I went on a hiking escape to the Azores in October, on two of the best-known islands. This trip to the Azores let me discover some of the most beautiful spots of the destination through several hikes. They were not necessarily long distances or very hard routes, since there is generally little elevation gain. And frankly, Azores hiking is something else. First of all, the weather changes often. It can be bright sunshine, then complete fog ten minutes later. You learn quickly to live with it. You stop waiting for the “perfect weather window”. Instead, you simply go and see what the island is willing to show you that day.
During this trip, I mostly explored São Miguel and Terceira. Some of the hikes I share below in my Azores hiking guide, I did myself. Others I noted down, recommended by locals or by other hikers on the spot, but I did not have the time (or the weather) to do them.
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Azores hiking: what to know before you go
The Azores are a small Portuguese archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic. There are nine volcanic islands, with changing landscapes and roads that twist and turn. For this trip I focused my time on São Miguel and Terceira. If you only have a week or ten days, these two already give you a good overview of Azores hiking: craters and lakes, cliffs and forests, and very different atmospheres depending on the island.
Azores hiking and the weather
Weather is the number one factor. In the Azores, you can live through four seasons in the same day. That is not just an expression, it is reality. You set off in the morning under a low, bright sun, you climb 200 metres and everything is clouded in. Then you wait twenty minutes, and sometimes it clears, sometimes it does not. That changes everything. You have to accept not “seeing it all” at the planned minute, and organise your days around that uncertainty. When the light comes back, the landscapes take on another dimension. When it does not, a walk in the mist has its own charm too, different but just as typical.
Azores hiking terrain
The terrain for Azores hiking is not technical in the alpine sense, but it is alive. It is often damp, sometimes muddy, and dotted with volcanic rock that can be slippery. The climbs are often short and direct, and the trails change character quickly (woodland, ridges, farm tracks). This is not terrain for flimsy trainers if you want to be comfortable, so you do need to be properly equipped! In the end, most routes remain accessible if you are used to walking.
The 5 best Azores hiking trails
During my stay, I mostly did my Azores hiking on São Miguel and Terceira, but I had also noted Pico for a future trip. Then, depending on the time you have (and the weather, always), you can add one or two hikes on Faial, Flores or São Jorge. There is no need to do a thousand of them. It is better to do fewer, but do them well. The idea here is to focus on what is really worth the trip, without getting lost in secondary routes.
1. Lagoa do Fogo, a classic of Azores hiking on São Miguel
I covered this one in detail in my dedicated article, but clearly it is one of the best ways to discover the volcanic landscapes of the island. You climb gently, the vegetation changes, and if the weather decides to be kind, the lake appears all at once at the bottom of the crater. Even when it is grey and the clouds join in, Lagoa do Fogo remains a very beautiful place.
➡️Discover the Lagoa do Fogo hike.
2. Sete Cidades from Lagoa do Canário, São Miguel
This is my favourite, and the Azores hiking route to do when the weather is good. It is simply superb. You can either enjoy the main viewpoint or follow the edge of the crater and walk all the way round. The colours are striking, the views follow one another, and the route is simple and really accessible. This is also where you find the famous Boca do Inferno viewpoint. The important thing is to set off early (or at the end of the day) to avoid the crowds and enjoy the light.
3. Climbing Mount Pico
I did not do it on this trip, but it comes up systematically in the advice of hikers who come for Azores hiking. It is the ascent of the highest peak in Portugal. The climb is steady, the terrain volcanic and the weather changeable. You need to book and set off early. I already know I will come back for this one, clearly.
4. Mistérios Negros or Rocha do Chambre, Terceira
These are two hikes with fairly close starting points, which let you discover the heart of the island of Terceira. Mistérios Negros is a forest hike with a really particular atmosphere and a few volcanic sections. It is more about atmosphere than panorama (less “wow” than the first three). Rocha do Chambre, on the other hand, offers a lovely panorama.
5. Serra do Topo to Fajã da Caldeira do Santo Cristo, São Jorge
It is a gradual descent to a small, isolated fajã by the ocean. Many people describe it as one of the most beautiful Azores hiking trails, especially for the arrival: calm, lagoon, low houses, silence. If you like walking for a long time in landscapes that “breathe”, it is a lovely idea.
Azores hiking on São Miguel: the best hikes
Lagoa do Fogo hike
This is the number one highlight of the island, so it comes first on São Miguel. The PRC02 is the trail that lets you reach the lake on foot, and it is clearly the best way to discover it. You start a little above the village of Praia, next to a water reservoir (you know right away that you are in the right place). The path begins with a wide track. Then you quickly enter something more leafy: ferns, eucalyptus, the smell of damp earth… You are straight into the Azores atmosphere.
The climb and the lake
The climb is gradual, but the terrain can be slippery as soon as it has rained. It is not technically difficult, but you have to accept being in the mud a little at times. The last part is more exposed to the wind, and this is where the lake may appear all at once… or not. When it reveals itself, it is really beautiful. The curve of the crater is very clear, and the water takes on a colour that changes constantly with the light.
What I take from it: do not climb just to “absolutely see” the lake, but to enjoy the path. The landscape opens up little by little, and that is what makes it worthwhile.
PRC02 SMI Lagoa do Fogo
📍 Start: reservoir above the village of Praia (informal car park)
Coordinates:
Access: by car (15 min from Ribeira Grande) / public buses almost non-existent
🥾Distance and elevation gain: 11 km | +500 m
Type: loop (can be done out and back depending on the weather)
Difficulty: moderate, slippery terrain and a steady climb
Duration: 3 h 30 to 5 h
⚠ Good to know:
Very muddy ground after rain
Frequent fog, so the view is not guaranteed
Wind on the ridge
Access to the lake sometimes closed for conservation
Sete Cidades ridge hike from Vista do Rei
Most people only walk to the Vista do Rei viewpoint. Frankly, that is a shame, because the viewpoint is not of much interest if you do not walk a little beyond it.
For me, the best way to discover Sete Cidades is to join the ridge from Lagoa do Canário and follow the crater rim to Vista do Rei, or the other way round. If you start from Vista do Rei, the first 10 minutes are “classic”. Then very quickly you find yourself on a wide ridge path, with the lake below, vegetation on one side and the Atlantic on the other. When the weather is clear, you can read the shape of the whole volcano. That is what makes the hike really beautiful.
Sete Cidades ridge (Lagoa do Canário to Vista do Rei)
📍 Start: Lagoa do Canário car park (near the forest track)
Access: a car is essential / narrow roads and limited parking
🥾 Distance and elevation gain: approx. 11 km | +350 m
Type: you can do less, since it is a ridge walk and anything is possible
Difficulty: easy to moderate, with ground sometimes muddy and sections exposed to the wind
Duration: 3 h to 4 h
⚠ Good to know:
Frequent fog, with views only in stable conditions
Strong wind on the ridge
Car park full in high season
Miradouro da Boca do Inferno (access and a walking variant)
In the same area, the Miradouro da Boca do Inferno is the famous “postcard viewpoint”. And it is true that it is beautiful… when visibility is good. You can reach the miradouro from Lagoa do Canário in 20 to 35 minutes on foot (depending on your pace). The path is easy and never very steep. Arriving on foot, rather than from the car park, gives a much more gradual feeling of opening up, because the landscape reveals itself at the last moment. It is gentler, more pleasant and far less frustrating than trying to squeeze between the cars.
📍 Start: Lagoa do Canário car park (same area as the Sete Cidades ridge)
Access: a car is essential / very busy car park
🥾 Distance and elevation gain: approx. 3 km | +120 m
Type: out and back
Difficulty: easy
Duration: 20 to 35 min depending on pace
Lagoa das Éguas, Lagoa das Empadadas and Miradouro do Pico do Paul hike
This loop is less well known than the routes above, and yet it is a very beautiful hike to do on São Miguel. There are several possible starting points. You can use the same Lagoa do Canário car park as the hikes above, or start from the Serra Devassa area, between the Empadadas and Éguas lakes.
The climb to the Miradouro do Pico do Paul gives you that “wow” view, if the sky is on your side. Because yes, clouds can cover everything in two minutes, and that is the charm. You walk a little in mystery, then the light or the Atlantic appears. If I had to recommend it, I would say do it early in the day (the car park is freer and the light softer), and bring a windproof jacket.
🥾 Distance and elevation gain: approx. 7.5 to 8 km | +300 to 350 m
Type: loop or out and back
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Duration: 2 h 30 to 3 h
⚠ Good to know:
Frequent fog, so the view is uncertain
Damp, sometimes slippery ground
Narrow roads and car parks
Monte Palace (the abandoned hotel above Sete Cidades)
This one divides opinion. Monte Palace is a former luxury hotel built in the 1980s and abandoned today. Technically you can go up (and many people do), but the inside is completely run down, damp, slippery and frankly of little interest.
What I do find interesting, though, is the idea of going for the view, not to explore the inside. The terrace gives a really wide view over Sete Cidades. It is also often much quieter than Vista do Rei.
Azores hiking on Terceira: the best hikes
Terceira has a different atmosphere from São Miguel. Here, the landscapes are less “open crater and lake” and more damp forest, very present vegetation, volcanic coasts and livelier villages. It is not an island where you will walk 20 km of ridge with a clear view. Instead, it is an island you walk “from the inside”, which also lets you change atmosphere and scenery.
Mistérios Negros hike
This is the hike that comes up most often for Terceira, and it is really nice. You walk in a deep forest, with moss-covered trunks, very dense undergrowth and ground that is never really dry. You feel as if you are entering a place that is still growing, even without sun. It is not a “panorama” hike. It is an atmosphere hike. We did it in a very mystical mood (not to say rainy). The path is not difficult, but you have to watch where you put your feet at times, because the ground is uneven, with rocks, roots and hollows. It is the kind of walk where you go at your own pace and are happy simply to be inside it.
It is a hike that works well even when the weather is overcast, which is clearly an advantage on Terceira.
📍 Start: car park near the Algar do Carvão / Gruta do Natal nature park
Access: a car is recommended (little public transport)
🥾 Distance and elevation gain: approx. 5 km | +150 m
Type: loop
Duration: 1 h 30 to 2 h 30 depending on pace
🌿 Trail through dense forest, moss, ferns and damp undergrowth. Few panoramas, but a volcanic, mystical atmosphere, ground that is never really dry and an immersive feel among the local vegetation.
⚠ Good to know:
Slippery ground and roots, so watch your footing
Not a “view” hike, but perfect in overcast weather
Waymarked trail, but take care at the junctions
Shoes with good grip are essential
Rocha do Chambre hike
On Terceira, Rocha do Chambre is a hike you have to earn a little more than the previous one, but it is really worth it if you want a very beautiful panorama of the island. The trail starts from Malha Grande, first on a fairly quiet track between heather and laurels. Then you enter a damper zone with cryptomerias and lively undergrowth, where the ground is almost never dry. The climb to the ridge is a bit steep in places (there is even a section with a rope to help), but it remains accessible if you are used to walking.
Once at the top, the view opens up over the volcanic relief of the island, notably Pico Alto and the whole Biscoito da Ferraria area. It is not the “wow, sea view” hike at every bend. It is above all an atmosphere, with an alternation of forest, ridge and pasture, and the feeling of moving through a raw landscape. The return is a loop, still on uneven ground (roots, stones, damp areas). So it is clearly not an outing for smooth-soled shoes.
📍 Start: Malha Grande (Biscoitos)
Access: a car is recommended
🥾 Distance and elevation gain: approx. 8 to 9 km | about +350 m
Type: loop
Difficulty: moderate, with damp ground, roots, stones and a steep section with a rope
Duration: 2 h 30 to 3 h
⚠ Good to know:
Ground often very damp and slippery
Uneven terrain (roots and stones)
One steep section helped by a rope
Very pleasant even without clear weather
Algar do Carvão (one to combine rather than to “hike”)
Algar do Carvão is a former volcanic chimney that you can enter.
You literally go down inside a volcano, and you can still see the shape of the crater from the bottom. It is very calm, almost silent, with drops of water falling and a very soft light.
It is not a hike as such, but it is so specific to Terceira that it fits in naturally after Mistérios Negros (the two are close).
Coastal path around Biscoitos (a gentler option)
If you want to alternate with something more open, the surroundings of Biscoitos are perfect. It is not a hike with big elevation gain. It is a coastal walk along black volcanic formations, with the ocean crashing against the rocks. You can walk at your own pace, stop, watch the foam and listen. It is simple, but it sets you right. And if you pass by at the end of the day, the light on the sea is often very beautiful.