Azores – how to get to the most beautiful viewpoint in the Azores?

A beautiful path, fenced with wooden railings, going along the top of the hill, with a killer view of the volcano’s crater, filled with three lakes…. I’m sure you’ve seen these photos more than once, the views there are simply divine! Even in ugly weather ;) But how to get there? How to get to the most beautiful viewpoint of the Azores?

Not even so much the Azores themselves, but by far the most beautiful viewpoint we’ve been to so far!

Sete Cidades – the most beautiful viewpoint in the Azores

We have already written about the Sete Cidades and surrounding attractions we have already written about here. In short, Sete Cidades is the name of a large volcanic caldera (i.e., a depression in the top of a volcano, formed by a violent eruption) and a town located in it.

In the volcano itself, there are three picturesque lakes that add to the incredible charm of the place. Interestingly, they differ in the color of the water.

Not enough? Here you go :) You can look at this whole view, meaning the caldera and lakes, from a scenic vantage point called Miradouro da Boca do Inferno. Picturesque because it’s what the aforementioned path leads to, which makes for a more beautiful vantage point we’ve yet to see with our own eyes! :) Even during adverse weather conditions ;)

Because the weather is insanely important here. The Azores are famous for having clouds here all the time. And no wonder, because as an island in the middle of the ocean, like Tenerife, it simply traps the clouds in its hills. It is very difficult to hit sunny weather in the higher parts of the island (it is different on the coast, where the sun often shines).

We also recommend our eBook “Azores” »! All in one place with 103 pages full of inspiration, descriptions and practical advices. The perfect guide for anyone planning a trip to the Azores!

Nevertheless, even during bad weather the views here are beautiful, well, unless you completely hit the thick fog thatzłduring our visit here…. although we were fortunate that it was relatively clear at first anyway :)

Anyway, see for yourself:

And this is how the place looks like, during nice weather (thank you for the photo from our reader, Ms. Jola :)):

On the plus side, Sao Miguel (the island on which Sete Cidades is located), is tiny and living in the central part of the island, you can get here in 20-30 minutes. That is, if you see that the weather is beautiful, it is worth driving up there again. That was our plan. We had. Because the weather had a different… ;)

Great, but how to get there?

Flying to the Azores, we knew we absolutely wanted to be there, but we didn’t quite know how to get there. Fortunately, local residents suggested the best way to get there.

There are quite a few access roads, including the main EN9-1A road, but you won’t use it to reach the aforementioned viewpoint (although this route also guarantees beautiful views).

This viewpoint, Miradouro da Boca do Inferno, is located behind the Lagoa do Canário lake. There is a small parking area both below the lake and at the viewpoint itself. However, we recommend that you park just off the road, next to the lake, so that you can walk this bit on your own feet.

After parking, you head straight through this gate….

You walk about 15 minutes along such a road….

Later, up the stairs…

And further you will surely hit :)

But let’s get back to how to get there. You can go straight, taking the mentioned road EN9-1A and at the right place turn right (there are road signs). You, however, are recommended to take the route from the other side, along tiny local roads over interesting hills.

The road is not difficult, you don’t drive as extreme with your car as in Madeira or the Canaries;), but you may have concerns at first whether this little road is definitely it. In return, you will enjoy great views, including the aqueduct ;)

Below you will find a map with our route:

Bonus

While in the Sete Cidades area, you can take a look at many other viewpoints, or at least take a ride or walk on the top of the caldera. This is exactly what we already wrote about in this post about Sete Cidades, which we highly recommend to you (if you haven’t read it yet :)).

What does it look like for you? What’s the most beautiful viewpoint you’ve been to that you could recommend? Let us know in the comments! :)