Things to do in São Miguel

In the island, you can have a lot of amazing experiences in contact with nature. Going from canyoning to bird watching.

Here you have what you can do:

Top 20 places to visit in Sao Miguel

Top 20

In this beautiful island you can be breathtaken with some uniques landscapes and all green. It’s all about nature and water. It’s an amazing combination to relax and breath pure air. This is the top 20 places I would recommend you:

Where is the Green Paradise

The Autonomous Region of the Azores is in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. The Azores is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands, being the Sao Miguel the biggest one.

Each island is known by its different colors. The Portuguese writer Raul Brandão visit the Azores in 1924 giving a color to a different island in his book “The Unknown Islands” and since then they are known for their name and color:

Hiking

The Azores is home to some of the most scenic hiking trails you can find anywhere. Particularly São Miguel island is packed with volcano craters, lagoons, small rivers and waterfalls which are accessible only on foot. There at least 20 official trails in the island, with all ranges of difficulties and distances and covering all kinds of landscapes.

I’ve done several trails in the island in the past and they were all worth it, although with different highlights. If you’re more interested in waterfalls, Salto do Prego, next to Faial da Terra, is a gem despite the freezing cold water.

If you want scenic views, Gorreana, Janela do Inferno and Praia da Viola all boast great views of the island and the ocean.

Unless you don’t have two functional legs, doing a hiking trail should absolutely be in your Azores bucket list. Bring comfy shoes, a bottle of water and a light jacket, weather is truly unpredictable.

 

Scuba Diving

Divers will enjoy the marine reserve that surrounds the small Vila Franca Islet, located a few hundred metres from the old capital of the island – Vila Franca do Campo. Created by an ancient submerged volcano, it is a protected area that offers an abundance of marine life. The island of São Miguel will also appeal to coastal divers, with several fantastic reefs such as the Lourenços and Sabrina Reefs, which lie close to the coast. It is common to see groups of devil rays and schools of large pelagic fish on these reefs.

Those looking to dive in deeper waters also have access to the seamounts. The island is a departure point for the mythical dive sites of the Formigas Islets and the Dollabarat Seamount, located about 40 miles away and known for crystal-clear waters where large schools of pelagic fish, devil rays and sharks swim.

Surfing

São Miguel is the biggest island and home to the most surfers. It is the only island in the chain with north-facing beachbreaks at Ribeira Grande and probably has the greatest variety of surf spots. Both the western and eastern ends of São Miguel are very cliffy as the land drops away sharply from the volcanic peaks that used to be two separate islands. This means the centre of the island is lower and allows for the beaches to form on the north and south coasts. Big waves in heavy water situations characterise the north coasts of the Azores and São Miguel has its share, but few are surfed and many are at the base of cliffs and only accessible by boat Ð Baixa de Viola being the exception. Rabo de Peixe now breaks inside the harbour wall that destroyed a better reef outside but it is still a focal point for winter swells thanks to ease of access and ride compared to the many unridden breaks visible from the cliffs. Mosteiros has the only regularly surfed breaks out west and nothing much happens on the SW coast until Ponta Delgada. Populo is just that, perfectly named as the city beach where everyone learns to surf. With a wide swell window and adaptable sandbanks, it gets especially good on summer S swells. The south coast has way more accessible breaks and fewer surfers riding them, all the way out to the heavy seawall breaks at Ribeira Quente. The east coast is a let down except for the rare challenging lefts of Faja do Araujo. This island is pretty flexible and should be considered a year-round destination with its mix of big swell reefs and exposed summer beachbreaks.

Biking

One of the famous activities you can do is biking in the island and see beautiful landscapes in a friend environmental way.

Fishing

The Azorean sea is one of the favourite destinations of the fans of big-game fishing. Enormous blue and white marlins swim in this part of the Atlantic, as well as dolphin-fishes and Atlantic bluefin tunas, among other species of tuna. Between the islands of the triangle (Faial, Pico and São Jorge), the challenge is always on, even though any of the remaining islands can be a point of departure for high quantity and quality fishing outings. On land, it is possible to find many specialized operators of big-game fishing. Those that prefer to fish independently may rent boats and equipment and leave in search of the coveted trophies.

Bird Watching

The Azores are internationally recognized as a bird watching destination for observing certain groups of bird species. Due to its central position in the North Atlantic Ocean, it is possible to observe several migratory species which are occasionally seen in the Azores, as the weather throws some of these species off course on their migration route. It is also possible to observe seabirds that nest in the Azores and endemic species and subspecies.

Geotourism

The genesis of the Azores is found upon 1766 volcanoes, nine of which are still active. Underground, almost three hundred volcanic cavities, including caves, ravines and cracks, have been surveyed. The landscape is filled with dry calderas, craters lakes, fumaroles and thermal water springs. In the sea, there are submarine geothermal springs.

Health and well being

The Azores have hydro-thermal resources, which have been known and exploited for centuries. There are various springs of natural carbonic water, waterfalls and iron water pools, which have been used since the sixteenth century.  The highlight goes to the thermal baths Termas da Ferraria and the iron water pools in Furnas, on the island of São Miguel.

Golf

Looking around and not seeing any type of human construction in the horizon. Only peace and nature. Another stroke with the Atlantic lurking around you. The shape of the greens invites you to walk accompanied by a colourful explosion of flowers. The weather bows to the player and allows you to enjoy the three courses available in the archipelago in any season of the year. The rounds are adapted to both beginners and professionals. In pasture golf, swings are shown to the local population amidst pastures and agricultural fields. A type of golf with similar rules, but with the label of pure fun and socialising around a sport.

Best time:

Golf can be played in the Azores during the whole year, thanks to the region’s unique weather conditions. Temperature is traditionally mild, and there will be periods of clear skies even during the winter, allowing you to play a round accompanied by luxuriant shades of green.

Canoeing / Kayaking

These sports can be practiced in the Azores both in internal waters on open sea. Whether one exploits the escarpments that surround the lakes that filled the volcanic calderas or rows around the small islets to watch sea birds or even to visit caves, all these activities involve a total physical and emotional involvement with the Azorean landscape.

Canyoning

The Azores are located in the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The region is composed of nine volcanic islands, three of which provide excellent canyoning conditions.

São Miguel, São Jorge and Flores offer a vast supply of beautiful canyoning options and itineraries, alll of which are unique to each island.

The Island of Flores provides the most diversified itineraries, from large vertical descendents to simple tracks.

The Island of São Jorge mainly features large vertical descendents. There are also interesting spots on the islands of Santa Maria and Faial.

Horse Riding

Those who love horses will discover a riding haven in the Azores, an archipelago home to many well-trained Lusitano and Cruzado Portuguese horses. These islands offer breath-taking landscapes and views over the Atlantic Ocean, paired with colorful gardens and green pastures. You’ll find a wide variety of short and multi-day long trails.