Two-Day Hiking Itinerary: Nordeste and the Serra da Tronqueira

Two Days on the Wild East of São Miguel

The eastern end of São Miguel is the least visited and the most physically demanding part of the island: a run of laurel forest, ravines and cliff-top viewpoints between Nordeste and the Serra da Tronqueira, with Pico da Vara, the island’s high point at 1,103 m, rising out of the middle of it. This itinerary spreads it over two days, moving by rental car between trailheads and walking the marked PR sections on foot. It is not a coastal stroll: allow for mud, fog, and a long day two.

Day one is the gentler half, a drive down to Faial da Terra and a waterfall trail with a picnic at the end. Day two is the harder half, a run of Nordeste viewpoints followed by a proper forest walk toward the edge of the Serra da Tronqueira’s priolo habitat, finishing on the coast at Ribeira Quente. Neither day chases the summit of Pico da Vara, and neither promises a sighting of the priolo — the bird survives in this one forest and nowhere else on Earth, and it is genuinely hard to see even for people who live beside it.

Before You Go: Trail Conditions and Timing

Check the regional trails website for the current status of the PR paths on this route before you leave Ponta Delgada. Several coastal and forest trails on the eastern side of the island close after landslides, sometimes with little notice, and a closed trailhead is not always obvious until you are standing at it. Fuel up before you set out too — stations thin out east of Povoação, and there is no point discovering that on the Nordeste circuit.

Weather here changes by the hour and by the valley: it can be clear at a viewpoint and closed in cloud twenty minutes later on the trail behind it. Pack layers, a waterproof shell, and sturdy footwear regardless of the forecast in Ponta Delgada, which tells you almost nothing about conditions in the forest.

Day 1: Ponta Delgada to Faial da Terra and Povoação

Leave Ponta Delgada in the morning for the roughly hour-and-fifteen-minute drive to Faial da Terra, on the coast southeast of Povoação. The village is the trailhead for the walk to the Salto do Prego waterfall, a moderate out-and-back route through pasture and forest down to a waterfall pool — a good half-day outing with time for a picnic at the bottom before the walk back up. The trail also passes near the restored hamlet of Sanguinho, a reminder of how recently this stretch of coast was worked land rather than a hiking destination.

If you would rather have the walk led and the food handled, a guided option covers the same ground with lunch included: a guided day out through Nordeste’s waterfalls with lunch included takes care of both the trail notes and the picnic stop, which is worth considering if you are short on time or would rather not plan the route yourself.

Back in the car, spend the rest of the afternoon around Povoação itself, one of the oldest settled points on the island and a quieter base than Ponta Delgada for the night. If there is time and energy left, the Ribeira dos Caldeirões trail near here is a short, easy waterfall park walk that works well as a low-effort add-on rather than a second full hike. For anyone hiking with a group that wants a mix of walking and water on the same day, a coastal option nearby is the Salto do Prego hike with waterfalls and a picnic booked as a half-day add-on rather than a full self-guided walk.

Sleep in Povoação or push on to the Ribeira Quente coast; either cuts real time off tomorrow’s drive to the day-two trailhead compared with returning to Ponta Delgada.

Day 2: Nordeste Viewpoints to the Serra da Tronqueira

Start early and drive up to Nordeste, the small town at the island’s eastern tip, then out to its two clifftop viewpoints, Ponta do Sossego and Ponta da Madrugada. Both look straight down a stepped, terraced coastline with almost nothing built on it — the best reason to do this drive before the forest walk rather than after, while the light and the legs are both still fresh.

From Nordeste, the road climbs inland toward the trailhead for the marked PR path into the Serra da Tronqueira, the laurel forest that is the last stronghold of the priolo, or Azores bullfinch.

This is the harder, longer half of the itinerary: an uneven forest trail, exposed in places, that climbs toward the lower approaches of Pico da Vara without taking you to its 1,103 m summit — the upper slopes sit inside protected habitat, and a full ascent is a separate, more committing trip in its own right. Go quietly and slowly through the forest sections; the priolo is heard far more often than it is seen, and no guide, app or itinerary can promise a sighting of a bird this rare on its own ground.

For a shorter, structured version of this same ground with a guide who knows the current trail conditions, a guided east-coast route covering the Nordeste viewpoints and the Serra da Tronqueira is worth booking if you would rather not navigate the forest trail unaccompanied, particularly if fog is forecast.

By early afternoon, start down the far side of the ridge toward Ribeira Quente, the beach that belongs to Furnas rather than to Nordeste — the two sit on opposite sides of the same block of high ground, one inland in its caldera, the other on the open Atlantic. Ribeira Quente makes a natural, low-key end point for the two days: a coastal village with none of the crowds of Ponta Delgada, reachable without doubling back through the mountains.

If You’d Rather Drive Than Walk

Not everyone wants two full days on foot, and the terrain here rewards preparation more than ambition. If the forest trail or the weather makes the hiking sections impractical, a private 4x4 tour of the Nordeste region covers most of the same viewpoints and landscape by vehicle, with the option to stop and walk short sections rather than commit to the full trail. It is a reasonable substitute for day two specifically, though it will not take you into the priolo’s forest itself the way the marked PR path does.

Nordeste and Serra da Tronqueira Itinerary at a Glance

Day	Route	Main activity	Approx. driving
1	Ponta Delgada → Faial da Terra → Povoação	Salto do Prego waterfall trail	~1h15 each way
2	Nordeste viewpoints → Serra da Tronqueira → Ribeira Quente	PR forest trail toward Pico da Vara approaches	~1-1h30 total

Who This Itinerary Suits

Traveller	Good fit?
Confident hikers comfortable with uneven, exposed terrain	Yes
Birders hoping specifically to see the priolo	Only with realistic expectations
Travellers without a rental car	No — this route needs one
Families with young children	Better suited to the Nordeste jeep tour instead
Anyone wanting a relaxed, low-effort day	See the Nordeste coastal day trip as a gentler alternative

For general planning around how this fits into a longer stay, see how many days you need on São Miguel and the wider hiking trails category for other routes on the island, or check wildlife and hazard basics before setting out.

FAQ: Hiking Nordeste and the Serra da Tronqueira

Do we need a rental car for this itinerary?

Yes. Both trailheads sit well outside Ponta Delgada, buses run on school and work timetables rather than sightseeing ones, and there is no train on São Miguel. A rental car is the only practical way to link Faial da Terra, the Nordeste viewpoints and the Serra da Tronqueira trailhead in two days.

Will we see the priolo on this hike?

There is no guarantee. The priolo, or Azores bullfinch, lives only in the laurel forest of the Serra da Tronqueira and is one of Europe’s rarest birds. It is heard more often than seen, and it is not visible from a car window, so treat any sighting as a bonus rather than the plan.

How long is the Salto do Prego trail from Faial da Terra?

It is a moderate out-and-back walk through farmland and forest down to a waterfall pool, doable with a picnic stop in half a day. It is not technical, but the path is uneven in places and can be muddy after rain, so proper footwear matters.

Does day two reach the top of Pico da Vara?

No. This itinerary follows the marked PR trail into the Serra da Tronqueira toward the approaches of Pico da Vara, the island’s high point at 1,103 m, without completing a full summit ascent. The upper slopes sit inside sensitive priolo habitat, and a full climb is a separate, longer undertaking.

What if the PR trail is closed on the day we planned to hike?

Check the regional trails website before leaving Ponta Delgada or Povoação. Several coastal and forest paths on this side of the island close after landslides, and closures are not always visible until you reach the trailhead, so build in a fallback day if the forecast is unsettled.

Where should we base ourselves overnight between the two days?

Povoação or the Ribeira Quente coast both sit close to the day-two trailhead and cut down on driving time, and either works better than returning to Ponta Delgada and coming back out the next morning.

What difficulty level is this itinerary rated?

Challenging. Day one is moderate, but day two combines a longer forest walk, exposed viewpoints, and unpredictable Atlantic weather that can turn a straightforward path muddy or foggy without much warning.

Is there an easier way to see Nordeste without the full hike?

Yes. A guided minibus or 4x4 tour covers the viewpoints and waterfalls of Nordeste in a single day for anyone who wants the scenery without the two days of walking, though it will not take you into the Serra da Tronqueira forest itself.