Top 5 Caves アラビダ/エスピシェルでの

A 200-meter-long descent down a stone staircase leads to a cave where priests held masses during World War I. This was the information from a local who alerted me to this place. There's an altar in the cave, which I had expected to find there because of this story.

The chapel was probably built in the 17th or perhaps 18th century, as a place of Christian worship that, most likely, succeeded other previous cults, namely those related to water or even initiation rites linked to the idea of the rebirth of the soul.

Lapa de Santa Margarida is a natural grout at the base of Arrábida Mountain, where a small altar was erected. The access is done by a narrow path, with over 200 steps, until the sea level. Inside there is a Christian altar with some images and candles. The image of Saint Margaret was initially in this chapel, thus having given her name to this place.

One of the most important remains of prehistory is a set of four artificial caves, excavated in the rock, which served as collective burial places for the people of the region for around 1,000 years during the Chalcolithic Period (Copper Age). The deceased was placed – in the foetal position, accompanied by a series of ceremonies and offerings – inside the tomb, which, due to its shape, imitated a mother's womb, symbolising a return to the origin of life and a tribute to fertility. The four artificial caves at Quinta do Anjo are funerary monuments with unique characteristics, dating back to the Final Neolithic (around 4,500 years ago) and which continued to be used as collective burial sites during the Copper Age. They were excavated in the rock to form circular compartments, which are accessed via a corridor and an antechamber.

Absolutely fantastic panorama but be careful very dangerous path near the abyss and the path is unpaved

The Giants' Potholes are natural sculptures carved by the force of water over millennia. When the current flows strongly, it carries sediments that, in a whirlwind, wear away the limestone rock, opening up grooves and cavities. Over time, these depressions become enormous: the largest reaches an impressive six metres deep and up to twelve metres in diameter. And the final surprise? Underneath the largest of the potholes, there is a mysterious cave, a real sub-basement waiting to be explored.

Nice walk downstairs to the cave.

Beautiful view of the sea. Inhabits a small altar, which is somehow mysterious.