On the west coast of the island of Faial, you can see a landscape characterized by the last volcanic eruption in 1957-58. The lighthouse that stands here became partially covered and the island had expanded when it was all over. Faial is one of 9 islands in the Atlantic Ocean that makes up the archipelago named Azores. I only spend two days on the island, but because it's rather small we did see quite a lot in just one day when we did a drive along the coast from Horta and back. Some of our stops also included hikes that gave us an opportunity to experience this amazing landscape.
This place is Capelinhos, situated on the western part of the island. As we approached the coast, the landscape changes dramatically. From being green and lush to brown and barren lava landscape. It is so different from what we had seen so far. When we had parked the car we started with a hike.
Several of the walking tours that go to The village of Capelo crosses some of the oldest volcanoes that once helped create the island of Faial. The path is marked and well trodden, so you can see quite clearly where to go. It is not recommended to ignore the risk of landslides. Quite a unique experience to walk a path crossing the vulcanic landscape.
The last volcanic eruption started with small earthquakes in September 1957. It all started in the sea close to Capalinhos. After a couple of weeks, the volcanic cloud had reached a height of 6,000 meters and eventually formed a small island around the crater. After only a few days, this island was 60 m high and 640 m wide. Several explosions and new eruptions led to the island of Faial being expanded by 2 square kilometers in March 1958. But the eruption also caused many houses to be damaged and many people had to move to settle elsewhere.
After a walk along one of the hiking trails, we went down to the lighthouse. Only the walls and the tower itself remain. You can see that parts of it are buried. It's possible to pay to get up into the tower. Another thing one can do, is to pay the excellent volcano museum a visit. It's built next to the lighthouse, but underground. It's barely visibly in the landscape when you come on foot. We went inside to have a look. Quite unique when it comes to design. I like the way it is built, hardly visible on the surface.
Before we drove on, we went down to the sea. The coast is rough. The rocks and waves are high. It all gives a dramatic effect to the lava landscape around us. We took the time to sit here and look at the sea, the landscape and the lighthouse before driving back to Horta along the south coast.
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Thank you for sharing your travel experience I found it very interesting I did not know this part of Portugal.
I can't wait to read about your new content
The Azorean islands are like a hidden gem. I really enjoyed my visit to 4 of the islands.