Sao Vicente Caves

The São Vicente caves, which date back to the early Palaeolithic, are one of the first caves of volcanic origin open to visitors in Portugal. They were formed during the volcanic eruption in Paul da Serra hundreds of thousands of years ago, but their discovery was only in 1885 due to local residents.

A group of people who accidentally found caves reported James Yate Johnson's finding. An English naturalist decided to explore the interior of São Vicente, discovering the naturally formed lava cave tunnels. The official opening to the public took place in 1996, presenting an underground route running over more than 1000 m, to which one entrance leads.

After visiting the cave, it is worth visiting the Volcano Center pavilion, which offers a number of educational and entertainment audiovisual shows that recreate the geological evolution of the caves, volcanic eruption, and even the simulation of the birth of the island of Madeira, on which São Vicente is located.