Grand Route 01 Santa Maria

The start is in the port of Vila do Porto at the fortress of São Brás. From there you immediately leave the cobblestones behind and continue on grassy terrain and through open fields. You’ll pass giant windmills before the trail follows the coastline further east. The path is often steep and filled with big agave plants and numerous cacti making it a beautiful scenery. If you have the time, you can take a detour down to Praia da Prainha to take a swim at a deserted beach. Soon after, you’ll pass the only campsite on the trail at Praia Fermoso before arriving in Malbusca.

The second stage starts by crossing Barreiro da Piedade, a protected area of the Azores Geopark made up of red soil. Next, you climb up a pasture to an old whale lookout where you’ll have a great sea view. Not much later, you’ll pass Ribeira de Maloás, a waterfall created by basalt lava flows that hardened into geometric vertical columns. Together with the loud noise of the frogs and birds, it’s like you’ve walked onto the set of a Jurassic Park movie. The route then winds back to the coastline and you have the option to make a detour to a pretty lighthouse at the southeast corner of the island. On the next stretch of the trail, you’ll find only 2 or 3 bars or restaurants, but they are exclusively open during summertime (July and August). Therefore it’s recommended to take enough water wherever you can or to bring a water filter in case.

On the third day, you will find yourself calming down a bit after two days of hiking with a lot of elevation. From here, the trail gets easier so you’ll cover more distance each day. You follow the trail up north where you’ll walk mainly inland and some more tarmac roads as well. The charming villages of Santo Espirito and Santa Barbara are good places to rest and resupply. On this part of the trail, it’s also possible to do a lot of detours to waterfalls or nearby caves. A little further to the north you’ll come across the beautiful bay of São Lourenço, with its turquoise water and numerous vineyards pasted on the steep green hills. After walking through the village the trail leads up a narrow rocky path through the vineyards which is a demanding climb. When you’re almost at the top you can enjoy an incredible viewpoint.

After that, the trail leads to Norte before leading back inland to the village of Santa Barbara. This is a picturesque town where time has stood still and life is quiet. There’s a bar with a little shop across the church where you can resupply. After this town you’ll soon head for the highest point of the island, Pico Alto. Its only 587 meters tall, but the top provides you with a 360-degree view over the island, if you’re lucky with the weather and the summit is not covered in mist.

The last part of the trail is also the least exciting. The trail continues along the north coast of the island where the coastline is much more rugged and more abandoned as well. There are fewer villages here and you’ll find cattle to be your only company. Nevertheless, the views are still mesmerizing. At Raposo, you come across Barreiro da Faneca, another protected area that consists of an arid and clayey landscape formed during the Pliocene, unique to the island and all of Portugal. Leaving the red soil behind, you will quickly pass the last village on the trail which is Anjos. After that, you are mainly walking around the outside of the airport alongside the coastline all the way back to Vila do Porto. A long last stretch before you can enjoy a well-deserved meal and a cold beer after completing the trail!

Trail difficulty Grand Route 01 Santa Maria

Due to the big changes in elevation and the fact that you face some steep ascends, this trail can be quite challenging. The first two stages in particular are high in elevation and some paths have loose or slippery rocks which can be tricky at times. Also, navigation can be difficult if the waymarks have been blown over, so a map or guidebook can be helpful. Nevertheless, this trail is moderate because it has pleasant temperatures all year round (15 – 25 degrees). It never gets blazing hot during the day or really cold at night, which makes the Grand Route a great trail to hike.

The Azores have a very mild climate with stable temperatures, so the Grand Route 01 Santa Maria can be hiked all year round. Nevertheless, the best time of the year to hike this trail is from spring to early autumn, because there will be less rain and more sunshine. Be aware that if you hike in the colder months a lot of shops and shelters will be closed. Keep in mind that some parts of the trail can be flooded or very muddy when there has been a lot of rain. Even if you have lots of sunshine this trail can be challenging and tricky.

It is highly recommended to bring a water filter on the trail. You’ll find a lot of water taps along the trail, however, the tap water in Portugal is not drinkable and most of the taps have dried out. If you stay at the shelters, you’ll find cleared water taps there. You can also buy water at restaurants or bars along the way, but there aren’t that many on the trail and they are sometimes closed.

Trekking poles come in very handy as well, since you have to climb steep rocky vineyards and descend down tricky terrain at some times. Also, make sure to wear proper shoes with sufficient grip as you walk through dried-out creeks with slippery rocks.

Overall, the trail is well-marked by red and white markings. However, there are some areas where it is hard to navigate, due to overhanging plants, broken markings, or deferred maintenance. So it’s recommended to bring a GPS device or map as well. The trail is not very popular yet so you won’t see a lot of people even though this is quite a small island.

There aren’t many places in Vila do Porto where you can buy gas canisters. It’s hard to find a shop or gas station that sells screw-top gas canisters, so keep this in mind when packing for this trail.