Volcano Tours in the Azores, Portugal
Nine islands built on a three-plate junction, 51 experiences, and three islands that carry all of them.
The Azores are nine islands standing on the seam where three tectonic plates meet. The North American, the Eurasian and the Nubian plates all reach the same point in the middle of the Atlantic, and the archipelago is what that junction built. It sits about 1,400 kilometres west of Lisbon. Every island is a volcano, or several stacked on top of one another, and the highest of them is also the highest ground in Portugal: Mount Pico, 2,351 metres, which is the top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge with the sea taken away. This page covers the islands where that geology is actually sold to visitors, and says which ones are not.
What this page cannot give you is a single Azorean day, because the three areas do not resemble each other. São Miguel is a driving island with two crater complexes and a valley that steams; you sleep in Ponta Delgada and nothing is more than ninety minutes away. Pico and Faial are a pair separated by seven kilometres of water, and the reason to go is a 2,351-metre climb with a permit system attached to it. Terceira sells the inside of a volcano rather than the outside. Choosing wrong costs more here than it does in most countries, because the link between the islands is a turboprop that fog can cancel.
Choose a destination in Portugal
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São Miguel
São Miguel volcano tours in the Azores: the Sete Cidades crater lakes, Lagoa do Fogo and the fumaroles and hot springs of Furnas.
35 experiences in 2 destinations -
Pico & Faial
Pico and Faial in the Azores: Portugal's highest volcano and the Capelinhos headland, built by the 1957 eruption.
12 experiences -
Terceira
Terceira in the Azores, where the volcano is the cave: Algar do Carvão inside the chimney, Gruta do Natal and the Furnas do Enxofre.
4 experiences
Volcano Travel Experiences in Portugal
Hike and Snorkel on São Miguel, Guided by Someone Who Lives There
A trek with obstacles to get over and a snorkel afterwards, on routes chosen by a guide who lives on the island. Meet at the Ponta Delgada tourism office.
Mount Pico Guided Climb with Certified Azores Mountain Guides
A daytime ascent with AGMA-certified guides who explain the volcano while you climb it: how Pico formed, what the rock does and what grows at each altitude.
Mount Pico Night Climb with Tripix Azores: Sunrise from Piquinho
Tripix Azores has guided over 10,000 climbers since 2015, and this ascent runs overnight on the official trail to put the group on Piquinho at first light.
Nine Private Hours on São Miguel, from 9 in the Morning
Nine hours, a private car and guide from your hotel at 9am, with the day decided on the spot: Furnas, Nordeste, Sete Cidades, Lagoa do Fogo, or a mix.
North São Miguel with WildScape: Two Tea Factories and a Buffet
The Fogo lagoon from 947 metres, the 40-metre Salto do Cabrito, both island tea factories with tastings, and a regional buffet lunch at Achadinha. Back roads.
Off-Road to the Sete Cidades Caldera, One Quad Between Two
One quad between two around the Sete Cidades caldera, with the green and blue lakes below. Drivers need a licence valid in Portugal and sign a liability form.
Pico by Jeep: Three Plateau Lagoons and an Earthquake Simulator
Three lagoons in a row on the central plateau, lunch included at a local restaurant, and an earthquake simulator at the Casa dos Vulcões. Minimum two people.
Pico in a Day, Ending Inside a Lava Tube
Highlands, laurel forest and a picnic at Prainha, then the UNESCO vineyards and a lava tube to finish. Three volcanic wines if you book the tasting version.
Private 4x4 Half Day from the Ponta Delgada Pier, You Pick the Crater
A private off-road half day from the cruise pier at Ponta Delgada, with the destination up to you: Sete Cidades, Lagoa do Fogo or another that fits.
Private Half Day on Faial: Castelo Branco, Varadouro, Capelinhos
Three to four hours west from Horta to Capelinhos, past the white rock at Castelo Branco and the pools at Varadouro. The last stop depends on the weather.
Quads on the Azores Rallye Trails, above Sete Cidades
You drive the quad, on tracks that are stages of the Azores Airlines Rallye, up to 845 metres at Pico da Cruz with all four lagoons in view below. Half day.
São Miguel in Two Days: the Highest Lagoon and the Glass Pineapples
Two days across the island with a local guide: the Lagoa do Fogo, Sete Cidades, the Furnas calderas and the only glass greenhouse pineapples in the world.
Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo by Electric Van, Eight Seats
Eleven stops across western São Miguel in a fully electric van with eight seats, from Pico do Carvão to Lagoa do Fogo, with an Azorean lunch included.
Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo by Jeep, over Pico da Barrosa
A full day by jeep over the rim of Sete Cidades at 650 metres and the 947-metre Pico da Barrosa, with lunch and drinks at a local restaurant included.
Sete Cidades by Land Rover on the Crater Rim Track
Land Rovers on the dirt track around the crater rim, a stop inside at the church of São Nicolau, and the green and blue lakes from the bridge between them.
Sete Cidades for Cruise Passengers, with the Pineapple Greenhouses
A cruise call spent at the pineapple greenhouses with a liqueur tasting, the blue and green lakes from Vista do Rei, and the cliffs at Escalvado. Back on time.
Terceira's Lava Caves, Including One That Is Not Open to Tourism
A lava tube that is not open to tourism, the Christmas cave and the sulphur fumaroles at Furnas do Enxofre. Algar do Carvão is closed with no reopening date.
Terceira Underground: a Lava Tube and the Inside of a Volcano
A lava tube and a volcano interior in one half-day, with the sulphur vents at Furnas do Enxofre and the stream and ducks at the Lagoa das Patas. By van.
The Furnas Stew, Gorreana Tea and the Chapel Above Vila Franca
The stew comes out of the ground at Lagoa das Furnas and is eaten at a restaurant, with Europe's oldest tea plantation and Terra Nostra either side of it.
The Volcanic Caves of Terceira and the Furnas do Enxofre
The Algar do Carvão is closed for maintenance and a lesser-known lava tube replaces it. Four hours by off-road vehicle, ending at the Furnas do Enxofre.
Two Hours Along the Coast Only Reachable by Sea: Caves, Cliffs, Priest Rock
Two hours along a north coast with no road to it, entering the sea caves when the swell allows, past rock stacks the crew know by name.
Two Lines Round São Miguel, 9 to 7, Hop On and Off
Two lines, Sete Cidades and Gorreana, running 9am to 7pm with as many stops as you want. Under 5s travel free and 6 to 10 year olds pay a reduced fare.
Up Pico, 2351 m, with Poles Issued at the Mountain House
2,351 metres, no mountaineering experience needed but good fitness required. Check-in and briefing at the Mountain House, with hiking poles for everyone.
Volcanic Wine on Terceira: Biscoitos and Full Bottles on the Table
Vines grown in basalt less than 50 metres from the Atlantic, the wine museum at Biscoitos, and a tasting of at least three wines in a family's garden.
Ratings collected by Viator, Tripadvisor and Civitatis