• View from the »Vista do Rei« at Sete Cidades

  • Farol do Arnel - Nordeste

  • Santa Iria - Ribeirinha

  • São Roque

  • Ribeira do Lameiro - Maia

  • Ponta da Madrugada - east coast

  • Zona Balnear do Frade - Maia

  • The caldeiras at Lake Furnas

  • Rota da Água - Remédios

  • Lagoa do Fogo from the west

  • Ponta da Escalvado - Mosteiros

  • Ponta da Escalvado - Mosteiros

  • 40 miles of São Miguel at a glance

  • Ponta Delgada

  • Parque Terra Nostra - Furnas

  • Terra Nostra pool; 35°C/95°F - Furnas

  • Typical São Miguel

  • Miradouro da Rocha - Lomba de São Pedro

  • The church of the neighbouring village Salga

  • Cascata do Teófilo - Lomba de São Pedro

  • Near Pico da Vara - Algarvia

  • Praia do Porto Formoso

  • Park Grená - Lake Furnas

  • Castelo Branco - Ponta Garça

  • Povoação

  • Ribeira do Guilherme in January - Nordeste

  • Sete Cidades from the east

  • Lombadas valley

  • Lombadas valley

  • View near the Salto da Farinha

  • Ponta do Sossego - east coast

  • Praia da Santa Bárbara - Ribeira Grande

  • Cascata da Gruta - Lomba de São Pedro

  • View from Salto do Cavalo to Furnas valley

  • View from Castelo Branco to Furnas valley

  • Capelas

  • Ponte Centenaria - near Achada

  • Tea plantation Chá Gorreana

  • Praia da Ribeira Quente

  • On the trail near João Bom

  • Park Grená - Lake Furnas

  • Lomba da Fazenda

  • The church of Maia

  • The Caldeira Grande in Furnas

  • Lagoa do Fogo from the north

  • Lagoas Empadadas - near Sete Cidades

  • Sunset in Povoação

  • Aqueduct near Lagoas Empadadas

  • Lagoa de São Brás

  • »Alpine upland« near Lagoa de São Brás

  • Baião - São Pedro do Nordestinho

  • Salto do Prego - Faial da Terra

  • Nossa Senhora das Vitórias - lake Furnas

  • Typical hydrangeas alley

  • Recreation park Pinhal da Paz

  • Capelas

  • Capelas

  • Praia da Santa Bárbara - Ribeira Grande

  • Park Antônio Borges - Ponta Delgada

  • Ponta do Cintrão - Ribeirinha

  • Ribeira dos Caldeirões - Achada

  • Sea water pool Boca da Ribeira - Nordeste

  • Upland moor Planalto dos Graminhais - Achada

  • Parque Endemicos - Lomba da Fazenda

  • Ponta Delgada - harbour

  • Moinho do Félix - Lomba de São Pedro

  • Nature reserve Tronqueira - Algarvia/Nordeste

  • Lagoa do Fogo

  • Park Grená - Lake Furnas

  • Miradouro in Feteira Grande

  • Igreja Nossa Senhora da Paz - Vila Franca do Campo

  • Poço Azul - Achadinha

  • Padrão das Alminhas - Achadinha

  • Ilhéu de Vila Franca da Campo

  • Parque da Morgada - Lomba da Fazenda

  • Ponta da Ferraria

  • Sete Cidades from the north

  • Monte Escuro - view at Lombadas valley

  • Cascata do Homem - Lomba de São Pedro

  • Picnic spot - Lomba de São Pedro

This map of São Miguel is available at the airport and most tourist info points for free:
Places of interest, attractions and more:
The main attraction of this island is its sensational and particularly varied landscape, crossing several vegetation zones, always green and fertile. You will find blossoms at any time of the year. Furthermore waterfalls, lakes and ponds, heathland, jungle, Japanese Cedar forests, cliff coast, beaches, volcanic activity, marvelous botanic gardens and recreation parks, lots of picnic areas with stone barbecues, many of them with washrooms. The best way to discover this landscape is reaching a viewpoint or hiking trail by car, leave it behind and walk.
Bicycling is possible, but there are no signposted bike trails. If you like to ride on paved or dirt roads inclining to 20% or more, you will find a lot of agricultural roads starting closely to the Casa Sillanova. But you should watch out, because Azorean farmers are not used to meet bicycles on their way to milk the cows on the pasture. Hiking trails should, of course, always be off-limits to avoid washouts of the tediously located trails: intense rain in winter can cause occasional landslides.
In the capital Ponta Delgada you`ll find whale watching tours, but that should be seen as a sporting challenge, because you need a good deal of luck to see a big whale besides dolphins. The best chances are April and May. You will find them more frequently near the islands of Pico, Faial and São Jorge. There are also guided sightseeing tours for canyoning, scuba-diving and suchlike in Ponta Delgada, but the most beautiful spots of São Miguel are marked on the island`s map anyway.
Santa Bárbara beach near Ribeira Grande is a surfing paradise and you recently can see paragliders. There are two golf courts, Furnas and Pico da Pedra, a lot of lovely churches, original villages (especially in the northeast region), some museums, which mainly cover topics like immigration, hard life and emigration. Almost daily, from May up to September, there are concerts and »festas« all over the island.
Worth visiting is the (unfortunately overrun) tea plantation Gorreana, where tea is produced by machinery of the 19th century and the smaller, but beautiful plantation Porto Formoso.
Signposted trails with description in less than 45 min driving distance from the Casa Sillanova:
Of course, there are even more tours on »Trails Azores« , which are located more western. They all can be reached by car within less than 90 minutes since the island`s overall length is only 65 km / 40 mi.
Moreover, especially in the northeast-region, there are several newly located hiking trails. Descriptions and maps are not available in the internet, but at the tourist information points in Nordeste or Ribeira dos Caldeirões (Achada).
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