Discover Flores: Crater Lakes, Waterfalls and Culture

Flores combines a volcanic landscape with lakes, waterfalls, forests, protected areas and a distinctive culture. The central plateau is home to explosion craters that have transformed into lakes. In the coastal area around Fajã Grande and Fajãzinha, there are almost twenty waterfalls. Anyone looking for a holiday apartment in Flores can therefore first consider whether lakes and hiking routes, nature, culture or regional specialities should be the main focus of the trip.

Crater Lakes, Rocks and Waterfalls

The Sete Lagoas are located in the caldera of Flores. This group includes Lagoa Funda, Lagoa Branca, Lagoa Seca, Lagoa Comprida, Lagoa Rasa, Lagoa da Lomba and Lagoa Negra. Lagoa Negra is 100 metres deep, making it a particularly striking feature of this lake landscape. Rocha dos Bordões also makes Flores unmistakable: its well-preserved prismatic basalt columns reach a height of around 20 metres. The Miradouro da Rocha dos Bordões offers a privileged view of this geological formation.

Flores Nature Park contains the largest and best-preserved wooded peat bogs in the North Atlantic. The Flores Biosphere Reserve was classified in 2009 as part of the UNESCO “Man and the Biosphere” programme. It covers the entire area of the island above sea level as well as an adjacent marine zone, with a total area of 58,619 hectares. For a trip with a strong focus on nature, Fajã de Lopo Vaz and Ponta da Rocha Alta are also interesting landscapes. Both are geosites of the Azores Geopark; Fajã de Lopo Vaz is additionally located within a Special Protection Area under the Natura 2000 network and an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area.

Hiking Routes Through Varied Landscapes

The PR02FLO route offers views of Rocha dos Bordões and passes through a landscape with a fossil sea cliff approximately 300 metres high. Numerous waterfalls feed, among others, Poço do Bacalhau and Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro, which is also known as Lagoa das Patas. The PR03FLO route begins on the central plateau between volcanic maars filled with lakes and ends at Fajã Grande, at Poço do Bacalhau. It passes through the Morro Alto and Pico da Sé Nature Reserve as well as the protected landscape area of the central zone and the western coastal cliffs. The PR01FLO Ponta Delgada–Fajã Grande is listed as closed and should therefore not be planned as an open hiking connection.

At Poço do Bacalhau, there is a small pool at the foot of a waterfall where swimming is possible. The destination therefore combines a specific experience of nature with another way of experiencing the landscape. Lagoas Negra, Comprida, Seca and Branca, as well as Fajã Grande, are also geosites of the Azores Geopark.

Culture, Island History and Regional Cuisine

The Boqueirão Environmental Interpretation Centre is located in former tanks used to store whale oil. Its themes include resident and migratory birds, organisms of the intertidal zone and the water column, whales and other cetaceans, as well as hydrothermal springs. Flores’ museum collection comprises three buildings: the São Boaventura Franciscan Monastery, the Pimentel de Mesquita House Museum and the whaling factory.

The religious buildings also give the trip a cultural dimension. Matriz de Santa Cruz das Flores is a large church built in the 19th century, whose façade and bell towers are particularly striking. The Nossa Senhora do Rosário Church was built between 1763 and 1783 on the site of an earlier chapel dedicated to the Holy Spirit and has two integrated towers. The “Dia do fio”, also known as “Dia da tosquia”, was a community celebration on Flores at which men and women from all the municipalities gathered at the livestock pens.

Traditional products are at the heart of culinary discoveries. Flores butter is churned by hand and made from the milk of native cows that graze freely on the island. Queijaria Pico Redondo in Fajãzinha uses traditional artisanal methods to produce fresh and matured cheese. Another speciality is Bolo do Tijolo, made from corn flour, wheat flour, water and salt. The dough is formed into several balls, flattened and baked on a clay tile over the fire.

Which Location Is Right for Your Accommodation Search?

Flores Airport is less than one kilometre from the centre of Santa Cruz. This is a specific point of reference if you want to include arrival and departure logistics in your choice of where to stay. For your further search for a holiday apartment, you can view the destination pages for Santa Cruz Das Flores, Lajes Das Flores and Fajãzinha individually. Base your choice on whether you primarily want to discover landscapes and routes, explore cultural themes in greater depth or get to know regional specialities. This allows Flores to remain a diverse destination while giving your accommodation search a clear personal focus.

For the overarching travel overview: Azores.

Other Destinations

More places within the same destination:

Faial, Graciosa, São Jorge, Faja De Baixo, Corvo.