Grutas de São Vicente

Caves of São Vicente - São Vicente’s Caverns

Useful Information

Water filled passage. © **Knut Brenndörfer**.

Typical cave passage with lava stream at the floor and melting forms at the ceiling. © **Knut Brenndörfer**.

Location:	Sítio do Pé do Passo, 9240-039 São Vicente. Near São Vincente, north coast, Madeira. From the capital Funchal follow the coast westwards to Ribeira Brava, then north across the Encumeada pass to Soa Vincente, the cave is a fewkm up the valley near the road (signposted). (32.7975460, -17.0423870)
Open:	closed. [2026]
Fee:	closed. [2026]
Classification:	Lava Tube
Light:	Electric Light
Dimension:	T=17 °C.
Guided tours:	L=700 m, D=20 min.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:	Helga Hartmann (1997): Die "Grutas de São Vincente" - eine Schauhöhle auf Madeira. Höhlenkundliche Mitteilungen, 53. Jg (1997), Heft 9, pp.178-179 Knut Brenndörfer (2005): Höhlen auf Madeira, in: HFGOK-Mitteilungen, Jahrgang 24, Heft 3, September 2005, S.73-76. online
Address:	Grutas de São Vicente, Sítio do Pé do Passo, 9240-039 São Vicente, Madeira, Tel: +351-291-842404.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1855	first explorations by James Yate Johnson, an englishman, who thought the lave tubes could be connected with the plateau Pául da Serra.
1992	start of development as a show cave.
1996	opened to the public.
MAR-2020	caves and museum closed after the earthquake.

Description

The Grutas de São Vicente consists of a number of parallel lava tubes, leading from the plateau Pául da Serra to the sea. These tubes are connected by several artificial tunnels. The cave shows typical features of a lava tube, different forms of lava including some lava dripstones. It is interesting from a geological point of view, but not very spectacular from the tourist point of view, still it’s a nice intermezzo on a visit to the impressive north coast.

Right beneath the cave is the Centro do Vulcanismo (Center of Volcanism), which is a quite spectacular multimedia museum about tjhe local volcanism and the formation of the cave. Audiovisual shows recreate the geological development of the caves, the eruption of a volcano, and even a simulation of the birth of the Madeira Archipelago.

Unfortunately there was an earthquake in March 2020 which damaged the museum as well as the cave. It is now closed for more than 5 years, and it seems it is not possible to renovate the site accordingly to make it safe again. Their website says it is closed "indefinitely".

Grutas de São Vicente Gallery