Congratulation to the Gruta das Torres Visitors Centre!

May 25, 2022

Opened in 2005, the Gruta das Torres Visitors Centre is the gateway to the largest lava tube in Portugal, with an extension of 5150 metres. An integral part of the Lajidos - Gruta das Torres formation, part of the Pico Mountain Volcanic Complex, it is estimated that it was formed around 1500 years ago during an eruption that originated in Cabeço Bravo.

This Centre, which received about 10,000 visits in 2021, is an example of the sustained use of a natural resource for recreational and environmental awareness purposes, with 15 environmental education activities held that year with 250 participants.

During the 450-metre long lava tube tour, which takes approximately one hour, the visitors experience a unique visit, an absolute pioneer in Portugal, in an expedition format, where they are provided with the necessary equipment to get to know the cave in its natural state in safety. Once inside the lava tube, they can observe various types of lava and several geological formations, standing out different types of lava stalactites and stalagmites, side benches, lava balls, striated walls, and ropy lavas.

The Gruta das Torres Visitors Centre was selected for the exhibition “Habitar Portugal 2003-2005”. In 2006, it was a finalist in the Ibero American Architecture And Urbanism Biennial and, in the following year, was nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Prize for contemporary European architecture. In 2009, the Centre won the National Tektónica Award from the Order of Architects.