Lagoa do Canário is located on the island of São Miguel, in the Azores Archipelago. This place is synonymous with peace and tranquility for those who want to enjoy moments of peace with their family and / or friends in the middle of nature.
This lagoon is characterized by the blue hues in contrast to the green vegetation that surrounds it. The surroundings are, in the background, a majestic forest, filled with several hydrangeas that embellish that place.
Owner of an indescribable beauty, the Lagoa do Canário is a tourist attraction and a must-stop for those passing through the island of São Miguel.
🛈 Did you know | Researchers found a fossil and estimated it to be approximately 2,148 years old.
Where is the Canary Lagoon?
Lagoa do Canário, located inside the Mata do Canário Forest Park, is approximately 800 metres above sea level.
This lagoon is located inside a volcanic crater formed by the phenomena so characteristic of the Azores region. Here you can observe a vast botanical collection with the most varied species typical of the Azorean Macaronesian vegetation.
How to Get to The Lagoa do Canário?
Despite its altitude, access to the Lagoa do Canário is quite easy. If you wish to make the journey on foot, you can always leave the car outside the arch where the Lagoon is located. The journey takes less than 2 minutes from the place where you leave your car, so this place is perfect to be visited with children and people with greater difficulty in moving.
The path through the vegetation provides all its visitors with a sense of calm – given the precious nature, full of trees, plants and flowers.
At the end of the route, the view of the Lagoa do Canário is something incredible and unique.
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What to Do in The Lagoa do Canário?
Do you want to visit the Lagoa do Canário in your next stay in São Miguel? If it is in your plans to make a complete visit to this magnificent island, then stay with us, because below we will highlight several places and activities around the Lagoa do Canário that you can not fail to know and explore.
Visit the Serra Devassa
The Serra Devassa integrates two small lagoons, surrounded by a forest of cryptomeria vegetation around it. Here you can take a walk to the top of the Serra Devassa and find a viewpoint with a landscape characterized by the variety of greens and the immensity of the sea that bathes the entire island of São Miguel.
🥾 Recomended Tour The Hike for the Nature lovers (Serra Devassa, half-day). Know More!
The walking path through the vegetation provides a sense of calm and tranquility – given the nature full of diverse trees, plants and flowers.
With a dimension of 4.5 km, the Serra Devassa has a minimum altitude of 765 meters and a maximum of 864 meters. It allows you to observe the Lagoons of the North and South Mares and the Rasa Lagoon.
To maximize your time, also take the opportunity to venture along the Serra Devassa Trail and Canary Springs where you can get to know other other sights simultaneously.
Make the Serra Devassa Trail and Canary Springs
The trail starts in the vicinity of the Mata do Canário Forest Park through the entire mountainous area southwest of the Sete Cidades Volcano Caldera and ends at what was your starting point.
It is considered a trail with an easy difficulty level – despite its 10.4 km length and duration of approximately 7 hours. During this time you will have the opportunity to glimpse countless landscapes of exceptional natural beauty and enjoy the tranquility and tranquility of the place.
The place allows the visit of people of any age – from 8 years of age. Soon this will be a great option to share leisure time with family and friends regardless of their age or physical condition.
🥾 Recomended Tour Hike of the 1000 lakes (Serra Devassa). Know More!
Lagoa do Canário Excursions and Activities
Lagoa do Canário is situated in an outdoor space, so the entrance to the site is completely free of charge.
However, it is always a good chance to purchase a half-day or full day tour of several relevant attractions in this area of the Azores island. In this way, you will know that you will not forget to visit certain places and that you will be able to know a little more about the history and culture of this paradise.
The values of these guided tours can vary greatly depending on the places to visit and the total time of the tour. However, you can count on amounts of around 80 € per person.
What is the Best Time to Go to the Lagoa do Canário?
The Azores Archipelago is known for its mild temperatures throughout the year. However, the rains and cloudy skies are a constant in the winter months.
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Thus, if you want to enjoy all the splendor of this island (São Miguel) and this place, the best time to visit it will be between May and September where the probability of rain is lower. However, if you want to make your trip in this time space, we advise you to organize and book your stay and flights as soon as possible – prices tend to go up a lot.
The Lagoa do Canário has a microclimate, predominant inside its vegetation. Combined with the high humidity and low clouds, it is possible to see a mist inside the vegetation. This is known locally as the “Mist of the Azores”.
How to Plan A Visit to the Lagoa do Canário?
First of all, you should start by setting the duration of your trip and the dates you want to do so. Once you have previously organized and set the exact dates of your stay, you can start thinking about what you want to visit first and what activities you want to do.
In this sense, we consider that the next step will be the definition of a route that covers all the points of tourist interest as well as the “must-stop” points for you.
Always take into account that given the wide range of destinations, experiences and activities your stay should be very well planned and structured to have time to do everything you have idealized.
What to Bring to the Lagoa do Canário?
The Lagoa do Canário, inserted in the interior of the Forest Park, allows to carry out various activities. Therefore, we recommend that you take a few items:
- Comfortable clothing;
- Footwear suitable for hiking;
- A sweater – hot clothing and/or windbreaker;
- Food and beverages (water mainly);
- Mobile phone and powerbank charged for any eventuality;
- Camera to record every detail;
- Among others.
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Where to Eat Near the Lagoa do Canário
If you need a place to eat near Algar do Coal, click here. In this link you will find the 10 best restaurants according to Tripadvisor.
Where to Stay Near The Lagoa do Canário
To make your life easier, we’ve already filtered the search:
- Airbnb
- and Booking.com
What To Visit Next?
After visiting the Lagoa do Canário and all the points we consider relevant on your visit, your adventure does not end here. In addition to all the points of tourist interest mentioned above besides the magnificent Lagoa do Canário, you will also have several itineraries – for all tastes and ages.
Let’s go below, list six points of tourist interest that you will not want to miss in your passage through the island of São Miguel. From monuments, underground caves, viewpoints and lagoons we still have many experiences and activities reserved for you. Stay with us!
Muro das Nove Janelas
The Nine Window Wall is actually an aqueduct built between the 17th and 18th centuries. This large work, currently considered heritage of historical value, was built in order to combat the scarcity of water that was felt in that area (who would say…).
This aqueduct captured the water in the area of Lagoa do Canário so that it could be distributed later to the surrounding parishes.
The Nine Windows Wall was submitted to several restoration works by the Municipalservices of Ponta Delgada, which allowed to return to this place a monument once forgotten in time.
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Pico do Carvão Viewpoint
The Viewpoint of Pico do Carvão, located in the parish of Arrifes, with a magnificent view, is a privileged place to observe several mountains, several lagoons and the sea.
In this location, you can see a vast expanse of volcanic cones that extend from the municipality of Ponta Delgada to the municipality of Ribeira Grande. Always with the backdrop of the various lagoons of the island of São Miguel. It is also possible to observe Pico da Vara, Fogo Volcano, Serra Gorda, Pico do Boi, Pico das Mares and Pico do Carvão.
Explore the Gruta do Carvão
On the other hand, the Gruta do Carvão stands out for its vulcanological origin, being one of the most important lavic cavities in the speleological panorama of São Miguel. Its origin earned it the classification of Natural Regional Monument, issued by the Regional Government of the Azores, in May 2005.
In 2007, the cave opened doors to local visitors (schools and groups of residents in May 2007) and tourists (to the general public in August 2007).
Currently, it is possible to visit a section with a single branch upstream of the cave, at a distance of 200 meters or maximum of 800 meters. However, it is only possible to do this section by appointment.
The cave is operating as a visitor reception centre. The space is open every day between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm, with a lunch break between 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm. If you want to book your guided tour you can do so taking into account the plan you want to purchase:
- Guided tour in a small section
- Adult up to 64 years: 7.5 €
- Student and senior (> 65 years): 3.5 €
- Child from 7 to 14 years: 2 €
- Resident of the Azores, associates and children up to 6 years: free
- Expanded guided tour: 20 €
Miradouro do Pico do Paul
The Pico do Paul Viewpoint is a viewpoint located in Feteiras and is inserted in the protected landscape area of Sete Cidades. Located at high altitude, this site also boasts unobstructed views of the north and south coasts, as well as the inland mountains.
If you are interested in continuing to explore the surroundings, in the vicinity of this viewpoint you will find the Empadadas Lagoon and the Rasa Lagoon.
Lagoa de Santiago
The Lagoa de Santiago is part of a crater 28 meters deep, and the highest point is 590 meters. The attraction is guarded by high slopes that hide this large lagoon with the greenish-looking water.
Owner of very particular features, the Santiago Lagoon, is surrounded by typical macaronesian forests and cryptomeria plantations, which apparently make access to the place inaccessible.
However, there is a trail that allows you to get close to this point of enormous tourist interest.
Miradouro da Boca do Inferno
The Miradouro da Boca do Inferno, also called Miradouro da Boca do Inferno, is one of the best known and used in the tourist promotion of the Azores, regardless of the means of tourist communication in question.
In this location, it is possible to observe, at the same time, the Lagoon of Sete Cidades, Lagoa Rasa, Lagoa de Santiago and Lagoa do Canário. In addition, you will also have a privileged view over part of the parish of Sete Cidades and the Serra Devassa.
It is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular places to visit on this Island of São Miguel and that allows a panoramic view of another world.
🥾 Recomended Tour Hiking Tour in Sete Cidades. Know More!
Complementary Information
Useful Tools and Apps
The weather in the Azores is quite unpredictable. For this reason, there is a very useful App that you can install on your mobile phone before visiting any of the 9 islands: Spotazores. Thanks to the cameras installed in many of the biggest points of tourist interest, you can see the weather in real time and decide where to go.
To check the weather forecast for the next few days, use Windy or Windguru, they are the most accurate.
Cultural Agenda on The Island of São Miguel
The island of São Miguel has many cultural events to offer all year round. You can see the full list of events at the following link. Look at the Agenda!
How to Get to São Miguel Island
There are many routes to get to the island of São Miguel by plane. The main points of entry are via Lisbon, Porto (on the mainland) and Ponta Delgada (São Miguel island), but there are already many direct routes.
The best way to find a flight that works for you is to use a flight search engine like eDreams or Skyscanner. As you may already know, these sites allow you to compare prices and schedules of various airlines in one place.
Once you find a flight you like, all you need to do is book! And in a few hours, you’ll be on your way to one of the most beautiful archipelagos in the world.
Conclusion
Lagoa do Canário is another paradisiacal place that you can not miss on your visit to the Island of São Miguel in the Azores Archipelago. In addition to the visit to the lagoon itself, which is easy to access, you can visit the Park and the Serra da Devassa which brings with it breathtaking views to the various surrounding lagoons.
However, the trip to The Lagoa do Canário is only complete with a visit to several places around you, such as the Viewpoint of Grota do Inferno or the Wall of the Nine Windows.
If you want to make a deep historical and cultural visit to this area of the island of São Miguel, you can also purchase a guided tour – which will help make your visit even more complete and fabulous.
References
Mendonça, L. (2017). Questions and Answers on the History of the Azores. 2nd Edition, Washed Letters. Delgada Point
Forjaz, V., Ribeiro, L., Almeida, L., Pereira, N. and Rodrigues, J. (2019). From the Volcanoes of the Azores. (4th Edition). Washed letters. Delgada Point
