Algar do Carvão

The cave is huge and the place is really exceptional. The only bad thing is that everything has been built inside making it lose its natural charm.

I couldn’t believe how big this place is. You can feel the amount of power the lava had to form this tube. It is gorgeous looking up to the greenery near the top with the light shining through! I’ve never seen anything like it!

If you like caves and exploring them, this is a must-see in Terceira! This used to be a volcano vent that is right smack in the centre of the island and houses a lot of current flora within the cave. The descent is clearly paved with stairs and goes 45m downwards… there are further stairs that are barred that go down a steeper incline into a clear pond of water. It seems that the pond was once accessible to tourists but no longer. The cave is only open 230-5pm and is 10 euros to enter pp. you can pay 15 euros and see a second smaller cave called gruto do naval that is nearby (need to drive to that site). This cave is honestly not that big and while there is lighting to minimize tripping and falling, it is difficult to take good photos once inside of it. It is a little chilly and damp inside the cave and i wore a windbreaker and long leggings… but I also see other people wearing t shirts and shorts…. This cave has been commercialized and for those looking for a more “adventurous” and explorative cave au natural, you will be disappointed.

A very beautiful cave. The main draw for me was first area upon entering where you see the cave opening. It gets wet and cool in the cave, but a jacket wasn't needed when I visited in August. The site gets very busy right from opening and onwards. Total time spent was no more than 30 minutes.

This place is worth a visit. But perhaps take a raincoat or at least a hoodie. It’s pretty cold and wet down there. I took my guitar and played a few songs to hear the acoustics. It wasn’t as reverberant as I thought but it was a nice experience.

It is currently (Nov 2025) CLOSED due to construction of a new visitor center.

Beautiful to see at least once! Lots of steps! Tour doesn’t take long, maybe 15-30 minutes depending on how much time you want to spend viewing the inside of the cave.

Incredible experience! Few tips: take good waking shoes suitable for the uneven stairs and wet pavement and take a hooded raincoat because it is a bit chilly and moist down there. It’s about 360 stairs one way down the volcano but definitely worth it! I have never send anything like this before and pictures don’t do justice, you just have to go see it! Best attraction on the island.