, much better for younger crowd. Berlenga takes your breath away. I recommend it highly for those who are not afraid of riding high tides.