We awoke back on Sao Miguel, having left Pico last night. The plane touched down in Ponta Delgada just before 9pm, a crosswind landing making an already eyebrow-raising island touch-down even more exciting.
This morning’s plan was clear: we couldn’t come to the island without visiting Sete Cidades, the picture-postcard volcanic crater that holds glistening lakes, small farming communities, and some of the most iconic views in the Azores.
A 40-minute taxi carried us out of Ponta Delgada and into the mountains. This is one of the island’s busiest attractions, so it was no surprise to find ourselves in convoy with a string of cars, some driven with questionable judgement, visitors pulling over on blind corners to grab a selfie. We were glad to have a local driver on these winding roads.
Our hike began at the dam between the two lakes and would take us up on the southern and western rim of the crater. Within minutes we were swallowed by the sticky humidity of the forest, following what we quickly realised was a mountain bike trail, precariously steep and rutted, loose under foot. We managed to peel off it, only to find ourselves on an almost non-existent path cutting through thick vegetation, the air heavy with invasive ginger lilies. At last, we popped up onto the ridge, rewarded with sweeping views over the twin lakes below.
It’s easy to see why this place inspired tales to explain its beauty. Local folklore tells of a princess, the daughter of a king who once ruled these fertile lands. She fell in love with a humble shepherd, but their romance was forbidden. When they were forced to part forever, they wept bitterly: the princess’s blue eyes forming the larger Blue Lake, the shepherd’s green eyes the smaller Green Lake. The two lakes still lie side by side in the crater, close, but forever apart. Science, of course, has other explanations, but the story captures the romanticism of the place.
We carried on along the ridge to the Miradouro da Vista do Rei, where the shell of an abandoned hotel still clings to the slope. For a brief time, its guests would have woken to one of the best views in the Azores; now it’s only the wind that sweeps through its broken windows.
Fifteen kilometres in the legs and we descended into the village of Sete Cidades, where we rewarded ourselves with a drink by the lake before meeting our taxi back. As a final gift, the journey home took us along the island’s central ridge, the road opening out to views of both the north and south coasts at once as the light began to fade.
