Private Caves Tour with a Geologist

Ricardo is a very good and knowledgable guide that shared a lot of insights not only on the geology, but also a lot of other insights on the Azores and Portugal. He was very approachable and though there were certain things that he had in mind to show and tell us, Ricardo was also very open to go on discourses about a lot of other topics as well. Our pick-up and communication was very efficient, both kids and adults learned a lot of new things, even though this was not nearly our first Azores or volcano trip - now I know that you can't just stick a pipe anywhere in a volcano to get geothermal energy! :) As to the sites - no spoilers, you have to go and see for yourself, definitely worth it. Especially Algar do Carvao, which amazed me even after having been to some big caves and volcanos elsewhere in the world. And the additional tailored insight from Ricardo was definitely worth it!

He was full of information. We would have blundered through all of those attractions blind and missed out on soo much stuff had we tried to do that by ourselves. He was very friendly and answered every question we threw at him. This was a 10/10 experience. Favorite thing we've done in the Azores so far.

Ricardo was a brilliant tour guide. Massively knowledgeable about geology, history and the Azores in general all in superb English. Volcanic caves, steaming rocks and sampling local cheese - what more could you want!

What a day! Each of the sites we visited with Ricardo—Gruta do Natal, Algar Do Carvao, and Furnas do Enxofre—was fascinating and astonishing beautiful. But to have a geologist explain the wonders we were seeing took our experience to a whole different level. Ricardo also offered a kind and steadying hand as we two older women made our way along wet, slippery paths and ducked under volcanic structures. Obrigado, Ricardo!

Ricardo was very knowledgeable, friendly, and made sure to take his time explaining all the various rock formations. Super cool! It was well worth it, highly recommend.

Ricardo was an excellent tour guide. He was knowledgeable about geology, creative, and very patient with our questions. I highly recommend Ricardo if you want to do a deeper dive about the geological formations of Terceira.

Having Ricardo as our guide took this tour from good to excellent. He was patient and thoughtful. He allowed us to go at our own pace but was there to answer any questions. He added invaluable information and insight, we never could have had if we not had an experience geologist to guide us. I would also recommend bringing a raincoat and wearing grippy closed toed shoes. There are a lot of stairs and uneven ground but doable even for my 63 year old mother.

We are adventurous and this was our first trip to the Azores. Ricardo picked us up at the square in Angra do Heroismo. The big cave is closed temporarily for upgrades so he suggested some other activities and left it to us to decide. We went inside lava tubes at Christmas cave and also visited an area with multiple fumaroles. As scientists we knew right away talking with him that he was very knowledgeable. Ricardo says he's from the mainland, and fell in love with Terceira when he was completing exploration work for the geothermal power station that now supplies a percentage of Terceira's electricity. He showed us the outside of the geothermal plant and explained how they use the steam and water to generate electricity. He decided to come back to Terceira after working there. We have met people like Ricardo while traveling before, and he smiled widely when we mentioned some people decide to relocate because they fall in love with a certain location and way of life. Ricardo fits this profile. We spent the last hour enjoying local cheeses in a cantina overlooking the ocean and chatting about travelling. Ricardo's parting advise was to try the fish soup at a restaurant at our last stop, Sao Miguel Island. It was magnificent advise! Overall, it was an amazing time and we felt like we made a new friend. Thank you, Ricardo!

Ricardo was very knowledgeable and an excellent guide. The tour was easy for our 8 and 10 year olds to also enjoy. Don’t miss this opportunity while staying in Terceira.

Ricardo was kind, knowledgeable and relaxed and made us feel very welcome. His geologist’s perspective was very enriching for our experience of visiting the island. Highly recommend. :)