About Poco da Ribeira do Ferreiro
Poco da Ribeira do Ferreiro (or Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro) is perhaps the most famous waterfall of all in the Azores (Açores) Islands (let alone Portugal in general).
It is certainly the main attraction of Ilha das Flores (Flores Island), which is the westernmost of the 9 main islands making up the Azores.
The waterfall flows on the creek or river called Ribeira do Ferreiro, which originates from the Central Mountain plateau of Flores Island before tumbling some 150m over multiple strands on a well-vegetated, nearly vertical volcanic cliff.
The stream eventually merges with the Ribeira Grande near the village of Fajãzinha before the augmented Ribeira Grande feeds the Atlantic Ocean.
The word poço means “well”, and perhaps the tendency of the Central Mountains to collect rain combined with the springs augmenting the Ribeira do Ferreiro have made people think that the stream comes from a natural well.
Depending on the waterflow of both the springs and the Ribeira do Ferreiro creek giving rise to the waterfalls, there could be more or fewer strands than what you see in the photo above.
It’s for this reason that I think of the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro as the Wall of Tears of the Azores Islands.
After all, we’ve seen similar such waterfalls under the right conditions in the remote gulches on the innermost makai side slopes in Hawaii.
That said, none are as accessible as the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro, and I suspect that is the main reason why this place draws quite a number of international visitors.
Accessing the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro
Speaking of access, we first had to drive to its well-used car park and trailhead for the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro on the western side of Ilha das Flores (see directions below).
From there, we then hiked about 900m in each direction (or 1.8km round-trip), which was mostly uphill on the way to the end.
Along the way, the well-developed rocky path passed through a grove of Azores Juniper Trees alongside some rock walls and even some canals that maybe for erosion/flood control and trail management.
The constant cover of trees ensured that the environment here remained humid as there was little room for any breeze to penetrate this forest.
Eventually at the apex of the climb, we reached a hill or outcrop overlooking the Lagoa dos Patos (“lagoon of the ducks”), which might be so-named since there seemed to be lots of ducks here.
The Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro pretty much adorned the cliff walls on the opposite site of the lagoon.
This hill was the main reason why we couldn’t really see this waterfall from the road (though we did get teasing glimpses of it on the descent) thereby necessitating the hike.
In any case, we probably gained about 90-100m in elevation over the 900m of hiking distance, and it will definitely get you sweating regardless of your pace.
Although this place does attract quite a few people, in our experience, it didn’t feel overwhelmed or crowded (as I’d imagine just getting to Ilha das Flores isn’t that straightforward to begin with).
Nevertheless, we wound up spending about 90 minutes away from the car, but we easily could have shortened it to just an hour or so if we didn’t linger as long as we did (maybe 20-30 minutes).
By the way, the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro may also be referred to as Alagoinha (though I’m not sure of its meaning).
Another Way to Experience the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro
In addition to the aforementioned hike, it’s also possible to get a nice panoramic view encompassing the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro as well as the neighboring Cascata da Ribeira Grande Waterfall.
In order to experience this miradouro (more formally called the Miradouro do Portal), we’d have to take a detour drive (see directions below).
Once at the lookout, we could get commanding views towards the coastline to the west, towards the towns of both Fajãzinha and Fajã Grande to the north, and the waterfalls to the east.
The caveat with this experience is that due to the distance between the lookout and the waterfalls, low clouds can easily obscure the view.
Therefore, this experience has to be a fair-weather or clear day in order to not have to contend with clouds getting in the way.
This is essentially a roadside excursion so no hiking is necessary if you have your own rental car.
Authorities
Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro is located on the island of Flores of the Azores Autonomous Region of Portugal. It is managed by the Municipality of Lajes das Flores. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the official Azores tourism website.
The Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro Waterfall resides in the civil parish of Fajãzinha on the island of Flores.
Since we stayed in the town of Santa Cruz das Flores, I’ll describe the most straightforward driving directions from there.
So from downtown Santa Cruz das Flores, we drove west on Avenida Principe do Monaco to a roundabout intersecting with the ER1-2 Road (2nd exit).
From there, just follow the ER1-2 for about 2.8km, and then keep right at the turnoff for the ER2-2 (there will be signs pointing the way to Fajãzinha).
Note that GoogleMaps will try to take you on a narrow locals’ “shortcut” on Rua dos Vales about 1.3km from the roundabout onto ER1-2 at Santa Cruz das Flores.
I’d recommend against doing that shortcut because the roads are almost single-lane, and there’s a very steep hill on Estrada do Rochão do Rebolo to get back on the ER2-2.
There’s a stop sign right at the top of this steep hill, and if you’re driving a stick shift, it can be very tricky to get on that road without stalling.
Anyways, assuming we avoided the GoogleMaps “shortcut”, we then followed the ER2-2 for about 14km.
This stretch of the drive goes through the central plateau of Ilha das Flores before turning right at the signed turnoff (signs for Fajãzinha, Fajã Grande, and Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro).
From there, follow the Ramal da Fajã Grande for the remaining 4km to the car park on the left for the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro.
Overall, this 19-20km drive took us 30 minutes.
For context, Fajãzinha is about 5km (about 15 minutes drive) south of Fajã Grande, about 16km (under 30 minutes drive) northwest of Lajes das Flores, and about 20km (about 30 minutes drive) west of Santa Cruz das Flores.
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Shaky video showing the cascades seen from the bridge by the trailhead parking
Brief left to right sweep showing the context as well as the zoom-ins of the main strands comprising the Azorean Wall of Tears
More deliberate and wide open left-to-right sweep revealing the context and the zoom-ins of the Azorean Wall of Tears, including rippling reflections in the foreground pond
Left to right sweep starting from the ocean and panning over to both the Ribeira do Ferreiro as well as the Ribeira Grande waterfalls in the distance from the Miradouro do Porto
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