Gruta do Natal

GRUTA DO NATAL OPENING SEASONS

1.OPENING DAYS AND SCHEDULES

JANUARY 1st until MARCH 31st:TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS – 2:30pm until 5:00pm (1)

APRIL 1st until MAY 31st:EVERY DAY – 2:30pm until 5:00pm

JUNE 1st until SEPTEMBER 30th:EVERY DAY – 2:00pm until 6:00pm

OCTOBER 1st until DECEMBER 31st:TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS – 2:30pm until 5:00pm(1)

2. TICKET PRICES

• TICKET (Gruta do Natal): 9,00 €**

** No reservations

** Tickets available only on-site

**Discounts for European Youth Card holders (get your card here https://www.cartaojovem.pt/Emissao )

Payment methods: Cash, Debit Card, and Credit Card (except American Express)

3.RULES OF ACCESSIBILITY – GRUTA DO NATAL

WARNINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS IN GENERAL:

Terceira island has been experiencing an above-normal seismic crisis for several months. Your visit to these caves is at your own risk
The visit lasts for about 30 minutes.
The humidity is always very high (above 90%), so it is constantly dripping water inside the cave.
The floor is quite uneven (mostly it’s the cave’s original floor).
Not recommended for people with physical limitations (if so, notify reception).
It’s advised the use of suitable footwear (sneakers, boots).
Appropriate clothing is recommended (walking equipment).
Not recommended for babies or lap children.
Not recommended for pregnant women at an advanced stage of pregnancy.
The collection / destruction of geological samples is prohibited.
The use of tripods is prohibited (except with a prior authorization by Montanheiros Association Direction).
It is forbidden to smoke and eat inside the cave.
It is forbidden to be accompanied by pets.
It is mandatory to wear a helmet inside the cave. The same is provided at reception.
Visits are advisable for small groups.
In case of doubts, visitors should clarify them at the reception.

4.ENTRANCE FEES | FREE ENTRANCES

Entries are priced at €9.00 per person, with the combined ticket (Gruta do Natal + Algar do Carvão) priced at €15.00.
Entry and ticket purchase take place at times stipulated by Montanheiros Association. The schedule is posted at the entrance of the Gruta do Natal visitor center, as well as on the official website and Facebook pages. Extraordinary openings follow the established regulations indicated above. The schedule and opening days are subject to change without prior notice.
Ticket purchase and access procedures to the cave are conducted at the reception of the visitor center on a first-come, first-served basis, with a single queue. There is no priority for those who already have a combined ticket, organized groups, or free groups.
The maximum limit of people inside is 80 (this number may be smaller, depending on special circumstances).
For groups, it is advisable that the number of people does not exceed 20. For groups larger than 20 people, the group may be divided into smaller groups.
Free admission is granted to Montanheiros members (+ one companion) with regularized fees, children under 12 years old accompanied by a paying adult, and tour guides.
The maximum limit for free entries is 25 people per day.
Free groups must request a visit at least 48 hours in advance (approval subject to availability and cave operating conditions). Priority is given to schools and groups from the Azores (Colleges / Schools (except higher education) / Centers supporting the elderly or needy / After-school programs / Scout groups / Fire departments). Companions of these groups (family members) are not granted free entry.
Requests for collaboration with public or private entities will be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.
For requests that do not fit these criteria, the decision will always be made by the Association’s Directorate

5. CONTACTS:

TRAVEL AGENCIES (Prior email: Group name | File or Voucher number | Paxs):

INFORMATIONS | VISITATION REQUESTS | AUTHORIZATIONS:

This cave, initially known as Galeria Negra, was renamed to Gruta do Cavalo around the first explorations, due to the finding of the remains of the bones of a horse that had fallen through the entrance opening. Later, conquering the “mystery” that this cave had represented in the past, the Montanheiros started something that would become a singular tradition.

Thus, after December 25, 1969, with the celebration by the Patriarca das Índias D. José Vieira Alvernaz, it was renamed to Gruta do Natal. This date also marks the opening of the cave for the first time to the population, for which a simple access was built and rudimentary lighting installed.
Christmas Masses have been held in other years, and the cave has also hosted a christening and a wedding.

Location

Gruta do Natal is located aproximately 12 km from the city of Angra do Heroísmo, near Picos Gordos, still inside the Natural Forest Reserve of Serra de Santa Bárbara and Mistérios Negros, but already integrated in a strongly humanized zone, surrounded by high altitude pastureland and cryptomeria and next to the Lagoa do Negro.

It has the following coordinates 38°44’14.73″N 27°16’6.63″W.
On the way to Biscoitos, in the interior of the island, there is a sign 500 meters away at a road junction, indicating its existence and location.

The Cave

The interest of this association for the touristic exploration of this cave is due, in the first place, to the historic and sentimental relationship which the association has always maintained with this cavity. But also due to the fact that, amongst all the caves which exist on the Terceira island, this was the one which offered the best conditions for tourist exploration as well as the fact that it constitutes a complementary geological structure to an algar.
The genesis of the cave is uncertain. One explanation points to its origin in lava flows from fissure eruptions, which occurred in a valley that once existed between the peaks that make up the local landscape.
This is a lava tube with a total length of 697 meters, mostly of easy transit, on a floor with little unevenness and high ceilings. The internal circuit is made so that there is no need for the visitor to take the same route in the return trip. It is also important the cultural and traditional history that this cave possesses, as well as the scientific value in geological formations.
In its interior you can see various geological structures such as flows of different types of lava, staphylites and lateral counters.
It presents itself as a didactic space that more and more teachers, accompanied by their classes, use to better understand the volcanic manifestations that were found in the genesis of these islands.
It has been the scene of numerous acts of vandalism in the past, so access is now conditioned.

The Support House

In the distant past, the Montanheiros had built a house – a hayloft type – to give support to the explorations of the Cave of Natal at the time. However, the simplicity of the structure led to its degradation, also due to the criminal acts to which it was subjected.
Finally, in 1998 the Montanheiros managed to start the tourist exploitation project of the Cave of Natal, with the construction of a new support house, perfectly integrated in the surrounding landscape. This building has the following functions: to house the generator system and control the permanent electrification of the cave, to protect it from vandalism and to value it, creating the minimum conditions for visitors to have a first contact and to enjoy the beauties and novelties that a lava tube has to offer.
The building also houses sanitary facilities, a room for the Generator and a tunnel with access stairs to the interior of the cave. Inaugurated on December 1st, 1998, anniversary date of the association, it opened to the public regularly from June 1st, 1999.

Visits to the Gruta do Natal

It is possible to visit the Gruta do Natal all year round, both in low season, with weekly openings on fixed days, and in high season, with daily openings.