Azores Island Hopping Trip Itinerary

Our time in the Azores Islands spanned 3 of the 9 islands in the archipelago over a span of about 8 days, and it followed about 3 weeks of exploring the Portugal mainland.

The islands that we visited in order were Ilha Santa Maria, Ilha das Flores, and Ilha São Miguel.

The point of adding the Azores Islands to our Portugal part of our epic Summer 2024 trip was because we wanted to see the best waterfalls that the country had to offer.

Well, it appeared that quite a few of the best ones could be found in this archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

That said, there were other attractions like panoramas, coastlines, hydrothermal features, basalt cliffs, and more.

Sure there were some moments where we didn’t overcome our own inertia to seize the moment and visit even more sights and waterfalls, but in any case, here’s our humble sampling of what we were able to accomplish during our week here…

Trip Map

Trip Highlights

Cascata da Calçada dos Gigantes – even though this waterfall only trickled during my visit, I enjoyed the coastal views, the frogs at the plunge pool, and the basalt columns holding up its drop. It was my introduction to Ilha Santa Maria, and I certainly enjoyed the other aspects of this hike despite the waterfall’s seasonality.

Cascata do Aveiro – this was one of the easiest waterfalls to visit because it’s pretty much at the end of the road on the southeastern coastline of Ilha Santa Maria. It was full of birds (primarily geese and duck as well as a few others), and despite the turbulent swells and waves, the waterfall and its plunge pool provided a delightful contrast.

São Lourenço – this coastal town on the east coast of Ilha Santa Maria was secluded and sleepy but it was also very scenic. We had a relaxing lunch over there, and then we followed it up with nice panoramas of the coastline from a miradouro just as the sun started coming out and bringing out the clear blue colors of the Baia de São Lourenço.

Poço da Pedreira – this former quarry is now a peaceful picnic area with a pool backed by a reddish cliff. It was a nice change of pace compared to waterfalls and coastlines, and of course, it’s a pretty nice photo stop, especially considering how little effort was required to get here from the trailhead.

Cascata da Baia do Raposo – this was one of the more elusive waterfalls situated on the northern shore of Ilha Santa Maria, and I definitely had to earn my visit to find a way to get to its base. Indeed, this involved a steep upside-down hike where I only got teasing glimpses of its upper tiers, but that lower tier was the only part that could be seen well, and it involved a scramble and route-finding effort to even get my sighting. Nevertheless, I found the experience rewarding, and this was typical of the hidden gems to be found on the Azores’ southernmost island.

Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro – this could very well be the most dramatic waterfall in all the Azores Islands as well as Portugal in general. I see it as if it’s an Azorean Wall of Tears, which as you can see from the photo above, is not hard to envision given its multiple strands. Obviously, with greater precipitation, the more and thicker these strands become. We happened to see this place in what appeared to be average flow, and even that’s an awesome sight. Indeed, this waterfall was the sole reason why we were drawn into Ilha das Flores, and we didn’t regret coming here one bit!

Poço do Bacalhau – on the western side of Ilha das Flores, this tall waterfall tended to scatter with the ocean breezes. There were also companion waterfalls further up the coastline, which really added to the atmosphere of the Fajã Grande municipality. Oh, and the base of the Poço do Bacalhau was also conducive for a cooling off from the heat and humidity as the scattering waterfall can act like raindrops in the sun.

Santa Cruz das Flores – this is the main town on Ilha das Flores, and while the sights of this town weren’t extraordinary, I found the miradouros over the town as well as the chance to experience the sunrise here as big highlights of our time on the island. Often times, how we remember trips comes down to special moments, and as subtle as this town was, such moments were fulfilled thanks to its calm, coastal location.

Rocha dos Bordões – this was a dome on the southwestern side of Ilha das Flores with a very pronounced series of basalt columns in a sublayer beneath the crown of its down. I was able to see it during a cloudy day where the clouds were threatening to obscure it, but I was sure glad to see and appreciate the volcanic geology that is so responsible for many of the features on Ilha das Flores let alone all of the Azores Islands.

Cascata da Ribeira Grande – even though this waterfall is situated right next to the famous Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro, it doesn’t see nearly as many visitors since it sits hidden in the next drainage over. However, it’s said to be taller, and it also is joined by a series of waterfalls coming from springs adjacent to its main drop in a bit of a cirque or canyon enclosure at the end of the trail. Indeed, if you’re looking for something with a bit less people and a more back-to-nature type of experience, then do this one. Better yet, do both waterfalls and get all that Ilha das Flores has to offer.

Baia de Alem – even though we had to drive all the way to the northern end of Ilha das Flores to see this coastline, it was a view that didn’t seem to be common on the island as we were treated to colorful turquoise waters with sea stacks jutting out. Indeed, it was a bit out of the way for us to even come here for these views, but it definitely left a lasting impression on our time in this island.

Sete Cidades – this could very well be the signature attraction of Ilha São Miguel, where there were a series of crater lakes all visible from a multitude of viewpoints, including this one that I had to hike to for perhaps the most dramatic view of them all. Indeed, it seemed like all the social media and YouTube videos concerning the Azores Islands has clips of this place, and now I could appreciate why given such panoramas. It was a great introduction to the Ilha São Miguel, especially since this was at the very start of my time on the island.

Cascata da Ribeira Quente – this hidden waterfall involved a bit of an adventure walking through a tunnel and then scrambling along an overgrown path (in the rain during my visit) that ultimately brought me right in front of it. As you can see from the reddish cliffs behind the falls, the aptly-named Ribeira Quente (quente means “hot”) definitely had thermal properties, but was even more impressive height wise. The most amazing thing about this waterfall was that it was free, and it was uncrowded since you really have to know what you’re doing to get to it safely.

Salto da Farinha – this plunging waterfall made for a nice spot to cool off, but it also presented a distant look at its miradouro, and there were other lookouts taking in the coastline of northeastern São Miguel Island. There was a steep and potentially dangerous road to get to its lower car park, but fortunately, the road is only about 500-600m so it’s walkable if you’re not confident about driving steep, single-lane roads (in stick shift no less)!

Cascatas da Ribeira dos Caldeirões – this park featured at least four significant waterfalls on the Ribeira dos Caldeirões Creek though 2 of the waterfalls were man-made or at least man-enhanced. Nevertheless, due to its ease of accessibility, it was very popular as well as refreshing, and there were even historical mills on display to better appreciate how water power had been used over the years as well as how it can be manipulated.

Lagoa das Furnas and the Grena Park Waterfalls – the northern shores of Lagoa das Furnas gave me Yellowstone vibes with its geothermal features like fumaroles, vents, and mud pots. However, adjacent to this park was the paid Grena Park, where I was able to experience at least 6 waterfalls as well as other features in this restored forested area.

Salto do Rosal and the Mata-Jardim Jose do Canto – on the south side of Lagoa das Furnas Lake was this woodland garden, which featured a church, some reforested lands, imported Japanese cedar trees, an imported California Sequoia tree, and the Salto do Rosal waterfall. Although the hike wasn’t short and we had limited time to explore this place given the hours that the gardens were open, we really had to be here at the start to really get to experience and enjoy this spot.

Ponta Delgada – this seemed to be the cosmopolitan center of the Azores Islands (let alone São Miguel Island) with its selection of shopping, restaurants, and some architecture to boot. It’s the closest town or city to the airport, but it’s also a bit to the southwest of where the waterfalls were. Nevertheless, you have to check out this city just to experience that diversity and mix to truly round out a trip.

Poça da Dona Beija – when it comes to thermal hot springs experiences, this place was one of the few such spots where we were allowed to enjoy bathing in thermal waters outdoors as well as to do this as a family (something we couldn’t do in Japan since they were all gender segregated and you had to do it naked). For Julie, this was her highlight of the Azores, but basking in the nature as you can see above certainly helped to amplify the peace of mind effects you get while bathing here.

Salto do Cabrito – this was the last of the waterfalls that we visited in Portugal, and it was perhaps the most accessible of the natural waterfalls (unless the hydroelectric infrastructure nearby takes away from it) on São Miguel Island. Lots of people were here to beat the heat and humidity though I had to earn my visit by walking down a steep road (and back up on the return).

Trip Advice

During the Azores part of our trip, we definitely came in with an open mind because we had never experienced a tropical or subtropical island in the middle of the Atlantic before (we have been in tropical places all over the Pacific as well as the Caribbean Sea and even the Indian Ocean). So obviously, there were things that we learned on this trip that we’d like to share in this section…

Varying Levels of Humidity: It felt like some islands exhibited drier climates than others. Case in point, Ilha Santa Maria felt drier compared to the other islands (and thus the waterfalls there weren’t doing as well). However, Ilha das Flores seemed to be so humid that even small- to moderately-sized patches of clouds seemed to produce rain (or at least sprinkles). And Ilha São Miguel seemed to also have a bit of humidity though it was a little less so compared to Flores Island.

That said, I didn’t feel like the heat and humidity during our late June 2024 visit wasn’t as oppressive as say being in Taiwan in the Summer. So it’s all relative. But the big takeaway from this observation is that if you’re hoping to dry stuff out (like laundered clothes), then you might want to rely on de-humidified AC air indoors instead of taking chances with the weather outdoors where both humidity and the pop-up rain storm at any time could be working against you.

Inconvenient Flight Schedules: One thing I was annoyed with when planning our Azores part of the trip was the lack of flights during the day. They only tended to happen in the mornings and in the late afternoons and/or evenings, which makes island hopping very tricky and inefficient. Case in point, we had to chill out in the Ponta Delgada Airport for at least 4-5 hours because our flight to Ilha das Flores didn’t happen until pretty much evening time.

Similarly, we had a super tight connection (barely less than an hour) when flying from Santa Maria to Ilha das Flores that we had no choice to catch unless we wanted to wait another 8 hours at the Ponta Delgada Airport.

I suspect the main reason for this is that mornings and evenings must be the times of the day when they most likely have calmer winds to make takeoffs and landings less dangerous. The Azores are notorious for gusty winds (in fact, we had one flight where we had landed and then took off again because the pilot didn’t like how it went due to the winds).

So that was the main reason why we could only focus on 3 islands, and even that was a delicate balancing act in trip planning. I’m sure we could have explored more of the islands given another day or two, but with the way the flight times were arranged, good luck with that!

Car Rentals: First and foremost, the Azores Islands have a major shortage of rental cars. So if you don’t pre-book your rental in advance, you have a very low likelihood of having a rental car on your own if trying to book it on-the-fly.

That said, even though rental car companies have limited hours in the smaller airports, I learned the hard way (at least in Ilha Santa Maria) that the rental car person actually times his openings and closings with flight times even if it’s after “closing time”. So that’s a drawback of trying to rely on general rental car info (we did ours through Auto Europe) because we actually walked from the airport to our accommodation when we could have picked up the rental car and saved ourselves the trouble. Heck, we could have even stayed further from the airport instead of walking distance from the airport.

Developed versus Undeveloped Islands: To me, it felt like Ilha São Miguel was by far the most developed of the Azores Islands. It was kind of equivalent to what I would think Oahu in Hawaii would be like as Ponta Delgada is kind of the Portuguese answer to Honolulu. That said, Ponta Delgada is definitely way more Europoean so you’ll see things like churches, city centers that are charming, and outdoor shopping lanes that I’d say would be way more interesting than anything you typically see in American cities.

Nevertheless, the other islands seemed much more rural and less developed by contrast (which is also very different than Hawaii in the sense that they’re way less developed than say Maui, Kaua’i, or Big Island). So I guess the Hawaii comparisons kind of end there.

Travel Itinerary

Day 21: Transit from Lisbon to Vila do Porto via Ponta Delgada

Overnight: Hotel Santa Maria (Vila do Porto, Azores, Portugal)

After leaving Nazaré, we drove back to the Lisbon Airport to take care of logistics like returning the rental car and taking care of bag dropoff, finishing waters, etc. before embarking on a 3-hour flight to Ponta Delgada Airport. Then, having arrived in Ponta Delgada at around noon time (we gained an hour since Azores is an hour behind the mainland), we had to chill out at the airport for a while because the next flight to Santa Maria Island wouldn’t take off until evening. Finally, after arriving in Santa Maria, we then walked to our accommodation while accidentally catching the sunset along the way.

Day 22: Full Day Exploring Ilha Santa Maria

Overnight: Hotel Santa Maria (Vila do Porto, Azores, Portugal)

This was a busy day where I returned to the airport to pick up the rental car (learning after the fact that my pick up time stated on Auto Europe didn’t really matter as the clerk times his in-person time to the flights, which was here an hour earlier and he thought I was on that flight). Then, once I had the car, we pretty much explored the island in a day hitting up places like Cascata da Calçada dos Gigantes, Cascata do Aveiro, São Lourenço, Poço da Pedreira, Baia do Raposo, and Vila do Porto.

Day 23: Transit from Vila do Porto to Takayama

Overnight: Santa Cruz Villas (Santa Cruz das Flores, Azores, Portugal)

This was a travel day where we got up early to catch an early flight to Ponta Delgada, and then a tight connection to get to Santa Cruz das Flores. After a long queue (we definitely waited over an hour AFTER picking up our luggages) to finally get our rental car (that office was really inefficient), we finally started exploring the island. That’s when we visited Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro, Cascata do Poço do Bacalhau, Fajã Grande, and finally settling in at Santa Cruz das Flores.

Day 24: Day Exploring Ilha das Flores

Overnight: Santa Cruz Villas (Santa Cruz das Flores, Azores, Portugal)

This was a day that was divided into two parts. In the morning, I went off on my own back to the west side of Ilha das Flores to visit the spots missed yesterday, and this included the Miradouro Rocha dos Bordões, Miradouro do Portal, Cascata da Ribeira Grande, and spending a little more time exploring Fajã Grande.

In the early afternoon, we were supposed to go on a boat tour to see waterfalls dropping into the ocean north of the airport, but that fell through when our daughter complained of severe cramps. So it ended up being a low key afternoon exploring Santa Cruz das Flores, then letting my wife see the Miradouro das Lagoas, and then driving up to Baia do Alem and back.

Day 25: Transit from Santa Cruz das Flores to Ponta Delgada then driving to Furnas

Overnight: Casa Galante (Furnas, Azores, Portugal)

After catching a midday flight to Ponta Delgada, we then picked up the rental car and went immediately to some kind of Pineapple Plantation since Julie insisted on doing this. Afterwards, we then went west to Sete Cidades knowing that it might be our only opportunity to check it out considering we would be spending most of our time away towards the east side of the island. By the time all was said and done, it was dark when we got to Furnas.

Day 26: Day in Ilha São Miguel

Overnight: Casa Galante (Furnas, Azores, Portugal)

This was a busy day that started off with the Cascata da Ribeira Quente, then visiting the Salto da Farinha, then the Cascatas da Ribeira dos Caldeirões, before finally visiting the Caldeiras Lagoa das Furnas and the Grená Park Waterfalls. At the end of the day, I attempted to visit the Salto do Rosal, but it was too close to closing time for the gardens to let me proceed.

Day 27: Day in Ilha São Miguel

Overnight: Casa Galante (Furnas, Azores, Portugal)

On this day, we started off bathing in the thermal spa of Poça da Dona Beija in Furnas, which we had pre-booked. Then, we visited Mata-Jardim Jose do Canto for the Salto do Rosal before spending time in Ponta Delgada. Finally, I visited Salto do Rosal before having dinner in Ponta Delgada again before finally returning to Furnas in the evening.

Day 28: Transit from Ponta Delgada to London (UK) via Lisbon

This was a travel day, where we drove from Furnas to the airport in Ponta Delgada, and then after returning the rental car, we caught two flights – one to Lisbon (3 hours), and then after a layover (with complications in our ticketing that caused delays) in Lisbon, we flew to London Heathrow before finally settling in the Piccadilly Circus part of London CBD.