30 Jul Azores: São Miguel Island is THAT GOOD!
I love islands. Since we started our nomadic life, I’ve not so subtly steered us towards as many islands as possible. I even started an ‘island counter’ on the home page so I can keep the challenge alive! So my take on São Miguel Island in the Azores? FABULOUS. I LOVE IT. I WOULD MOVE HERE if they let me.
São Miguel Island has it all. There’s city (Ponta Delgada), hiking trails, you can go horseback riding, soak in thermal baths, swim in natural pools, participate in a boatload (pun intended) of water activities, and socialize over delicious Azorean cheese and wine in one of the many cafes.
Or pack that cheese and wine to go, and visit one of the many miradouros (lookout points) around São Miguel Island for double the fun. But don’t drink and drive.
São Miguel Island Photo Essay
I want to share the beauty and awesomeness of São Miguel with you, in hopes that it inspires you to visit this magnificent island in the Azores some day.
Sete Cidades
Sete Cidades is synonymous with São Miguel Island. Here you see the enormous volcanic caldera and the two twin lakes.
As you follow the road that winds up towards Sete Cidades, you may encounter bushels of hydrangeas in bloom (this was taken in mid-July).
If you follow the road for a little, you’ll encounter a small parking lot near Lagoa do Canario. There’s a walking path down to the edge of the lake.
If you keep walking the path past Lagoa do Canario, you’ll reach a hiking trail that will lead you to Miradouro da Boca do Inferno.
Miradouro da Boca do Inferno lends itself to gorgeous photo ops! Thanks to our host, Roberto (pictured here) for bringing us here!
“Peace in the World” is a good thing to reflect on while admiring the earth’s beauty from Miradouro da Boca do Inferno.
On the outskirts of Sete Cidades lies Miradouro do Pico do Carvão. On a clear day, you’ll see the island stretch out before you.
Ponta Delgada – Downtown and the Marina
Through Picos de Aventura, we went swimming with the dolphins. The Azores enforces a code of conduct for these types of activities, in an effort to maintain the delicate balance with nature.
The marina in Ponta Delgada offers many restaurants, tour companies as well as a large public swimming pool complex.
Anfiteatro, located in the Ponta Delgada marina, is a lounge downstairs and an upscale restaurant on the second level.
This enormous tree stands across from the Convento de Nossa Senhora da Esperança in downtown Ponta Delgada.
You can walk the streets of downtown Ponta Delgada, finding many restaurants, shops, and churches. This picture is from Rua António José de Almeida.
Lagoa do Fogo Area
On our first visit to Lagoa do Fogo, the weather was extremely windy, foggy and even lightly raining. While we didn’t have much of a view, we did get to see this paraglider take advantage of the wind!
Our second visit to Lagoa do Fogo yielded better weather. We stopped here to take a photo on our way to Caldeira Velha with our 4×4 tour.
The Caldeira Velha complex is very interesting. You enter a walkway that cuts through a vast valley of trees, including prehistoric palms. There are two thermal pools for bathing as well as some hot springs you can view. Changing rooms, showers, and bathrooms make the visit comfortable.
While on our 4×4 tour we went off-roading a little and pulled up to this unassuming place. In walking along a creek, we came upon a lovely waterfall, Salto do Cabrito. It also seemed to be on a hiking trail path, as some visitors arrived on foot.
There were a lot of honeysuckle plants in bloom around Salto do Cabrito. We were a little hungry and figured the natural sugar would give us a boost 🙂
Beaches
There are a few black sand beaches to the east of Ponta Delgada. This beach is off Regional 1-1 between Rosto do Cão-São Roque and Rosto do Cão-Livramento. Another beach in this area is Praia do Pópulo.
This view of Santa Barbara beach is from the Santa Barbara Eco-Beach Resort Restaurant. The beach is near to Ribeira Grande town. Santa Barbara is a beautiful beach to spend the day, complete with food stands, bathrooms, and even a surf school! There are additional nearby beaches in Ribeira Grande as well.
With a gorgeous view as well as a chic interior, and a menu of fresh fish, we thoroughly enjoyed dining on sushi at the Santa Barbara Eco-Beach Resort Restaurant.
Miradouros (Lookout Points)
Miradouro de Santa Iria was one of my favorite lookout points. It seemed an ideal spot to hold a picnic.
This is the view to the east from Miradouro de Santa Iria. Such a beautiful vista, I could stare at this for hours!
That’s gotta be one happy cow. This is the view to the west from Miradouro de Santa Iria.
About 20 minutes east of Ponta Delgada, you’ll encounter this Miradouro do Pisão in Ribeira Chã which overlooks a pool complex.
While not an official miradouro, this view of Vila Franca do Campo from Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Paz is quite stunning.
Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Paz (Our Lady of Peace Chapel) sits high on a hill in Vila Franca do Campo.
Leaving Furnas, we saw signs for a miradouro and turned onto Estrada Municipal 521. It was a little confusing, but we think we were at Miradouro do Salto do Cavalo.
Furnas
For a small fee, you can enter the Parque Terra Nostra, which is next to the Terra Nostra Hotel. (As a hotel guest, I believe you have free access).
Parque Terra Nostra features beautiful botanical gardens that you can leisurely stroll through.
Inside Parque Terra Nostra you’ll find an iron-rich geothermal spring that you can bath in. There are small changing rooms and bathrooms available. Wear a yellow bathing suit!
In Furnas, you can walk around the fenced areas that are steaming due to volcanic activity. It smells like a big fart (due to the sulfur). Some restaurants cook ‘cozido’ in nearby fumaroles and you can watch bags of corn boiling in the hot, bubbling springs.
There are multiple mineral spring fed water spouts in Furnas. Bring a water bottle or glass to taste the distinct mineral flavors and effervescence of each (don’t mind the smell).
Other Memorable Moments in São Miguel
I loved this wall art outside the Ponta Delgada Airport terminal.
This art graced the side of a beach cafe at Praia Pópulo.
Our friend’s aunt has an insanely gorgeous garden maze on her property in São Miguel Island.
We booked a horseback riding excursion one afternoon. Daniel’s horse was very pleasant.
My horse was a bit standoffish. He just wanted to eat and I was a distraction.
In Summary
As you can see from the range of activities above, there’s plenty to do on the Azores’ biggest island: São Miguel. So if you’re limited to a few days, I would recommend just sticking to this island and trying to take in the points of interest in a relaxed and enjoyable fashion. If you’ve got more time, then well, there’s a lot more to explore in the Azores and you may want to island hop.
Interested in more? Read our Azores Island Hopping post or click on one of the additional Azores islands below for inspiration to take an island hop:
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Have you been to São Miguel Island? If so, what was your favorite part of your visit?
Leave a comment!
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