We chose the main island of Sao Miguel, because of its size and diversity and that it is typical of all islands in the Azores so gave us a comprehensive insight to the beautiful archipelago for our first visit.
One of our hiking tours in Portugal – the guided group tour ‘magic world of the Azores’ also takes place on Sao Miguel and brings you closer to this dream island with its wonderfully crafted hikes. Become inspired and join us as Azores fans!
Since we would have one week to explore this beautiful island, we decided first to take a trip to Sete Cidades in the west of the island. It has two crater lakes – Lagoa Verde and Lagoa Azul (one blue, the other green). Nestled in a bulge and surrounded by crater walls this place was fascinating beyond compare. Many hiking trails offered us panoramic views as we explored this overwhelming landscape on foot. The views of the crater lagoon with the sea behind and the blue of the sky are fantastically beautiful and fascinating. Numerous vantage points invited short breaks. The sun accompanied us throughout the day and we enjoyed the paths, which were lined with flowering hydrangeas.
We used one day of our wonderful holiday to explore the area around Furnas with its crater lake the Caldeiras and the Terra Nostra Park. Around the lake there are specially designed water holes where locals cook the traditional cozido (stew) by cooking for several hours over volcanic head. During a tour in Furnas we again experienced wonderful views, bubbling hot springs (up to 98° hot) with a hint of sulphur and the beautiful landscape of the Terra Nostra Park. For a small fee you can spend the whole day in the beautiful botanical park with its huge variety of plants. A walk here is a must, as well as swimming in the brown thermal water pool. With a temperature of 38°C and its iron-containing water, this basin is said to have a healing effect.
The excursion to the waterfall Caldeira Velha was one of our many highlights of this trip. The fantastic park with waterfall, warm natural pools, hot springs and stunning botany all around is a dream. In the middle of the wilderness in the city of Ribera Grande you can enjoy the natural spectacles and let your mind wander. We rounded off the day with a spectacular whale watching tour on the Atlantic. We travelled quickly out to the open sea on a speedboat, where we were immediately able to see over 20 dolphins up close. Shortly after, three majestic fin whales greeted us. It was a magical experience – we had never seen anything like it!
We travelled to the mystical crater Lake Lagoa do Fogo with our rental car. The lake hid behind a thick layer of fog most of the time. With a little luck, however, a few rays of sunlight squeezed through the clouds and transformed this place into a glittering dream world for a few seconds. A descent down to the sandy beach of the lake is worthwhile. We walked around the idyllic lake and enjoyed the view.
One should not miss a trip to the north coast of Sao Miguel, which offers a special contrast with green hills and steep cliffs. We stopped at every lookout point and were always rewarded with beautiful panoramic views.
The hike to the waterfalls Salto do Cagarrao and Salto do Prego is also worth highlighting specifically as we had a hiking tour of a very special kind. Hidden far back between behind nature we were enchanted by the waterfalls, we could not stop raving about them…
The Azores are so diverse and impressive, calming and fascinating at the same time, which will make us always remember this journey. Hikers will feel at home on the island. The panoramic and scenic views are numerous and each more spectacular than the last. The Azores will see us again, that’s a promise!
See you soon, your Elisabeth
