Garajau

Circular trail of approximately 7.80 km, which starts and ends at the natural pools of Furna, in the parish of Santo António, in São Roque do Pico. Being a loop route, it returns to the same starting point.

On the higher part of the route you walk along beaten earth paths and along ancient ox-cart trails, once used to transport all manner of goods. The “relheiras” remain as a mark of that era – the grooves carved into the stone by the constant rolling of wheels over the years. On the descent it’s worth stopping at the “A Buraca” winery, where you can taste the island’s traditional wines, liqueurs and spirits. Near the church of Santo António, a remarkable view opens up over the mountain of Pico, the highest point in Portugal, at 2351 m.

Back at the coast, the trail crosses the Protected Area for Habitat or Species Management of the Furnas of Santo António and follows the geossite “Fossil Cliff of Santo António – São Roque”. This ancient cliff is made of basaltic lava flows of the aa type, covered in many places by more fluid lavas, of the pahoehoe type, descended from the Mountain of Pico. Near Furna there are also several rocky outcrops, caves and small islets.

The vegetation includes endemic species such as heather (Erica azorica), rock fescue (Festuca petraea) and whitewood (Picconia azorica), alongside native species such as sharp rush (Juncus acutus) and rock samphire (Crithmum maritimum). From a fauna perspective, it is possible to spot common terns and roseate terns (Sterna hirundo and Sterna dougallii), Scopoli’s shearwater (Calonectris borealis), yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis atlantis), rock pigeon (Columba livia) and wood pigeon (Columba palumbus azorica).

The route ends where it began, and there you can still take a refreshing dip in the natural pools of Furna, with the neighbouring island of São Jorge in front. From this location there is also a panoramic view over the Natural Reserve of the Furnas of Santo António, an islet of 0.16 ha that serves as an important habitat for migratory seabirds. As terns and shearwaters nest here during summer, any activity that disturbs the nesting of these colonies should be avoided.