About Cascata da Calcada dos Gigantes
Cascata da Calcada dos Gigantes (or Cascata da Calçada dos Gigantes) drops beneath a 200m long basalt rim facing the southern shore of Ilha Santa Maria in the Azores (or Açores).
This basalt wall is said to be 20m tall, which suggests that this waterfall must be at least that tall.

As you can see from the photo above, this may have been the only waterfall on our early Summer 2024 Portugal trip that lacked a good flow.
However, I’d argue that the geological oddity of being a basalt waterfall combined with the precipitous yet gorgeous ocean views along the trail made this still a worthwhile excursion.
As for the timing of this waterfall, it’s fickle in that its drainage isn’t substantial so it needs to have a bit of a good rain followed by a visit shortly thereafter in order to see the falls perform.
On average Santa Maria Island is one of the Azores’ drier islands and gets on average 2-12 days of rain in a given month (with July being the driest at 2 days of rain and December being the wettest at 12 days).

Therefore, perhaps the state of the Cascata da Calçada dos Gigantes during our visit late June 2024 shouldn’t have been surprising.
If we had the ability to come back to the Açores whenever we pleased, then I’d probably time our visit for the early- to mid-Spring months to see this waterfall perform.
As for accessing the waterfall, I started from an unsigned turnoff for a 4wd track by a private farm (see directions below).
Then, I followed the 4wd track that went around someone’s private farm before the path eventually reached the end of the 4wd track, where there was an interpretive sign about the Ribeira dos Maloás.

After the sign, the trail became more appropriate for hiking instead of off-roading.
It eventually clung to the rim of sea cliffs offering very nice coastal views of the southern shore of Ilha Santa Maria.
After about 200m from the interpretive sign, the trail then veered inland towards the edge of a ravine backed by a basalt wall, and this was where the waterfall made its drop beneath some cow pastures.
Continuing along the rim of this ravine, I eventually got to the start of the basalt wall, where there was a trail that descended steeply to the level of the creek.

After crossing the creek, I continued upstream to get right up to the plunge pool of the Cascata da Calçada dos Gigantes fronting its trickling waterfall.
As a consolation prize for my efforts despite the waterfall’s disappointing performance, I noticed that there were frogs in and around the creek and plunge pool.
After having my fill of this place, I went back the way I came, where I wound up spending about an hour away from the car covering about 2km in total distance (1km each way).
Granted, a lot of that hour was spent just trying to stay quiet for the frogs to show themselves (so I could take pictures of them) after their initial fight-or-flight response when I first showed up.

By the way, I noticed that GoogleMaps and Wikipedia had also referred to Cascata da Calçada dos Gigantes as Cascata da Ribeira do Maloás as well as Cascata das Figueiras.
The former seems to imply that the seasonal creek the waterfall is on is called Ribeira do Maloás.
Authorities
The Cascata da Calçada dos Gigantes is located on the island of Santa Maria of the Azores Autonomous Region of Portugal. It is managed by the Municipality of Vila do Porto. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the official Azores tourism website.
Related Top 10 Lists
No Posts Found
Trip Planning Resources
Nearby Accommodations
This content is for subscribers only. See Membership Options.Featured Images and Nearby Attractions
This content is for subscribers only. See Membership Options.Visitor Comments:
Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...No users have replied to the content on this page
Visitor Reviews of this Waterfall:
If you have a waterfall story or write-up that you'd like to share, feel free to click the button below and fill out the form...No users have submitted a write-up/review of this waterfall