Nordeste, São Miguel Island

Discover the town of Nordeste in São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

Nordeste, São Miguel Island
© Maurício de Abreu DRT

Nordeste is a town in São Miguel Island, located three hours away in bus from Ponta Delgada. This colourful town has many natural charms such as the rocky cliffs and the many lookouts from which to get excellent selfies at sunrise.

The most emblematic lookout are those in Sossego and da Madrugada, which have been excellently transformed into hanging gardens on top of the laurel forests that cover the cliffs.

The urban centre of Nordeste us marked by the sculpture to Dom António Alves Oliveira, around which stands the Câmara Municipal, the Igreja Matriz de São Jorge Church (18th century), with three naves separated by basaltic pillars of alternating colours, and Casa da Misericórdia, accompanied by the garden square with a music box.

Nordeste, Azores
© Publiçor

This heritage is complemented by the charming Ponte dos Sete Arcos Bridge (1883). Underneath its arches, you can find even more garden kown was “do Viaduto” and a circular fountain with sprinklers. The tiny Nordeste Ethnographic Museum houses many pieces that help to understand local life, traditions, and skills, specially fishing and farming.

In the highest part of the city, a river surrounds a Forest Park with picnic areas and fallow deer enclosures; whereas the mouth of the river offers a natural swimming pool. Only at 1,5 kilometres from the town, before reaching Lomba da Fazenda, you can find the charming Ribeira do Guilherme garden, in a narrow and lush valley. On your way to Povoação, you can visit Vistas dos Barcos lookout. After crossing Lomba do Pedreira hamlet (4 kilometres ahead), there are two of the most charming panoramic lookouts of the island: the first is Ponta do Sossego lookout, preceded by an interesting garden with bushes trimmed to the shapes of animals. From here, the rocky coast extends under your eyes.

Three kilometres ahead, you will find the impressing Ponta da Madrugada, covered by an autochthonous forest extending into the ocean. Over the cape, you will find a second lookout from which to see memorable sunrises. If you are daring, you can go down through a steep trail that will get you to Praia do Lombo Gordo Beach. From there, a hiking trail goes to the north through a narrow “fajã” along which appears Casas da Ribeira. After climbing the Ladeiras de João Tomé, you can return along the road to Pedreira, where you will find a new lookout next to the church.

Eight kilometres to the west, you will find Nordestinho, where you can visit the Ermida da Nossa Senhora do Pranto, located in Ponta de São Pedro. As legend goes, in 1523 the Virgin appeared here and announced to a farmer that the Plague would desolate Ponta da Achada. Nearby, you can also visit Algaravia Lookout, on the edge of a cliff, just before reaching Santana.

In Achada, 10 kilometres away from Nordesinho, signs indicate the location of Adro da Igreja lookout, that allows to see Cabo da Ajuda cape. The Igreja Matriz was totally rebuilt in the 18th century. Next to the outskirts of the town, you will find Ribeira dos Caldeirões, where you can enjoy a charming waterfall with a lagoon. Nearby, there are two restored mills. The tour ends in Achadinha, with a monument that remembers the disembarking of the Liberals who defeated the supporters of D. Miguel during the battle of Ladeira Velha.

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Nordeste, São Miguel Island

Discover the town of Nordeste in São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

São Miguel Island

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Why "Portugal Travel"?

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