Photo by Julesvernex2, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
🇵🇹 Portugal · Azores
Photo by Julesvernex2, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
🇵🇹 Portugal · Azores
♨ Temperature
38°C
⛰ Altitude
—
⚗ pH
—
💧 TDS
—
🌊 Flow rate
—
📅 Established
Garden founded in 1780; thermal pool developed through the 19th and 20th centuries
✓ Verified on 2026-07-30
The Terra Nostra thermal pool sits within Parque Terra Nostra, a 12.5-hectare botanical garden in the village of Furnas, inside a roughly 7 km-wide volcanic crater on São Miguel island. The garden originated in 1780 as the grounds of a summer residence built by American consul Thomas Hickling, later expanded by the Viscounts of Praia in the 19th century and by owner Vasco Bensaúde from the 1930s. The pool's water is geothermally heated and iron-rich, giving it a distinctive brown-orange color; reported water temperatures vary by source, commonly cited in a range of roughly 35–40°C. The park is also known for one of the world's largest camellia collections and Europe's largest cycad collection.
The garden began in 1780 as the grounds of Yankee Hall, the summer residence of American consul Thomas Hickling. It was purchased in 1848 by the 1st Viscount of Praia, whose family greatly expanded the water gardens through the 19th century, and was later acquired in the 1930s by Vasco Bensaúde, who expanded it to its current 12.5 hectares.
Phone+351 296 549 090
Websitewww.parqueterranostra.com/en/
AddressLargo Marquês da Praia e Monforte, 9675-061 Furnas, Povoação, São Miguel, Azores, Portugal