Caldeira do Enxofre

About 5km/3mi southeast of Santa Cruz is the little port of Praia da Graciosa, from which it is a 1.5 hour climb to the Caldeira do Enxofre, 4km/2.5mi south. This crater, from which there are extensive views, is 1,200m/1,300yd long, 600m/650yd across and some 300m/1,000ft deep, with a crater lake and several eruption vents. On the floor of the crater is the Furna do Enxofre, a cavern some 150m/165yd long, 100m/110yd wide and over 20m/65ft high formed by the collapse of a layer of solidified lava after the outflow of the molten lava below. In the cavern are a small warm lake and several fumaroles of carbonic acid.