Fumaroles of Lagoa das Furnas is a field of steam vents, boiling springs and mud pools on the northern shore of Lagoa das Furnas, a crater lake at 359 metres inside the caldera of the Furnas volcano, on São Miguel in the Azores. The heat is put to use: restaurants in Furnas bury pots of cozido das Furnas in the ground and lift them after six hours of cooking in volcanic steam. The site also doubles as a starting point for the walk around the lake.
Fumaroles of Lagoa das Furnas
Local name: Fumarolas da Lagoa das Furnas
The caldera holding the lake last erupted in 1630 and killed 200 people; the ground has been steaming here ever since.
- Entrance
- Free — no ticket for the fumaroles and the cooking ground.
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance and wheelchair-accessible parking.
- Parking
- Paid car park about 130 m from the vents, around €3 covering the whole day (2025). A free asphalt car park lies about 500 m away.
- Difficulty
- The circuit of Lagoa das Furnas, waymarked PRC06, takes about 5 hours at an unhurried pace from Furnas village.
- Transport
- Nearest bus stop about 585 m from the fumaroles; the next one about 1.2 km away.
- Hours
- Open 24 hours, every day.
What makes it special
Sulphur first, then the steam. At the northern end of Lagoa das Furnas the ground boils in the open: mud pools turning over, springs running hot, vents pushing steam out along the shore of a crater lake set at 359 metres inside the Furnas caldera. The heat is working heat. Restaurants from the village bury their pots in it and leave cozido das Furnas to cook for six hours, then dig the pots out and carry them back to the tables. Past the vents the shoreline opens and the path round the water begins, so the fumaroles tend to be the start or the finish of a long walk. The smell stays with you the whole time.
Good to know
- Toilets: free ones about 130 m from the vents, though they belong to the businesses there and are meant for customers.
- Fog: cloud settles in the caldera and takes the lake with it; the vents steam on regardless.
- The park next door is a separate ticket: it is bought from an automatic machine, and the same ticket is needed to get back out, so keep it.
- Cards work: credit and debit cards are accepted, so cash is not the only way to pay.
Getting there
Nearly everyone arrives by car. The paid car park sits closest to the vents, with a free one further out, and from either the fumaroles are reached along the northern shore of the lake. The same car park is where walkers set off round Lagoa das Furnas, clockwise if they want the cooking ground and the village at the far end of the day.
Sun & daylight
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Fumaroles of Lagoa das Furnas on the map
The springs and mud pools are boiling, not warm. Keep well back from the vents and hold children by the hand — the water, the mud and the ground around them all scald.
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Frequently asked questions
Does it cost anything to see the fumaroles?
No. Walking in to the vents and the cooking ground is free; only the parking and the neighbouring park are charged.Can you eat cozido das Furnas here?
The pots are cooked here, in holes dug into the hot ground, and lifted after six hours. The stew itself is served by restaurants in Furnas.How long is the walk around the lake?
The circuit is waymarked PRC06 and takes about 5 hours at an unhurried pace, starting from Furnas village.Does the site smell?
Yes. Sulphur hangs over the whole fumarole field and is hard to miss, both around the mud pools and along the shore path.