We traveled to the Azores to hike in different terrain and this was one of our destinations.
You can hire a private tour to take you or, you can catch a bus with the locals and get dropped off in the village in the centre of the Caldera at a cost of 6 euros, the tour will set you back between 50 and 80 eu per person.
We did the former and caught the bus which is around 1 hour from Ponte del garda.
We crested the Caldera as as we dropped down early morning we were submerged in cloud and fog.
At the village we eventually found the path out and up through the cloud, the path is loose under foot with large potholes so care is needed, it is steep, rising some 1500 feet in a very small steep climb.
The Azores are subtropical and when it rains, it rains hard.
Passing several farms we climbed up through forests before breaking through the cloud, a sea of white at your feet, after around 1 hour of climbing we arrived at the top view point by the abandoned hotel.
As we looked out the cloud was burning away and within 30 minutes we had great views across the whole area out into the Atlantic ocean.
There are toilets sited at the top where the tourist buses drop off and a cafe sign posted on the descent down the far side.
We then hiked around the Caldera to a better vantage spot some 2 miles away and had a picnic, the views are stunning.
Some say go into the abandoned hotel for the best views, I would say ditch the car and walk around the Caldera, far better and a lot quieter.
