Things to do at Lagoa do Fogo

Lagoa do Fogo sits inside the Serra de Água de Pau nature reserve in the centre of São Miguel, its crater lake at roughly 575 metres of altitude. There is no road down to the water: the pale sand shoreline is reached only on foot from the miradouros above, and the closest viewpoints still involve a walk of 30 to 60 minutes each way depending on the trail.

Cloud rolls in off the Atlantic fast at this altitude, and the lake can disappear behind fog within minutes even on a clear morning, so a wasted trip is a real possibility, not a remote one.

This is the third big volcanic crater on São Miguel, after Sete Cidades and Furnas, and for most one-week itineraries it competes with those two for a single free half-day.