Gruta das Torres, Pico: lava tube tours, tickets, what to wear

Gruta das Torres, the longest lava tube in Portugal, was closed to visitors for two years and reopened on 19 July 2026. If you are planning Pico now, the decision is which of the two new tour formats to book: a full walk into the cave that runs once a day, or a shorter guided walk that stays near the entrance. The extended tour starts at 10:15 every day and takes at most 15 people; book it through the Natural Parks' online ticket office. It is around 16 °C inside, so bring a warm layer and closed shoes.

In June 2024 a block of rock fell onto the stairway that leads down into the cave. A report by the Regional Civil Engineering Laboratory then found fractures and loose blocks, including new cracks in the volcanic arch at the entrance, and visits were suspended. The regional government had promised a reopening in summer 2026, and it came in the second half of July. RTP Açores reported that the cave reopened with reinforced safety measures and permanent monitoring.

Guides and booking sites written between 2024 and mid-2026 still say the descent is suspended. That is out of date, but it also shows how quickly things can change here: check the official page before you drive out.

Since the reopening, the Azores Natural Parks run two formats:

• The extended cave tour goes properly into the tube. There is one a day, at 10:15, for at most 15 people.
• The short tour is a guided walk to the end of the boardwalk, with an introduction to the cave and its main features. There are four a day, all in the afternoon, and each lasts up to an hour.

If the cave is the reason you came, book the 10:15 tour. With 15 places a day it is the scarce one. The short tour suits families with small children, anyone unsure about uneven ground in the dark, and anyone whose ferry or flight rules out a morning slot.

Tickets are sold through the Natural Parks' online ticket office (parquesnaturais.azores.gov.pt, under "Bilheteira"). You can also phone the visitor centre on +351 924 403 921.

The tube is 5,150 metres long and was formed around 1,500 years ago by fluid pahoehoe lava from the Cabeço Bravo area. When the lava surface cooled and hardened, the molten rock underneath kept flowing and then drained away, leaving an empty channel. In places the ceiling is 15 metres high. Os Montanheiros, the Azorean caving association, explored it in 1990, and it became a regional natural monument in 2004.

Before the closure the standard visit covered about 450 metres of the tube in roughly an hour, and that is still the best guide to what the extended tour involves. What you see is lava rather than limestone: lava stalactites and stalagmites, benches along the walls where the flow level held for a while, lava balls, striated walls and ropy lava on the floor.

There are no lights in the cave, and the park intends to keep it that way. The only light comes from the helmet and hand torch you are given at the start, so you see the cave a few metres at a time. Apart from the start of the route there are no walkways either: you walk on the original lava floor, which is uneven.

Wikipedia gives the temperature inside as a steady 16 °C or so, year round. In August that feels cold after the heat outside. Warm clothes and sturdy walking shoes are the standard advice, so bring a layer and wear closed shoes with a good grip. Sandals are a bad idea on bare lava. Some sections of ceiling are low, so keep the helmet on.

The last price list published before the closure, still quoted in September 2025, was:

• Adults (15 to 64): 10 euros
• Juniors (7 to 14) and seniors (65 and over): 5 euros
• Children aged 5 and 6: free
• Azores residents: free

The helmet and torch were included. The park has not published separate prices for the extended and short tours, so treat these as a guide and check the ticket office for 2026.

The visitor centre kept these hours before the closure: from April to October, daily from 10:00 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 18:00; from November to March, Tuesday to Saturday from 09:00 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 17:00. The tours now run at fixed times, so plan your day around the tour rather than the opening hours.

The cave is in Criação Velha, just south of Madalena, at Caminho da Gruta das Torres. It is about 10 minutes by car from Madalena and the Faial ferry, and no bus goes there. Without a hire car, take a taxi from Madalena and arrange the return trip before it leaves. Our guide to getting around Pico covers car hire and taxis.

The visitor centre is worth a look even if you only have time for the short tour. It opened in 2005 and was designed by SAMI arquitectos. The vineyards of Criação Velha are next door, so the cave fits easily into a day on the west coast with a walk through the UNESCO vineyard landscape. If you are coming over from Faial for the day, the 10:15 tour works with an early boat from Horta. Check the crossing times first, because a late ferry means missing the only extended tour of the day.

For a different kind of volcanic cave, Terceira has two open to visitors: see Algar do Carvão and Gruta do Natal.

Is Gruta das Torres open in 2026?

Yes. Visits resumed on 19 July 2026 after a closure that began in June 2024. It can still close at short notice for weather or safety reasons, so check the Azores Natural Parks page before you go.

Do I need to book?

Book the extended tour. It runs once a day at 10:15 with a maximum of 15 people. The four afternoon short tours are easier to get onto, but booking online is still the safe choice in summer.

How long is the visit?

The short tour lasts up to an hour. Before the closure, the full visit covered about 450 metres of the tube in roughly an hour; expect something similar on the extended tour.

What should I bring?

A warm layer and closed walking shoes. It is around 16 °C inside and the floor is bare lava. The helmet and torch are provided.