Gruta do Carvão - Monumento Natural — Attraction in Ponta Delgada

Imagine, if you dare, walking into a coal dark cavern made of ancient basalt. You’re safe to explore because an intrepid guide is there to show you the way, a guide who has lit your path, so you don’t stumble. You are boldly going where several people have gone before, but it will be new to you, won’t it? So, if you are brave or if you are simply curious, spend a rainy day on Sao Miguel visiting Gruta do Carvao.

Located in Ponta Delgada just north of the R1-1A, Gruata do Carvao (Coal Cave) is a lava tunnel you can tour one of two ways. The most family friendly tour is a 40–45-minute tour of the cave and is a good introduction to lava tunnels. The tour required only good sturdy shoes and a jacket to keep dripping water off. Hard helmets are provided, and you can bring a camera. The guides are well versed in the biology and geology associated with the lava tunnel and seem passionate about the environmental impact of humans on the cave. This standard tour departs several times a day, descending down into the earth from reception, which is located in an unassuming building. The tour is very reasonably priced but tends to book up quickly, so call ahead to make sure they have space for you.

The second option has very limited ability and needs to be booked well in advance because it goes more deeply into the tunnel system and requires an advanced guide. This second option is described as lasting 2+ hours, navigating tight spaces where you may need more specialized clothing and gear. You will be crawling occasionally, so it is not well suited to anyone who has issues with tight spaces. I didn’t take the advanced tour––but based on my experience with the standard tour, I would if timing worked out.

Know before you go, that street parking is available, but you are right next to a walled pasture. Don’t block the farmer’s gate. Remember to call ahead for availability and wear sturdy flat-soled shoes like a trainer or hiking boot because caves have uneven, slippery floors––dress shoes and heels aren’t allowed. The staff were also polite and helpful with suggestions for other rainy-day activities...

Located in the western part of Ponta Delgada city, Gruta do Carvão is the longest lava tunnel of São Miguel island and it extends for 1912 metres divided in three separate sections, one to the North ("Paim" Section) with a length of 880, 2 meters, one to the South ("João do Rego" Section) with an extension of 300 meters and an intermediate one ("Secadores de Tabaco","Rua de Lisboa" Section) that is 701.8 meters long. However some old documents and field observations indicate a bigger length than the mapped nowadays and that it might have been more than 5 km long, since coastline until the proximities of Serra Gorda, in Arrifes.

With the small guided tour you enter the south section (João do Rego), where was advised to bring a rain coat with you. However, climbing shoes are also a big help. If you'd like to really climb and crawl through caves, you should take the long guided tour where you wear more protection than just the helmet.

The tour guide was an enthusiastic young man who was very interested in the workings of vulcanoes. That's why he was such a good tour guide, because he really liked to bring us the exciting information about the ancient old lava tunnels (older than the Egyptian pyramids). The Gruta is definitely worth a visit.

It is mandatory to make a reservation up to two hours prior to...

We booked the long tour as we saw that a lot of people regretted only taking the short one. I definitely say if you are fit and suffer from little to no claustrophobia book this tour!

Booking: The booking process was good as it is just a short E-Mail exchange to confirm any dates. Beware the long tour is only done once a week so plan in advance! Payment can be done on Paypal and confirmation came quickly after. Staff: Staff is super kind and the tour guide was great too! Good knowledge of the cave combined with some local facts made the staff super friendly and knowledgable. Tour: It starts in a lit area but quickly becomes full dark as you only have your light on the head to show you the way. I only recommend the long tour to people who are able to crawl on the floor. You get knee and hand protection for the rough floor and those were perfect. Most of the tour you can actually stand almost upright I remember only in three places did we have to truly crawl and even those holes were not too challenging or small. The danger is the sharper rock so you have to be vigilant but otherwise the tour took 1,5 hours but we were also a tiny group as it was winter when we did it. Experience: Overall the price is very fair and the tour is definitely a must when visiting the island....