Corvo island guide: the Caldeirão, Vila do Corvo and getting there

Corvo is the smallest island in the Azores, about 6 km long and 4 km wide, with a few hundred residents living in a single village. The whole island is one volcano with a large crater at the top, which makes it unique in the archipelago. Corvo has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2007, covering the land and a wide band of surrounding sea.

How to get to Corvo

Corvo sits about 18 km from Flores, and most visitors arrive from there. You have two options:

• By sea: Atlânticoline runs a regular passenger link with Flores, which also gives you great views of both coasts. Sailings depend on sea conditions and the time of year; check the Atlânticoline timetable before you go.
• By air: Corvo's small airport has SATA Air Açores flights to Flores, Horta on Faial and Ponta Delgada on São Miguel.

Weather in the Western Group changes quickly and both boats and flights are cancelled when it turns. If you are visiting on a day trip from Flores, have a back-up plan, and if Corvo is the last stop before a long-haul connection, leave a buffer day.

The Caldeirão

The Caldeirão is why most people come. It is an oval crater about 2.3 km across and around 300 m deep, formed when the top of the volcano collapsed. On its floor are shallow lakes and small volcanic cones; many people say the islets trace the shape of the Azores islands. From the Caldeirão viewpoint on the rim you can take in the whole crater and the calm that surrounds it.

Vila do Corvo

The only settlement is built on a lava platform by the sea at the south of the island. Its narrow, black-cobbled lanes were laid out to shelter people from the wind, and houses of dark basalt still stand among the whitewashed ones. Largo do Outeiro is the village square where people gather. The church of Nossa Senhora dos Milagres faces the ocean; local legend credits Our Lady with helping islanders drive off North African corsairs in 1632. Near Ponta Negra, a row of small white windmills at Alto dos Moinhos looks out towards Flores.

Seabirds and the sea

High cliffs ring most of the island, especially in the north and west, and many of them can only be seen from the water. A boat trip around Corvo shows off these walls of rock and large numbers of seabirds, and dolphins and whales are sometimes spotted along the way. Book with a locally licensed operator and expect trips to be called off when the sea is rough.