Caldeira velha is a beautiful place with two thermal pools surrounded by forests. There is also a top pool where is a cold water waterfall. However, they are not that big so they can be crowded. Due to high attendance, we bought tickets online a few days in advance. Don't forget to bring a towel and slippers. There is free parking.

This is a less polished way to experience hot pools. Beware, admission happens only in 1.5 hour blocks so time your arrival appropriately. Because each wave of people is admitted at once, the changing rooms are congested for 15 minutes. There is another set right at the top which are worth heading for. The toilets are totally inadequate. There is a cool pool (too cool!) with a waterfall at the top, and then a series of pools with slightly varying temperatures.

We had the first booking of the day - bookings are in 90 minute increments. Being the first to the area, the pools were not busy. There are 3 hot pools of varying temps and then a cold pool and waterfall up top. It is a bit rustic - changing rooms are free, but a locker is a small cost. Definitely bring towels and water shoes or slippers. Overall, a pleasant geothermal pool experience!

Try to make reservations for first entry. The place gets very busy, when we left, two full tourist buses were arriving. The area is not meant to hold so many people. Bring a towel. There are changing rooms and bathrooms. Lockers are available. If you want a locker (they are small) you pass the changing area on your left, walk up the hill to the little building (bathrooms are behind this building), there is a desk where you can pay a small fee for a lock, you then walk back to the changing area and the lockers are located behind the changing area. When you are ready to leave you must go back to return the lock. I would not come here if it is a busy time. It truly can get uncomfortably crowded.

We visited the hot springs from 15.00 to 16.30 today and had a wonderful experience. The site wasn’t too busy and the slot after ours looked quieter again. We followed all of the tips from the previous posters and these made our visit more enjoyable. We changed into our swim suits in advance, wore swim shoes and arrived at the check in desk 15 minutes early. We stood under the waterfall of the top pool and relaxed in the heat of the lower pool. We were chilled out for the remainder of the day and topped it off with a lovely meal in Ribeira Grande afterwards. Highly recommend a visit to the springs.

To get to this place, you need to hike, they do not let you drive to the entrance. And to be honest, it seems that there is 30% more people than it should be. The pools are not so clean, a lot of hair in the water, also some dirt. It really seems you’re swimming in sweat. Also, you need to wait to get a changing room. Only recommend to go there, if you want to enjoy the view of a waterfall and nature.