Boat trips around Flores: sea caves, waterfalls and 2026 prices

Much of the Flores coastline can't be reached by road. The big sea caves south of Santa Cruz, the waterfalls that drop straight into the sea on the north coast and the islets offshore are only visible from a boat. The coast trips leave from Santa Cruz das Flores, so your choice is how long to spend on the water: a short cave loop, a half day with a swim stop, a full day round more of the island, or a Corvo crossing that follows the Flores coast on the way out.

Santa Cruz has two small harbours, Poças and Boqueirão, and the tour operators use both. Most cave trips meet at the Cais das Poças in the town. Lajes on the south coast is where the inter-island ferry docks, but the tour boats are in Santa Cruz. If you are staying in Fajã Grande on the west coast, allow a little over half an hour to reach the harbour; the direct summer bus between the two takes 35 minutes.

The boats are small, and several operators use open semi-rigids. Expect spray, and a bumpy ride when there is a swell.

South of Santa Cruz, the Ponta da Caveira headland is full of caves. The largest is the Gruta dos Enxaréus, about ten minutes by boat from the Santa Cruz harbour. The Portuguese Wikipedia entry gives it roughly 50 metres in length and 25 metres in height, large enough for a medium-sized boat to go inside. Divers know it for the common stingrays that swim in and out of the entrance, often several at once, and for two narrow corridors more than 30 metres long at the back. According to local legend, pirates and smugglers used it as a hiding place.

Flores Fishing lists the other caves on its standard route. Fernão Jorge has basalt columns and light coming in from behind. Gruta do Galo has a freshwater waterfall pouring into the sea inside it. The cave the crews call the Cathedral is named for its tall vertical walls. North of Santa Cruz, the trips pass the waterfalls on the northeast coast, which fall directly into the ocean, and then islets such as Maria Vaz off Ponta Delgada.

The prices below were on operators' own websites in September 2026. Check them when you book, because tours on Flores are small operations and change from year to year.

• A cave loop of about 90 minutes. Several agencies sell a short afternoon trip from the Poças quay that goes through the caves and waterfalls nearest Santa Cruz. It is the cheapest option and fits between other plans on the same day.
• A half day of about three hours. Flores Fishing charges €60 per person with a minimum of two people. The route runs from Ponta da Caveira in the south to Ponta Delgada in the north and includes a snorkelling stop when conditions allow. Living Tours sells a similar three-hour trip with snorkelling, leaving the Cais das Poças daily at 10:00. Be Azores Adventure prices its three-to-four-hour coast trip, and a version that focuses on entering the Enxaréus, from €85 per person with a minimum of four.
• A full day of six to eight hours. Be Azores Adventure's full-day trip spends about six hours going further round the coast, from €120 per person, again with a minimum of four people.
• A Corvo trip. WestCanyon, Flores by Sea and others sell a day on Corvo that runs along the northeast coast of Flores, into some of the caves, then crosses in about 40 minutes. WestCanyon needs at least six passengers. The details are in our Corvo day trip guide.

Watch the minimum numbers. On a quiet day in the shoulder season, two travellers alone may not fill a boat that needs four, so contact the operator a few days ahead and be flexible about the date.

None of these trips runs to a guaranteed plan. The operators all say that entry into the caves depends on the sea on the day, and the skipper may skip a cave, shorten the route or cancel. Flores sits in the open Atlantic, and a swell that looks harmless from the harbour can make a cave entrance dangerous.

So book the boat trip early in your stay, so that there is a spare day if the first attempt is cancelled. Also read the cancellation terms. Flores Fishing asks for a 50 per cent deposit and refunds it in full, or moves the date, when weather stops the trip. Cancelling yourself less than three days before means losing the deposit. Living Tours charges the full price for cancellations less than seven days ahead.

Wear clothes that can get wet, and bring a dry layer for afterwards, because the ride back into the wind can be cool. On the snorkelling trips you need a swimsuit and a towel. Sunscreen and a hat with a strap are worth having, and a phone lanyard or dry bag is useful when the boat goes into the caves. You need to be able to climb on and off a small boat from a quay without help, and Living Tours advises against the trip for anyone with serious back problems, or for pregnant women with significant limitations.

If you are going to Corvo anyway and only have time for one boat day, the tour-boat version of the Corvo trip covers part of the Flores coast on the way. But it is a crossing with some sightseeing added, and it spends less time in the caves. If the caves and waterfalls are what you came for, take the three-hour coast trip on its own. You could also take the public ferry to Corvo on a different day.

Can you visit the Gruta dos Enxaréus without a boat?

No. The cave is at the foot of the cliffs on the Ponta da Caveira headland and can only be reached from the sea. It is about ten minutes by boat from Santa Cruz.

How much does a boat trip around Flores cost?

In September 2026, a three-hour cave and snorkelling trip cost €60 per person with Flores Fishing, and Be Azores Adventure's trips started at €85 for a half day and €120 for a full day. The short 90-minute cave loops cost less.

Where do boat tours on Flores leave from?

From Santa Cruz das Flores, mostly the Cais das Poças. Some Corvo trips also leave from the Boqueirão harbour in the same town.

What happens if the sea is too rough?

The skipper shortens the route, leaves out the caves or cancels. Flores Fishing refunds the deposit or moves the date when weather is the reason; check your operator's terms, and plan the trip for early in your stay.