Caldeirão

Caldeirão is a circular route within the Protected Area for Habitat or Species Management of the Coast and Caldeirão of Corvo. It takes you to the collapse caldera that occupies the summit of the island’s Central Volcano, one of the most striking geosites in the Azores. The trail maintains an altitude between 400 and 560 metres, so it’s worth saving it for clear-sky days, when visibility makes it worthwhile. Be prepared to share the path with cattle, horses, and goats: leave the animals in peace.

Start at the Caldeirão Viewpoint, the perfect spot for a first look inside the crater. From here you can understand the image that local tradition preserves: the lake and the few volcanic cones within it resemble a miniature portrait of the nine islands of the Açores. From the viewpoint, the path descends and winds through the caldera, among vegetation dominated by sphagnum moss (Sphagnum sp.). When you reach a large rock, turn right to circle the caldera in an anticlockwise direction. Pay extra attention on this section, where the signposts are lower to withstand the passage of animals, and therefore easier to lose sight of.

The bottom of the caldera is a mosaic of wetland areas with two lakes, fed by rain and water retained in the thick sphagnum moss tufts, the peatlands, on the north-facing slopes. It’s worth knowing that it is in Corvo and in Flores that the most extensive and oldest peatlands in the country are found. Water levels vary throughout the year and can even reach the trail area, so always choose the safest passage, away from the edges.

The route circles the lake, passes by Poço da Velha and skirts a marshy area on the left, until returning to the large rock. From there it climbs back up through the caldera to the viewpoint where it all began. At this point there is a connection to other points on the island via PR01 COR – Cara do Índio.