What To Do on Sao Miguel

Travel report

Activities

Camping

Hiking

Activities

• Surfing
  • We spotted the best waves at the Santa Barbara Beach, there you can find two surf schools where you can also rent some equipment. We had no waves, so I don’t know which one is better or cheaper.

• Swimming/Beach/Oceanbath
  • The Santa Barbara Beach is not only nice for surfers, it is also a good place for a relaxing day. If you are walking to the middle of the beach, you can go swimming without messing around with the surfers.
  • We saw some more beaches on the Southside of Sao Miguel, however I cannot say a lot about them, as it was raining that time.
  • For swimming and sometimes also snorkelling the ocean baths are perfect. Around the island you will find a lot of them. We visited the beautiful one on the eastside close by Nordeste and it is definitely worth a visit.

    

    Santa Barbara Beach, Azoren, Sao Miguel

    

    Azoren, Sao Miguel, ocean bath

    
    

• Canyoning
  • We booked our tour at azores adventure islands. They have good equipment and the guides are friendly and experienced. The tour was a little bit short and for somebody who already has some experiences in canyoning, it could be a little bit boring. For me it was the first time and I enjoyed it a lot.

• Hiking
  • You will find a lot of hikingtrails for every level on Sao Miguel. After we had some dangerous situations, we avoided the trails where you needed to walk too much on a street. You can find more information about the trails we did on Sao Miguel under Hiking trails.

• Hot Springs
  • Don’t miss a relaxing bath in one of the hot springs on Sao Miguel. You can find quit a lot there. After a hike there is nothing better than recover in 40°C warm watter
  • The hot spring caldeira da ribeira grande is just one pool but not crowded, we had it for us alone.You can combined it good with the same called hike which starts and ends directly there.
  • The big pool which you can find in the botanical garden in Furnas is impressive. But take also some time to walk around in the beautiful garden. If you use white swimwear, be sure that it will not white after it anymore, because the brown water will re-colour it. Entry is until 6pm possible, the park closes at 7pm
    

    Termas das Caldeiras, Azoren, Sao Miguel

Camping

• Parque de Campismo Quinta das Laranjeiras
  • Most expensive campground on Sao Miguel. Well appointed, hot shower, cooking plates, BBQ, fridge and rent-tents or rent-campers (not mobile) are available. If you are standing in front of a closed gate, just ring the bell.

Parque de Campismo Quinta das Laranjeiras

• Parque de campismo da feira
  • Beautiful and cheap campground between the cliffs in the east of Sao Miguel. Hot showers, BBQ, no cooking plates and no fridge. Renting tents are available.

Parque de campismo da feira

• Parque de campismo das furnas
  • Cheap and well-appointed campground in Furnas close to the botanical garden. Hot showers, BBQ, no cooking plates and no fridge.

Hiking trails

• Lagoa do Fogo (around 4km, 1 ½ hours)
  • The official trail starts at the coast close by Água de Alto (LINK)
  • Our Hiking route: (LINK) We drove to the lake and parked at a parking lot close by the lake. From there you can walk the steps down to the lake and also walk at the lakeshore. I’m not sure if you can walk completely around the lake, maybe at a low water level. The climb back to the parking lot can be quit exhausting.

    

    Lagoa do Fogo, Sao Miguel, Azoren

    

    Lagoa do Fogo, Sao Miguel, Azoren

    

    Lagoa do Fogo, Sao Miguel, Azoren

    
    

• Sete Cidades (21km, 5-6 hours)
  • A beautiful and long hike around the both twin lakes. The trail goes along the caldera and you have on one side the lake and on the other the ocean, awesome views are granted. The trail is not very difficult, but if you really do the full round course a good condition is helpful. The view is amazing, but after a wile it can be quit monotone with some highlights.
  • Our hiking route: (LINK) The route starts at a parking lot with a hiking board close to the aqueduct. The official trail ends at the ruin from the Monte Palace Hotel. From there you need to walk the last kilometers at the street, which can be really dangerous, or you take a taxi.

    

    Azoren, Sao Miguel, Sete Cidades, Startpoint

    

    Azoren, Sete Cidades, Monte Palace Hotel ruin

    

    Azoren, Sao Miguel, Sete Cidades

    
    

• Caldeiras da ribeira grande (8,5km, 2 ½ -3 hour with stop at waterfall)
  • A really nice hike which goes through different areas (forest, waterfalls and open areas). The stopover at the waterfall Salto do Cabrito is perfect for a quick swim break.
  • The start and end are direct at the Caldeira (Hot spring) where you also find the hiking board. After the hike you can take a bath in the Caldeira for recovering. The trail is easy with some short climbs. Our route match exactly the official trail (LINK)

• Pico do ferro (10-11km, 3-4 hours)
  • The hike starts in Furnas and passes the lake Lagoa das Furnas before the climb up to the lookout Miradouro do Pico starts. Up there you have an amazing view which pays off the hard climb. At the lakeshore you can view how they cook the famous hotpot from Furnas.
  • Our hiking route: (LINK) you can also combine it with a hike around the lake here you can find information about the hike around the lake http://trails.visitazores.com/de/wanderwege-der-azoren/sao-miguel/lagoa-das-furnas

Kurze Infos über mich

Abenteuer-, Reise-, Fotografie- und Sportbegeistert. Ich glaube diese vier Worte beschreiben mich eigentlich am besten. Wenn ihr Anregungen, Ideen, Fragen, Kritik oder sonst was habt, kommentiert, schreibt ne E-Mail oder versucht mich über meine Sozial Netzwerke zu erreichen.
Ich freu mich, Soeren