Opens in a new tab
Updated: 30/10/2026
AzoresNatural Wonders & Parks

Serreta

The western end of Terceira: the island’s highest mountain, a trail through the dark lava of the Mistérios Negros and submarine eruptions offshore.

The green volcanic slopes of the Serra de Santa Bárbara and the Mistérios Negros on Terceira

At the western end of Terceira, where the island narrows into cliff and pasture above the Atlantic, the parish of Serreta holds the wildest corner of the Angra do Heroísmo municipality. Behind it rises the Serra de Santa Bárbara, the island’s highest mountain; offshore, the sea itself has been a volcano in living memory.

The mountain and its mysteries

The parish’s coast has seen the island’s newest volcanism: in 1867 a submarine eruption off the Serreta coast threw up steam columns and reports of ephemeral islands, and between 1998 and 2001 the same submarine ridge gave the Azores their most recent eruption, lasting three years without breaking the surface. The cliff road west of the parish keeps the viewpoints over one of the archipelago’s quietest coasts. The city of Angra do Heroísmo lies east across the island.

The volcano below the sea

The parish’s coast has seen the island’s newest volcanism: in 1867 a submarine eruption off the Serreta coast threw up steam columns and reports of ephemeral islands, and between 1998 and 2001 the same submarine ridge gave the Azores their most recent eruption, lasting three years without breaking the surface. The cliff road west of the parish keeps the memory of these events, and the viewpoints along it look over one of the archipelago’s quietest coasts. The city of Angra do Heroísmo lies east across the island, and the wider landscapes of Terceira Island unfold on the roads back.

What to see

  • The Serra de Santa Bárbara viewpoint, the island’s highest
  • The Mistérios Negros trail through recent lava forest
  • The laurisilva of the nature reserve
  • The cliffs and viewpoints of the west coast
  • The Império chapel of the village

Practical information

Serreta lies at the western tip of Terceira, about half an hour’s drive from Angra do Heroísmo on the north-coast road. The mountain weather changes quickly: bring rain protection and shoes with grip for the trail, and check the official websites before setting out.

Image credit: Serra de Santa Bárbara e Mistérios Negros by Paulo Valdivieso — CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.