This short circular route leads mainly through the Caldeira da natural monument. Graciosa, the place with the largest forested area on the island. The trail begins in the center of the municipality of Luz, in front of the church of Nossa Senhora da Luz, and leads via the Canada do Beco up to the ridge of the Caldeira da Graciosa, a depression of volcanic origin on the summit of the smallest stratovolcano in the Azores. The path leads around the caldera's ridge, with a passage at the island's highest point at 405 m, offering panoramic views of the island's landscape and, in good weather, the other islands of the central group.
Inside the volcanic caldera, there are several examples of the volcanic richness of this route, such as two small hydromagmatic cones and underground the caves Furna da Maria Encantada, Furna do Abel and the cave Furna do Enxofre with its visitor centre, which provides access to a unique volcanic cave 194 m long and 40 m high with a freshwater lake and a mud fumarole inside.
Despite the dominance of exotic plant species, of which the Japanese cedar forests, which cover the inner slopes of the Caldeira and represent the largest forested area on the island, are particularly noteworthy, some specimens of the native flora of the Azores can be observed, which are very rare on the island, such as the green heath (Erica azorica), the laurel (Laurus azorica) and the candle myrtle (Morella faya).
Another interesting aspect of this route is the rare occurrence of wading birds such as the common snipe (Gallinago gallinago) and the woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) in the interior of the Caldeira, which has the status of a wetland of international importance (Ramsar site).
Since the hiking trail mainly passes through a protected natural monument, which has the status of a Ramsar site, a core zone of the Biosphere Reserve and a Geosite of the Caldeira and Furna do Enxofre (Azores Geopark), we are all responsible for protecting the biodiversity and treating it with the utmost care and respect during the hike.
Length: 9,7 km
Duration: 3,5 h
Difficulty level: difficult
Source: visitazores
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