Salto do Prego

The PR9 trail leaves Faial da Terra in the east of São Miguel and runs a loop of about four and a half kilometres up a wooded valley to the Salto do Prego, a waterfall of some twenty metres dropping into a pool that people swim in when they can stand the cold. The route passes through Sanguinho, a hamlet that was abandoned in the 1970s as its people left for the coast or emigrated, and which has since been partly restored - stone houses rebuilt as holiday lets and a café, reached only on foot, with the old terraces around them. The valley is dense with ginger lily, an aggressive invasive that has taken over much of the Azorean understorey, along with tree ferns and Japanese cedar. The path is steep in places, muddy year-round, and one of the more rewarding short walks on the island.

What you actually see

• The waterfall - about twenty metres into a cold pool at the head of the valley.
• Sanguinho - a hamlet abandoned in the 1970s and partly rebuilt, reachable only on foot.
• The loop - about four and a half kilometres through wooded valley and terraces.
• The ginger lily - the invasive plant that now dominates much of the understorey.

When to go

Year-round, drier from June to September. Two to three hours for the loop. Go clockwise for the gentler climb.

Honest expectations

Muddy and slippery in any season - proper footwear is needed. The pool is genuinely cold. Steep sections with loose ground. Parking in Faial da Terra is limited to a few roadside spaces.

Nearby

Faial da Terra is the trailhead; Povoação and Nordeste are along the coast.