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“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it’s lethal.” – Paul Coelho

Flores is one of those destinations that most people have never heard of. It’s wonderfully off the grid, with a total population of 4,000 people on an area of 143km². This lush destination is home to some of the best hiking you will find on any island, with fields of heather, giant cliffs rising out of the Atlantic, and lakes created by the eruption of volcanos.

The West Coast Trail is a total of about 24km, running from Lajedo in the south to Ponta Delgada in the north. Recently, this trail was extended to continue on from Ponta Delgada to Santa Cruz on the eastern part of the island. But by far the best views on the island are along the West Coast Trail.

You can attempt the trail in one go or split it up by staying in Fajã Grande for the night before continuing on to Ponta Delgada. We completed the trek over two days, allowing us to take our time and truly enjoy what the island has to offer.

Part 1: Lajedo – Fajã Grande

In Lajedo, you can park your car at the local post office. From there you will wander through the town before arriving at the official trailhead. This section of the trail is 13.5km long, one way and considered medium difficulty. It is extremely well waymarked with red, yellow and white blazes.

As soon as you step onto the official start of the trail you are surrounded by green. With soft green pasture below your feet, terracing cattle pastures around you, including a few cows, and stunning views of the sea to your left.

The trail dips periodically into warm and humid tree cover, a great reprieve when the skies open up for a short shower. The trail is typically narrow, not allowing two people side-by-side, but it doesn’t matter because you will rarely see another person along the way.

In the spring and summer this trail is lined with beautiful flowers, from pink belladonna lilies to the Azores Butterfly lily. The mix of yellows and pinks and the scent somewhat akin to honeysuckle infuses your senses as you walk along the peaks and valleys of this trail.

The first town you enter is Mosteiro, the trail winding through the town as you bear left off the trail onto the paved street. The sleepy town of Mosteiro is lined with forgotten stone houses, a beautiful little town center with the iconic style church that you see in every town. If you need to fill up on water, each of these towns also have little water fountains, usually near the church.

Leaving the town behind, you are back on the grassy knoll, the town disappearing behind you heading towards one of the most photographed areas on the island. A short side trail takes you to a look-off of the many waterfalls on the cliffs surrounding Fajãzinha. This side trip really shouldn’t be missed.

If you head to Flores in October or later, you risk running into some rain showers. But with the rain comes some incredible rainbows. The temperature is so mild on this island, all year round, that even if you go on the shoulder of the rainy season a five-minute rain shower does not hinder you from fully experiencing the island.

Fajãzinha, a bit of a bigger town, has that beautiful iconic church, fountains, and one restaurant. That restaurant has very odd hours, so if you really want to eat there, and all reports recommend you do, then plan accordingly.

When we arrived, it was closed but it is known for some of the best home cooked Azorean food on the island, with beautiful views of the ocean. The perfect spot to watch the sun set. So, if it doesn’t work out during your hike, try to come back just to visit this restaurant. The island itself is so small that it’s an easy drive back to the area, for one more look at those mystical waterfalls or some delicious Azorean comfort food at Por do Sol.

Continuing on, you are on the last stretch to Fajã Grande. But before continuing along the waymarked trail, at the main road you must take the short side trail to get up close and personal with some of the most spectacular waterfalls on the island. During the hike up there, I was sure it was just part of the trail and not its own separate thing, but I was wrong, in the best possible way.

Don’t miss this spot! The hike up was my favorite part of the trail, snaking through the damp forest, with cobbled rocks as your footpath, the way can be a bit treacherous with all the slick rock. Everything is damp on this trail, and covered in a biofilm, with the humidity making you feel like you are being saturated with water. Just like everything else on this trail.

The trail opens up suddenly to a small pond surrounded by sheer cliffs covered in greenery and magnificent waterfalls.

Once back on the waymarked trail (a short-ways up the paved road past the waterfall trail), you walk along a dirt road, made for vehicles. The trail ends with you walking between more pastures, winding down into Fajã Grande.

The pastures are shaped with various rock walls, creating this lovely patchwork of vibrant green pasture and grey and white rock walls fitting together like a beautiful jigsaw puzzle.

Fajã Grande is the perfect end point, for the first day, unless you plan to hike the entire trail in one go. One of the biggest towns on the island, there are lots of options for a post hike meal, or head to Obama Qubana for a beer and a snack (I recommend the blood sausage). This is where we asked the owner to call us a taxi.

In Portuguese he explained to another patron, who in turn explained in English, that taxis only come from Santa Cruz and that it’s expensive. So, he called his brother to come take us back to our car.

The three of us piled into his tiny red pickup, with the back filled to bursting with brush. I was crushed against the gear shift as we barreled down the windy roads, picking our way back to Lajedo and our car. As the driver pointed things out to us, explaining things in Portuguese, in a truck that the odometer and gas gauge did not seem to work, I felt the genuine love the people of Flores had for their island.

With a minor misunderstanding, he dropped us off at the start of the trail trying to explain that we needed to follow that. We thanked him profusely and paid him for his help. Lingering around the trailhead, pretending to admire the view, so as not to offend him, before we made our way back through the town to our car.

Later in our trip we revisited that cabana seeing our driver there with friends enjoying some beers in the rain. There was such a deep sense of community in this place it was palpable. But for us, the next stop was part 2 of Flore’s West Coast Trail.

Part 2: Fajã Grande to Ponta Delgada

Continuing along the West Coast Trail is the northern section and some of the most dramatic cliff views you will ever see. After that first hike from Lajedo to Fajã Grande the trail continues on towards the sleepy town of Ponta Delgada, but I will come back to that later.

As I said before, the West Coast Trail is a total of 24km, running form Lajedo in the south to Ponta Delgada in the north. This northern section was by far my favorite part.

Setting off from Fajã Grande, you can walk the short section to Ponta da Fajã or you can park in a small pull off next to the church in Ponta da Fajã. Which is what we did. There really isn’t anything to see between these two towns and you would have to walk along the tarmac the whole time, which isn’t that fun.

The instant you step onto the trail in Ponta da Fajã, however, you begin your ascent along the steep cliffs beside the ocean. If you are afraid of heights you might want to rethink this trail, though I will say, I am definitely afraid of heights and I was ok.

The views are too spectacular to pass up.

This hike is definitely more strenuous than the first half of the West Coast Trail, with a lot of climbing up the cliff face.
After walking along the cliffs edge for a time, you will turn right and begin the ascent through woods and dense vegetation.

Some portions of this section have been modified with handrails and sometimes steps, but I wouldn’t necessarily spend time leaning on them. Just sayin’.

The trail literally wraps around the side of the cliff, making its way up to the top of the cliff and what feels like the top of the world. The views along the way are something out of this world. I have literally never seen such beauty before, it completely blew me away.

Once you reach the top the hiking levels out and you join groups of cows grazing lazily along the cliffs edge. They spook easily and are significantly more scared of you than you should be of them. And let’s face it, they are super cute.

The next section of the trail takes you through fields of heather and pasture. The heather is bigger than I have ever seen. Some tower over you. I saw them in October, but I can only imagine the shock of purple and pink from the little flowers in spring and summer.

In this section you also come upon a spectacular view of a lighthouse. This lighthouse is particularly special because it’s the Western most lighthouse in all of Europe. The view, however, is downright scary. This is no railing to stop you from tumbling off the cliffside to a certain death. There is a cautionary sign, though, just as a reminder. So, hold tight to your kids.

Leaving the lookoff point, the walls of vegetation begin to grow around you, surrounding you on both sides. This is the beginning of your descent toward Ponta Delgada, and the end of your hike. The last section is a little underwhelming after all that beauty.

You will spend it walking the tarmac from the lighthouse all the way into Ponta Delgada, which is a bit of a disappointment and kind of annoying after the immense beauty of the trail and as exhaustion is creeping in. It started to feel like it was never going to end quite honestly.

Once you reach the town of Ponta Delgada you have several options. You can eat, which I highly recommend, at the only restaurant in town, O Pescador. You can call a taxi to take you back to Fajã Grande. Or you can continue on to the newly expanded trail that will take you all the way to Santa Cruz.

How you continue your journey is up to you.

Heading to the Azores? Make sure to grab a copy of my guidebook The Azores: A guide for hikers.