Lajedo – Fajã Grande

The trail starts in the parish of Lajedo and follows the southwest coast of São Jorge, connecting the lava fajãs of Fajãzinha and Fajã Grande, two places that are remarkable both for their landscape and their natural, cultural and geological interest. It was in Lajedo that the first settlement on the western side of the island was born; only later did Mosteiro, Fajãzinha and Fajã Grande emerge. Agriculture, today at subsistence level, once held considerable importance here: in the 1970s, butter was produced artisanally and sent in tins to mainland Portugal.

The first third of the route unfolds through three consecutive valleys, spanning approximately 3 km, with views of the rocky outcrops of the southwest coast, including Ilhéu do Cartário. Important colonies of seabirds settle on these cliffs, such as the Cory’s shearwater (Calonectris borealis), the common tern (Sterna hirundo) and the roseate tern (Sterna dougallii).

In the next section, the path passes through the houses of Mosteiro, the parish with the fewest inhabitants in the country according to the latest census. It is also from here that you can get some of the best views of Rocha dos Bordões, a geossite, Natural Monument and one of the symbols of São Jorge: a rare formation with over 200 imposing prismatic basalt columns that resemble staffs carved in stone.

In the final stretch, the Portal Viewpoint opens onto the geosites of Fajãzinha and Fajã Grande, in one of the most beautiful coastal landscapes of the Açores. The fossil cliff, approximately 300 metres high, separates these fajãs from the island’s Central Plateau and drops several waterfalls that feed permanent bodies of water at the base, the so-called pools, of which the most well-known are Poço do Bacalhau and Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro, also known as Lagoa das Patas. In the background, the houses of Fajãzinha, Fajã Grande and Ponta da Fajã add a picturesque touch to the whole.

As the route crosses several water lines and is based on stone ground that can become slippery, it is advisable to take extra care after rainy days and wear appropriate footwear.