Top 10 Volcanoes in the Azores
The Azores sit at a triple junction of the North American, Eurasian and African plates. Every island is volcanic, every shoreline is shaped by some past eruption, and several centres are still active — the 1957 Capelinhos eruption added new land to Faial within living memory.
1. Pico
Portugal's highest mountain (2,351 m) and one of Europe's most beautiful stratovolcanoes. A near-perfect cone rising straight from the Atlantic. Climbed under permit in around 6–8 hours round-trip.
2. Sete Cidades (São Miguel)
A 5-km-wide caldera with two crater lakes — one blue, one green — at its floor. The viewpoints at Vista do Rei and Boca do Inferno are the most photographed landscapes in the archipelago.
3. Furnas (São Miguel)
A geothermal village in the east of São Miguel, where the famous cozido stew is cooked in volcanic vents in the ground. The Furnas caldera lake is dotted with hot springs.
4. Fogo / Água de Pau (São Miguel)
The central volcano of São Miguel, with the spectacular Lagoa do Fogo at its centre. A long ridge walk circles part of the caldera rim.
5. Capelinhos (Faial)
The 1957–58 surtseyan eruption that emerged off the west tip of Faial and added a 2.4-km² peninsula. The old lighthouse now stands inland on new ash. An interpretive museum at the site tells the story well.
6. Caldeira do Faial
The old central caldera of Faial — 2 km wide, 400 m deep, with green walls dropping to a forested floor. A short walk from the road around the island's highlands.
7. Pico Alto (Santa Maria)
The oldest of the Azores, on the easternmost island. The volcanism here is largely extinct, eroded into stratified yellow tuff cliffs along the coast.
8. Caldeira das Sete (Flores)
The flower-named western island has multiple crater lakes inside an older caldera — a landscape of mist, waterfalls and grazing cattle.
9. Pico da Vara (São Miguel)
The eroded north-eastern shield of São Miguel, ringed by laurel cloud forest and a refuge for the endemic Azores bullfinch.
10. Don João de Castro Bank (submarine)
A submarine volcano between São Miguel and Terceira whose 1720 eruption briefly formed an island, since eroded back into a shallow bank. A reminder that the Mid-Atlantic Ridge here is still building.
How the triple junction works
The Azores sit where three plates meet. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge runs north-south across the archipelago; the Terceira Rift, a leaky plate boundary, runs north-west to south-east. Activity is a mix of basaltic shield growth and explosive felsic eruptions.
Safety and access
Pico requires a permit and reasonable mountain experience. Capelinhos is fully open and easy. Furnas geothermal vents are dangerous to leave the marked paths around. Always check the Centro de Vulcanologia (University of the Azores) bulletins before visiting active areas.
On the map
Open the map and filter to the Azores to see how nine islands align along a triple junction — every lake is a caldera, every cliff is a flow front, every village sits on volcanic soil.