Caldeirão

The island’s only asphalted road leads to its only nature attraction, the Caldeirão, the crater that resulted from the one volcano, which gave birth to the island, and was probably active for the last time estimated two million years ago. Passing pastures, separated by black basalt walls or hydrangea hedges, where cows and some wild horses graze and offering all the way – weather permitting – splendid views, with the green of the pastures beautifully contrasting with the blue of the sea, the about 6 km long road ends at the north-eastern crater rim. From the Miradouro do Caldeirão, a viewpoint at about 560 m, the views down to the 300 m deep crater bottom, which can be reached on a path, are fabulous – if there are no clouds, which unfortunately is often the case. Boasting an impressive 3.5 km circumference, this gigantic crater’s steep walls are covered with greenish-yellowish mosses, the yellowish colour at places being so intensive, as if there were still sulphur vapours emanating. The crater has also two lakes, filled with more a less water – depending on the rainfall – with a few tiny islets, of which the islanders like to say that they are reflecting the islands of the archipelago. Reaching its highest point with 718 m in the south, at the peak Morro dos Homens, the crater flanks slope down precipitously to the sea in the east, north and west where they often drop almost vertically from heights of about 400 m.

Map of island of Corvo

Cows and horses grazing