São Miguel

The PRC 48 SMI – Vinhas de São Caetano walking trail begins and ends at Mata do Café, in the parish of Livramento, running along the southern coastline of São Miguel in an easy circular route. Throughout the trail, walkers enjoy a landscape defined by its proximity to the sea and the historical interaction between local communities and the natural environment.

The route begins on the “Ribeira da Praia” path and develops along the southern slope of the “Serra de Água de Pau”. This trail provides connection between the municipalities of “Vila Franca do Campo” and “Lagoa”. It allows hikers to choose several trails options, according to the time availability and their physical condition.

The pedestrian route to Fajã do Mar begins and ends at the viewpoint of Vigia das Baleias, in the parish of Feteiras which, due to its wide views over the south coast of the island of São Miguel, was used as a support for the "lookouts" on land to observe and locate the whales, representing an important testimony of the history of whaling, which had economic importance in the Azores in the last century, and continues to be used today, but for the purposes of the tourist activity of "whale watching".

The trail of Pico das Camarinhas - Ponta da Ferraria begins near the viewpoint of Ilha Sabrina, known like that due to an historical volcanic eruption in 1811 that gave birth to a small Island about 6 km southeast of Ponta da Ferraria. This new island, extremely vulnerable to the erosive action of the waves, disappeared a few months later and today there is only a low-lying area.

This linear route connects the town of Povoação to the village of Faial da Terra, a connection between the geosites of Caldeira of Povoação and the stream valley of Faial da Terra and Fajã do Calhau. Begin the walk by the road accessing Lomba dos Pós and follow the marks until you find a dirt road, on the right hand side that formerly connected the two villages. Along the way, it is still possible to do sidewalks done in the past by the local population. This shortcut crosses areas of wood overtaken by Australian Cheesewood (pittosporum undulatum) and Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica).

This circular route through the village of Faial da Terra develops partially in the geosite of Caldeira of Povoação. Begin the walk at the center of the village and follow the marks by a road accessing agricultural fields. Along it you will cross several times the regional road, passing by the old whale watching tower, place used by the ancients to watch and locate the different cetaceans species.

Este percurso linear liga a localidade de Remédios à vila de Água do Pau, através de antigas estradas utilizadas pelos aguadeiros, que levavam a água à freguesia de Lagoa. O trilho atravessa diversos recursos ligados a esta atividade, como antigas pontes, aquedutos, condutas de barro, levadas e alguns túneis. Para atravessar os túneis, é aconselhável o uso de lanternas e, antes de iniciar o trilho, certifique-se de que está devidamente equipado. Ao longo do trilho, é necessário ter especial atenção à presença de animais que não devem ser perturbados.

This linear route connects the village of Ribeira Chã to Água de Pau. Begin the trail at the center of the locality, known for its museums, mainly the Sacred Art and Ethnographic, the Ethnographic Yard and Azorean Endemism as well as the Rural House of Maria dos Anjos Melo, where we can see all the history, culture and heritage of this place. Rich for its gastronomy, Ribeira Chã is known for its Italian Arum cereal flour porridge, a typical sweet of the village, done with the rhizome of the plant known on the island as Italian Arum (Arum italicum).

This small circular route develops through the village of Água Retorta, near the protected area for the habitats and species management. Begin the trail near the church of Nossa Senhora da Penha de França, built between 1871 and 1885 taking advantage of the bell tower, a reminiscence of an old chapel from the 17th c. that existed here.

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