Magic Places - Praia da Adraga

Praia da Adraga in Portugal is one of my favorite beaches in the world and maybe the one beach I photographed the most. Every time I come back it looks a bit different, the only constant are the huge black rocks jutting out of the sand.

It really makes for some dramatic scenery. Especially during sunset the light at this beach can be fantastic when the sun sets behind the dark sea stacks.

The beach is also very exposed to the sea and on high tide the northern part of the beach is not accessible as the waves rush up to the feet of the cliffs. That's why I usually visit when the tide is a little lower.

But even then I have to be careful, because every once in a while a rogue wave comes in with the potential to submerge my equipment and me.

The most fascinating thing about this beach is how fast it changes. In the course of one week the amount of sand can decrease in a way that huge rocks are revealed, which were covered beneath the sand before. The same is possible the other way.

So even returning several days in a row usually doesn't get boring.

A visit to this and many other spectacular beaches in the area can be easily combined with a visit to Lisbon and Sintra, which is just half an hour drive away. And talking about Sintra, here's a little video I recorded during our last visit.

!steemitworldmap 38.803716 lat -9.485112 long Praia da Adraga D3SCR