Visits to Algar do Carvão may be limited due to visitor center works Open (14:00 - 18:00 summer/ 14:30 - 17:30 winter). October to April close Sunday, Monday and Thursday. Have you ever imagined yourself inside a volcano? In this tour, guided by a geologist, we will visit Gruta do Natal (Christmas Cave) and Algar do Carvão. From here in the center of the island, depending on the weather we can choose to taste our famous local cheese while learning some of the region’s history or take a dip in one of our natural ocean pools along the way, bring a towel and a swimsuit. The experience is a fully customizable private tour custom-made according to your personal needs and wishes.
Prices are per person when two book together; a solo traveller pays $86.
In demand: 8 of the next 30 departures are already sold out.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 7.
Lava tube, the cave spreads horizontally where you one can see small detailed lava forms. Some low ceiling areas that require care, so not recommended for those with mobility issues.
Ground steaming area with sulfur vents, there is a small circular walking path to best view the unique flora and geology of the area.
Volcanic chimney, the cave spreads mostly vertically. One can appreciate the monumental wide rooms.
Rocky beach area from where you can see the southwest coast and, if the weather allows, São Jorge and Pico Islands.
Important Note- The remaining (Hours) will be allotted for the travel time from pick up until drop off.
We will pick you up at your hotel in Angra or at the meeting point, main square (Praça Velha) just in front of the city hall.
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For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Private Caves Tour with a Geologist lasts about 5 hours. The itinerary has 5 stops.
Prices start at $74 per person for this Terceira experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. That is the per-person price when two book together; a solo traveller pays $86. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 2:00 PM.
Children aged 7–11 pay from $34, adults from $74. Infants go free.
It can: 8 of the next 30 departures are already sold out, so booking ahead is a good idea.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Yes, pickup is offered. We will pick you up at your hotel in Angra or at the meeting point, main square (Praça Velha) just in front of the city hall. Pickup points include Zenite Boutique Hotel & Spa.
The experience is available in PT, EN.
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 4 travellers can book together.
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Thoroughly enjoyed my tour with Ricardo! It was convenient and well-organized from start to finish. I was also able to customize some of my tour based on my interests. He also was patient with my 10000 questions. :) Would highly recommend!
Ricardo is an excellent knowledgeable guide who provided us with detailed information about the geology of both caves. He is patient and explains the lava formations in a way that also people who don't know much about the topic enjoy his expertise. The visit to Gruta do Natal, Algar Do Carvao en Furnas do Enxofre was one of the most memorable experiences we ever had while traveling. We recommend this to everyone who wants to visit these places, use Ricardo as your personal guid instead of exploring on your own, you will remember it fondly for the rest of your life! Thank you very much for this magical tour yesterday Ricardo!
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Don’t miss this spectacular trip. We had a wonderful time. Our guide was very knowledgeable and taught us so much.
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!
Thank you so much for your kind words!
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!
Thank you for your kind words!
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!
Thank you for your kind words!
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.
Thank you!
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.
Thank you 🙏🏼
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.
Thank you 🙏🏼
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Caves Tour with a Geologist | 5 hours | 5.0 (21) | $74 | |
 Cave Tour in Terceira | 3–4 hours | 4.8 (48) | $51 | View |
 Half Day Tour to the Caves | 4 hours | 5.0 (23) | $130 | View |
 Private Terceira Island Full Day Tour | 7–9 hours | 5.0 (257) | $172 | View |
 Terceira Island Highlights Tour - Azores | 8 hours | 4.6 (211) | $103 | View |
 Watching whales and dolphins on Terceira Island | 3 hours | 4.9 (199) | $74 | View |
 Island Van Tour (Full Day) | Terceira Island | 7 hours | 4.9 (189) | $86 | View |