The island is dominated by the 1,043m cone of its vast Caldeira (volcanic crater) which is accessed through a tunnel in the cone’s side.
From mid-June to August the island is a riot of blue as the hedges of hydrangeas, originally imported from China and Japan, burst into bloom.
Horta is an excellent base from which to visit the islands of Pico and Sao Jorge (summer months only), explore the green Caldeira (now a nature reserve) and Capelinos, the rather eerie site of the 1957 volcanic eruption, which transformed the geography of the island. From Horta there are wonderful and ever changing views of the volcano on Pico,
