Salto da Farinha

Alcadinha / Salga, Azores Region, Portugal

About Salto da Farinha

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Salto da Farinha is a modestly-sized waterfall (said to be 40m tall though it felt shorter than that) situated on the northeastern part of Ilha São Miguel.

This waterfall is in a more open area than is typical of tropical waterfalls of this size so it could be seen from both afar as well as up close and personal.

Salto_da_Farinha_077_06232024 - Salto da Farinha
Salto da Farinha

As the name would suggest, the word salto means “leap”, and this was certainly one of the few such free-leaping waterfalls found in the Azores Islands (let alone Portugal in general).

That said, the word farinha means “flour”, and I’m not sure why this waterfall was named after flour (unless there might have been some historical use of the Ribeira das Coelhas for the purposes of grinding flour).

So I’ll briefly describe how we were able to experience this waterfall, which I’d imagine would be how a typical visit would look like.

We started by driving to a hairpin bend near the end of a signed access road for the Salto da Farinha just west of the small town of Achadinha (see directions below).

Salto_da_Farinha_002_06232024 - Distant look at the Salto da Farinha Waterfall from the Miradouro do Salto da Farinha
Distant look at the Salto da Farinha Waterfall from the Miradouro do Salto da Farinha

From this hairpin turn, we had the option of leaving the car at one of the limited pullout spaces so we could see the waterfall from the Miradouro do Salto da Farinha right at the corner of the hairpin turn.

At this lookout, we could see right away how steep and narrow the rest of the access road was, which is why lots of people opted to walk down this road instead of chancing it with their rental car.

The view of the waterfall from here was a bit distant, but we could certainly appreciate the wide open terrain it was in as well as the secluded valley facing the north coast of Ilha São Miguel.

There was also a walkway continuing further downhill past a restroom facility directly towards the coastline, and this led about 150m to the Miradouro Pedra dos Estominhos.

Drive_to_Salto_da_Farinha_039_MingSung_06242024 - The very steep and narrow road descending from the Miradouro do Salto da Farinha to the lower car park and trailhead to access the waterfall's base
The very steep and narrow road descending from the Miradouro do Salto da Farinha to the lower car park and trailhead to access the waterfall’s base

At this lookout, there were nice views along the northern coastline as well as some picnic tables and even some BBQ grills.

Back at the hairpin bend, we then descended the steep road for the final 500m over two switchbacks to the lower car park for the Salto da Farinha.

This road was steep and scary enough that you’d better be a confident and skilled driver in low gear while tackling each of the switchbacks, but it’s even more important to have momentum going back up!

Things get really tricky if there’s another car going in the opposite direction (the road is essentially single-lane) so I can easily see why lots of people opted to walk this portion.

Salto_da_Farinha_054_06232024 - Approaching a bridge over the Ribiera das Coelhas in the final approach to the Salto da Farinha Waterfall's base
Approaching a bridge over the Ribiera das Coelhas in the final approach to the Salto da Farinha Waterfall’s base

Anyways, from the lower car park, I then pretty much followed an obvious trail following the signs as it led me past a picnic area towards what appeared to be some kind of sanctuary before going right to the base of Salto da Farinha.

This hike was more or less about 550m in each direction (or 1.1km round trip) with mild elevation gain and loss (roughly 60m of elevation change).

Once at the waterfall, I had the ability to get right into its refreshing plunge pool (not deep enough for a swim during my visit) or climb up to a more elevated view atop a rocky area.

I did notice around the last part of the trail that there was a detour leading to the very brink of what appeared to be another tier of the Salto da Farinha, but I was unable to find a safe way to get to its bottom for a more satisfying experience.

Salto_da_Farinha_013_iPhone_06232024 - Broad look at the Salto da Farinha from its elevated rocky area above the fringes of its plunge pool
Broad look at the Salto da Farinha from its elevated rocky area above the fringes of its plunge pool

All told, I wound up spending about 35 minutes away from the car, but this didn’t include the additional 20 minutes at the Miradouro do Salto da Farinha as well as the steep descent to the lower car park.

Authorities

Salto da Farinha is located near Achadinha on the island of São Miguel of the Azores Autonomous Region of Portugal. It is managed by the Municipality of Nordeste. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting the official Azores tourism website.

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Tagged with: alcadinha, salga, sao miguel, acores, azores, sea, ocean, portugal



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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