Visit São Miguel, one of the breathtaking Azores islands. See all the great spots, ancient volcanos, lava river caves, geothermal active areas, hot pots, waterfalls and much more. São Miguel, the Hawaii in Europe.

Trip overview:

• 1 week
• 1200 km (by car)
• 61 km (by foot)

General: 

To start with, the island is small, which makes planning much easier. You need less than 1 hour to return from wherever you ended up to get back to where you are staying.

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Day 1 (east side) in the Azores

First stop in the Azores is at the Lagoa do Congro. It takes around 15 minutes walking to get down to the lake.

On the way to Furnas make a stop at Miradouro do Castelo Branco. A small fortress in front of a awesome scenery.

When you enter the valley of Furnas, check out the place called Mata José do Canto. For just a reasonable entry fee you’ll get access to a well preserved sequoia forest with a cool hidden waterfall.

On the other side of the lake check out the geothermal active area Fumarolas da Lagoa das Furnas.

Tip: Be there at 12:15 to see how the guys lift up the stews that where buried in the damping soil of this geothermal active area. Try this unique food called Cozido in one of the local restaurants (we recommend Vale das furnas).

After some great food, indulge yourself with a swim in one of the geothermal pools in the Terra Nostra Botanical Garden. A volcanic hot spring supplies the pools with temperatures between 35°C and 40°C. There’s even a natural jacuzzi with cleaner water & less people than in the other pools.

Try to get lost in the park by walking along the labyrinthine trails. Overall a relaxing and well maintained park that is worth the money.

Next stop, the Caldeiras Vulcânicas. Another geothermal active area right next to Furnas.

On the way to the east coast you will pass the place Miradouro do Pico dos Bodes. Follow the unpaved road up the hill and enjoy the view.

The next spot, Salto Do Prego, is accessible by walking around 30 minutes along the river.

Right before you reach Nordeste make a stop at the Miradouro da Vista dos Barcos.

On the way back and right on the street you’ll find Parque Natural da Ribeira dos Caldeirões. There is a huge waterfall right next to the street. You’ll find another small waterfall if you walk up and an ancient water mill if you walk down the path.

Last point to see is the Gorreana Tea Factory. You can take a walk through the tea plantations and visit the tea factory.

Day 2 (center of the island)

Start with the View over the Lagoa do Fogo, it’s right at the street and gives you an amazing view over the entire lake. You can also walk all the way up to this lake in around 4 hours but we preferred to drive.

The next hot spot, Centro de Interpretação Ambiental da Caldeira Velha,  is another geothermal active area with naturally heated pools and a waterfall supplied by a hot spring.

Going further north you can go for a hike to Salto do Cabrito. The place is accessible from two sides. If you choose to walk a little bit on a pipeline that goes through a canyon, take the trail starting & ending at Caldeiras of Ribeira Grande. The waterfall also accessible by car from the other side of the canyon.

Another epic area is the Valley of Lombadas. Already the way to get there is an adventure as you’ll be driving on an old cobbled street into the middle of nowhere.  At the end of the street you’ll encounter the leftovers of a mineral water factory. We recommend to walk uphill along the big river for about 1 hour. There are several small waterfalls, canyons and the coloured river itself.

You can continue further up to the north coast and visit Miradouro de Santa Iria.

Day 3 (west side)

Start the day with cruising around the two crater lakes at Lagoas das Empadadas. The place is like something out of a fairy tale.

From there take the road up to Lagoa Rasa. It’s worth to go for a walk around the lake and follow the path up the hill to one of the viewpoints.

Continue the road further up to Miradouro do Pico Paul which gives you the best view on Lagoa de Pau Pique.

Next, one of the best spots of the island, Miradouro da Boca do Inferno. This place is so cool we came here several times during different times of the day.

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The last spot for the day is the abandoned five star ghost hotel (Monte Palace) at Miradouro da Vista do Rei.

It’s a completely different thing to visit it at night. The barking dog inside the building will let you think your plan over.

Day 4 (west coast)

Start at Ponta da Ferraria with a swim in the ocean that is heated up by a constant flow of geothermal heated water.

Next stop is Mosteiros. Check out the beach with the scenic cliffs and relax in the sun and the sound of massive waves breaking on the cliffs.

Right after Mosteiros you’ll find the place Piscinas Naturais “Caneiros”. There are several pools to jump into and also a cozy beer garden at the street.

If we drive up to the mountains again there’s the place Miradouro da Cumeeira worth to visit. This viewpoint is right on the edge of the crater and provides a unique view on the Lagoa Azul.

It’s also a must to drive along the edge of the crater just because it’s so much fun.

Day 5

Right at the port of Ponta Delgada you can go for whale watching. We went for the MobyDick Tours – Whales & Dolphins Watching, which was worth our money.

Also diving at one of the great spots is highly recommended.

Another cool spot you don’t wan to miss is the Gruta do Carvao a small lava river cave also in Ponta Delgada.

Food. So much good food to try. One of the local specialty is this stuff (horse mackerels)

Also very good is the Parrotfish. The easiest and tenderest fish we found.

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