The Berlengas Island
Berlengas always sounded like a foreign place to me, a Spanish Island, or even a part of the Italian Riviera. It never crossed my mind that it was just a little over an hour away from Lisbon!
A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon Diana Coza’s blog, Where Two Go To, and read her article about the Berlengas. Let’s just say it didn’t take much to convince me to go.
I thought I would visit the island in the summer, but instead, I decided to treat Nick with a scuba diving trip for his birthday in May.
Scuba Diving in the Berlengas Island
It took a bit of research, but after a while, I found a company that did scuba diving in the Berlengas Island. Aquaoeste provides all sorts of diving-related activities both on the island and around the Peniche area.
I emailed the founder, Jorge Pereira, back and forth until we settled for a date and time. He was with us every step of the way. From the moment we arrived in Peniche to the moment we jumped off the boat and followed the fishes.
Unfortunately, unlike Ariel, we don’t have the skills to speak underwater, so we had to resort to gestures to communicate with Jorge. He kept asking us if we were okay while we were down there, and even though I was nervous at first, I eventually got used to it.
From octopus to sea cucumbers, there were so many things worth capturing I was overwhelmed by it!
Walking Around the Berlengas Island
If your stomach can handle the boat trip to the Berlengas, you can trade scuba diving for snorkeling or spend the day tanning on its secluded beach.
The island itself is full of seagulls that look like they could be part of the cast of Hitchcock’s Birds. Just make sure to stay away from their nests!
After spending most of the day underwater, we left our suits on the boat and ventured around the island. While we saw colorful fields of flowers, many might miss this sight if they come during the summer, as they will probably dry out by then.
We walked to the fort, which looked straight out of a medieval movie setting. Apparently, you can sleep here in the summer.
After a couple of failed selfie attempts, we headed back for a drink at the island’s restaurant. Jorge and the crew were waiting for us there.
While we welcomed the water splashes on our way there, it was nice to stay dry on our way back. Thanks to the crew for covering us 🙂
Scuba diving is done, should we try skydiving now?
How to get to Peniche from Lisbon?
If you don’t have a car, there are two ways to get to Peniche from Lisbon:
- Get the bus from Sete Rios to Peniche
- Get the bus from Campo Grande to Peniche
How to get to the Berlengas Island from Peniche?
Since we booked the scuba diving experience, the boat trip to the Berlengas Island was already included.
If you want to go sightseeing, you can take the Viamar boat from the Peniche port that takes around 30 minutes to arrive on the Island.
Berlengatur also organizes trips to the Berlengas Island, and they have a glass-bottom boat.
Make sure the weather is good before you book your trip!
Where to stay in Berlengas?
If you fancy spending the night at the Berlengas Island, you have three options:
- Camping: you have to book in advance with Peniche’s tourism office.
- Pavilhão Mar e Sol: it’s part of the island’s restaurant. It only has five small double rooms, that cost around 75 euros per night.
- The Fort: to stay here, you need to book ahead with Associação Amigos das Berlengas. It costs 10 euros per night, but you have to bring a sleeping bag.
Things to know about the Berlengas Island
- Make sure to take a lantern and plenty of supplies. There’s only a mini-market on the island.
- Also, the electricity is cut at 1 a.m., and they close the water tap at 10 a.m.!