São Vicente Caves are a system of lava tubes at São Vicente, on the north coast of Madeira. They formed about 890,000 years ago, when an eruption on Paul da Serra ran down to the sea. Local people came across them in 1885 and passed word to the English naturalist James Yate Johnson, who explored them further. The caves opened to the public in 1996. A visit combines a guided walk through the tubes with a centre on the volcanism that built the island.
São Vicente Caves
Opened in October 1996, among the first caves of volcanic origin in Portugal to take visitors.
- Entrance
- Paid entry, with a reduced rate for children. The ticket covers the films, the guided cave walk and the exhibition.
- Parking
- Car park close to the main entrance.
- Difficulty
- Guided walk of about 700 m through the lava tubes, roughly half an hour underground.
What makes it special
The tunnels are the inside of a lava flow. When the eruption reached the coast, the outer skin chilled and set while the gas-charged core kept running. What drained away left the tubes standing empty. Around 700 metres of them are walked, with a guide, in Portuguese, English or German.
The cave is only half of the visit. The route leads into an exhibition of artefacts, a film on how Madeira was built, and a 3D film about the island and the caves. Roughly half an hour goes on the films and about half an hour on the walk underground. The exhibits can hold you longer than the tunnels do.
Good to know
- Time needed: about half an hour of films and about half an hour underground; the exhibition can take as long again.
- Languages: the guided walk runs in Portuguese, English and German.
- Finding it: map apps have dropped the pin on the roundabout instead of the entrance. Follow the road signs for the caves.
- On site: a shop sells drinks, postcards and gifts, and there is a toilet.
Getting there
Arrive by car. There is a car park close to the main entrance, and the approach is signposted for the caves. Map pins have landed on the roundabout rather than on the entrance itself, so on the final approach follow the signs rather than the screen. Everything beyond the car park is on foot, and the walking proper is inside the cave, with the guide.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does a visit take?
About an hour for the standard round: roughly half an hour of films and about half an hour walking in the cave. With the exhibition, the visit can run to two hours.What languages are the tours in?
The guided walk runs in Portuguese, English and German.How much of the cave do you actually walk?
Around 700 metres of the lava tubes are walked. The system itself runs to about a kilometre.Is it only the cave?
No. The visit also takes in an exhibition of artefacts, a film on how the island was formed and a 3D film about the island and the caves.Are there facilities on site?
There is a shop selling drinks, postcards and gifts, and a toilet.