Furnas Valley

Furnas sits inside an active caldera on eastern Sao Miguel, and the ground makes that obvious. Fumaroles hiss and mud pots bubble in the middle of the village and again on the shore of the lake, where holes dug into the hot soil are used to cook cozido, a meat and vegetable stew lowered in pots and left underground for hours. Mineral springs surface all over the valley, each with a different taste, and several are set into public fountains for drinking. Terra Nostra Park holds a large warm bathing pool the colour of rust from dissolved iron, surrounded by camellias, tree ferns and old plane trees planted over two centuries.

What you actually see

• The caldeiras - boiling mud pots and steam vents in the village and by the lake.
• The cooking holes - stew pots lowered into hot ground beside Lagoa das Furnas.
• Terra Nostra Park - a warm ochre bathing pool under old exotic planting.
• The drinking springs - public fountains of mineral water, each tasting different.

When to go

Warm months make the outdoor pools most pleasant, but the valley works year round and rain is common in any season. Pots go into the ground in the morning and come out around midday, so arrive early if you want to watch. Evening is the quietest time in the thermal pools, once the day trippers have driven back across the island.

Honest expectations

The iron in the Terra Nostra pool stains swimwear permanently, so bring something you do not care about. Sulphur smell hangs over the whole valley and some people find it hard going. Pools get crowded in the late afternoon and changing facilities are basic. The village itself is workaday rather than picturesque, and rain arrives often.

Nearby

Lagoa das Furnas, the Ribeira Quente coast and the Nordeste viewpoints.