Chã das Caldeiras
A village inside a caldera at around 1,700 m, with houses built on lava flows. It is the base camp for climbing Pico do Fogo.
Chã das Caldeiras is the floor of a caldera about 9 km across. Two villages, Portela and Bangaeira, sit here. Residents grow grapes, beans and fruit trees in the volcanic ash. The 2014 to 2015 eruption buried most of the houses, schools and wineries. Some half-buried houses can still be seen, and some residents have returned to rebuild and now run guesthouses and restaurants. This is the starting point for climbing Pico do Fogo and the smaller peak, and it is worth spending a night here to watch the stars. You can reach it from São Filipe by shared taxi (aluguer), a trip of about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Chã das Caldeiras Wine
- Pico Pequeno
- Pico do Fogo
- Bordeira
- Monte Velha Forest Park
- Mosteiros
- Ponta da Salina
- São Filipe Historic Centre