Like yesterday, we started our day with coffee on the porch. Our plan today was to cover the rest of the sights in Terceira. We were scheduled to check out at noon, so we decided to head to Piscinas Naturais Biscoitos first, return after spending some time there, and then get ready for check-out. Piscinas Naturais Biscoitos are natural pools at the edge of the ocean formed by lava rocks from ancient volcanic eruptions. We packed a couple of towels and our swimwear and headed out. The weather was cloudy, but it wasn’t raining.
We reached the pools around 10:00 AM and parked the car in the large parking lot. There weren’t many people there yet, but I imagine the crowds increase as the day progresses. This place must attract masses in the summer months. We first headed to the right side, where there was a concrete platform for jumping into the deep pool. It was very windy and there was a chill in the air; it felt quite cold, which wasn’t an encouraging sign for swimming in the ocean. There were a few lifeguards around, and we asked one if it was safe to swim since the yellow flag was flying. He told us we could go ahead and then jumped in right in front of us for a quick dip. By the time I was ready, he was already climbing back out. I was apprehensive that the water would be freezing, so I asked him about it. He said it was better inside than outside and, as unbelievable as that sounded, he was right.
I brought myself to the edge of the platform and took the plunge, figuratively and literally. The initial shock of the cold water gave way to a focused effort to swim across as the waves tossed me around. This protected pool was already quite rough, so I can’t imagine how the open ocean would have been.
I managed to make it to the rocks on the other side, swam back, and climbed onto the platform. Being outside, I quickly realized the lifeguard was right: it was colder in the wind and chill than it was in the water. I repeated the circuit, and it was just as much fun as the first time. Afterward, we headed to the other pools, which were shallower, more sheltered, and much calmer. This felt more like being in a swimming pool and less like the open ocean; it was nice to swim around and relax.
A few more people had arrived by now—both tourists and locals. One local couple spoke to us in Portuguese, thinking we were locals ourselves. Since we couldn’t follow along, the man switched to broken English to warn us that there were jellyfish in the pools, pointing to a Portuguese Man o’ War his wife had pulled from the water with a stick. He explained that the ocean had been rough for the last few days, and several had been tossed over the rocks into the pools. He said we were lucky nobody had been stung, as it would have spoiled the vacation. We took that as our cue to head out.
After rushing through packing and check-out, we headed to Fonte das Sete Bicas for lunch to try the local specialty: Azorean Alcatra. We ordered the beef and octopus dishes, which came with bread and boiled potatoes. In hindsight, we should have ordered just one dish at a time; the portions were huge and very rich. The beef alcatra was the standout. Both were very flavorful, though quite oily and salty compared to typical European fare. We couldn’t finish it all, so we took the rest in a box.
After lunch, we drove toward Praia da Vitória to see Miradouro do Facho. On the way, we made a quick photo stop at Miradouro da Ponta da Má Merenda. Cattle were grazing in green meadows against the backdrop of the deep blue Atlantic. There was a nice bench built into the concrete wall to sit and enjoy the view.
We drove further up through a tree-lined boulevard to reach the Monumento do Imaculado Coração de Maria. We also saw the Baloiço da Praia, which offered beautiful views of Praia da Vitória and Serra do Cume with its windmills in the distance.
We had called ahead to our next accommodation, Hospedaria Casa D’Avo, to arrange an early bag drop-off. We met there at 2:30 PM, got our keys, left our luggage, and headed out again.
Algar do Carvão is a volcanic cavern with steps leading down to unique rock formations, vegetation, and a small lagoon. We purchased a combo ticket to visit both here and Gruta do Natal. We wore our rain jackets to stay dry from the water seeping through the rocks.
Looking up, we could see the clear blue sky through the lush green funnel of the cavern’s entrance. A middle platform offered views of a rock dome and lava tubes, and another set of stairs led down to the lagoon. It was a surreal experience standing inside an ancient volcanic funnel.
Our next stop was Gruta do Natal, a volcanic cave consisting of various lava tubes. Upon showing our combo ticket, we were given disposable caps and hard helmets. These were essential—I bumped my head on the low-hanging rocks several times.
Walking through tunnels that once flowed with magma was fascinating. The floors and walls featured various textures created by different lava flows, all explained by informative boards along the way.
The landscape around Gruta do Natal, with its pastures and juniper forests, was beautiful in the afternoon light.
We walked around briefly before driving to Furnas do Enxofre, a scenic park with trails through geothermal vents. Seeing steam rising directly from the ground was incredible.
While the smell of sulfur wasn’t strong initially, it became quite apparent as we followed the trail. We completed the loop and returned to the car.
With some daylight remaining, we decided to visit Miradouro da Serra do Cume one last time. The vistas from the platform were once again magnificent.
On the other side of the hill we could see Praia da Vitória and Miradouro do Facho in the distance from where we’d seen Serra do Cume earlier in the day.
Since we had an early flight the next day, we refueled the car and returned it to the airport rental agency. We walked back to our hotel and had the leftover Alcatra for dinner. We stayed for one night; while the room was clean and tidy, the bed wasn’t very comfortable. However, the shared bathrooms were spotless, and the communal kitchen was well-equipped.
We would be in transit for two full days—first back to Lisbon 🔗 and then to Athens 🔗—before reaching Iceland 🔗. We packed accordingly and called it a night.