Tour around Pico do Mafra — route on the Island of São Miguel (PRC33 SMI)

The time given by Koomot is the walking time only. It took us 4 hours including breaks and photo stops. The trail is also quite challenging in parts.

Unfortunately, it was not possible for me to hike the entire Poco do Mafra. Unfortunately, a barrier and a herd of cows didn't allow this today, but even from just below the summit, the view was worth the short detour :)

This tour is my personal favorite when you are in the west of Sao Miguel. July and August is the season here and now there are too many people for me. Especially on the weekend when the weather is nice, everyone runs into the mountains or into the gorges to the waterfalls. Despite the season and the weekend, we only saw one other family on this tour. Although it is not long, you should plan enough time because the views invite you to enjoy and linger. We start in Jao Bom. There is a small parking lot on the coastal road. I park at the Supermercado, the small village shop. There you can drink an espresso and a "Sagres" straight after the tour 😉. The route is now well signposted and it goes slightly downhill through fields to the cliffs, which you don't see at first. After a sharp left turn, the first magnificent panorama. The cliffs drop extremely steeply in front of the hiker and the view down to the surf in front of the cliffs and to Moisteros remains in your memory! 🙄 Promised! Then the narrow path goes through dense jungle, which offers great views time and again. The path then goes steeply downhill into a canyon, which we pass through and then go uphill again on the other side. I definitely recommend a hiking stick, because the steps are often high and the passages slippery. After the canyon we follow a water supply and then go steeply uphill back to the road. This is the only small unpleasant part of the tour. Then it goes about 2km over unpaved but wide dusty dirt roads back to the town of Jao Bom. The paths are lushly green on both sides and there is a lot to see. The scent of fennel, mint and lovage is everywhere. All of the senses are challenged on this hike.

Great hike with sensational sea views. Those who are afraid can walk it in the opposite direction from the starting point. However, it is much more strenuous. Absolute freedom from giddiness as described in the travel guide is not absolutely necessary in my opinion. If it has rained, the tour is not recommended!

A wonderful clifftop hiking trail; I would be cautious in wet weather though, even though it is quite well maintained!

What a successful little final tour. After several kilometers in the interior of the island, today on the last day it's going to be the coast and the sea again. The highlight of this small but beautiful tour is definitely the almost 2 km that you walk down and back up the cliffs. The rest of the route is on asphalt and gravel roads and isn't really worth mentioning. But these 2 km... After a path through fields and pastures, you reach the first viewpoint of the sea and the coast. As always, through dense greenery, you go downhill to a second, smaller viewpoint, from where you can already see the path that lies much lower down. The plants were still soaking wet today because of the rain at night. With the narrow, stepped paths, this inevitably meant that your trousers were soaking wet up to your knees. But that didn't spoil the fun. The area is really worth seeing, the distant views of course, and there are also other highlights such as crossing a stream bed that would become a potential waterfall on a cliff (if there was more water flowing there at the time). Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. You can enjoy more of the view from a kind of terrace on the mountainside where there are a few small buildings that serve the tour guide and the sounds they make after the water has been distributed. From this terrace, you go uphill again on a farm track until you reach an asphalt road. There were also two works of art by Yves to discover. I'm very happy that I was able to fit in this little tour! It was really nice again. 🤗🤩

Descent over 20% over rock steps and steps. Only recommended in dry weather.

Super nice, quiet hiking tour in the north-west of Sao Miguel. Small parking lot at the start. It goes on this tour again and again steeply up and down. The same applies here: dusty-sandy paths = sure-footedness required. A certain level of fitness and a head for heights can't hurt either. Then you can enjoy the panorama that is offered to you. Scents of fennel on the wayside just before the coast. In the last third, the ascent is via improvised "natural stairs". Abyss in parts right next to the path. Shaded and sunny stretches alternate. Opportunities for small breaks with seating with a great view available.