Category: Pico 2025

Over the past few days, we’ve visited Lajes and Madalena, and also driven the west end of the island from Sao Mateus to Sao Roque, exploring the little communities along the way. On our way to Lajes on Monday, we picked up an elderly woman who flagged us down. She was on her way to pay her water bill. She…

During the epic wind and rain event over the past three days, our internet cable eventually snapped and we have been without wifi! The repair has been arranged so we should be back online soon. We awoke to blue skies and sunshine and drove to Lajes for coffee and wifi.

During the epic wind and rain event over the past three days, our internet cable eventually snapped and we have been without wifi! The repair has been arranged so we should be back online soon. We awoke to blue skies and sunshine and drove to Lajes for coffee and wifi.

We are starting to get organized for our trip back to reality on Thursday. The past couple of days have been overcast, with rain off and on, but still quite warm at 17*C range. Here are some of our thoughts from this trip. We’ll also include some of our favourite photos, which truly don’t do this island justice, but are…

We explored another area today, beginning in Calhau, past Criacao Velha and on to Areia Larga, and back again. Again, we are so taken by the rugged beauty of this island. We realize that our photos must look the same or similar in each post – rock walls, vineyards, mountains, ocean, cows… It’s true that there is a consistent look…

As we headed out this morning, we were greeted by Maria and Dina (our hosts) with the gift of a bottle of white wine made with grapes grown in the family vineyard. The owners of this place are spectacularly gracious and kind. We have been spoiled with wine, fresh bananas and oranges. Off to Sao Mateus for some exploring. We…

We stayed close to ‘home’ yesterday. We strolled along the waterfront across from us, looking for more treasures. Of course, the photos don’t show how cool the low tide landscape is here. It was a spectacular day with full sun and 20* C. Steve got into the ocean for a swim in one of the local natural swimming pools in…

With another gorgeous day on offer, we decided to explore the eastern end of the island. This is the area we have spent the least amount of time so far. The first part of our trip had us heading way up again. It’s a strange feeling to get up above the clouds while driving. We stopped to take some pictures…

On this sunny, clear day, we decided to drive up to Mountain House. This is the building where people must register and can then access the trail up to the peak of Pico Mountain. A very narrow road, with no barriers, leads from the main road up to Mountain House. We stopped once on the way up to take pictures,…

Today, we had an all-day hike with Carlos and Laura. We started at their beautiful home in Sao Mateus. We hiked into higher elevations, through farmland, down back roads, through quaint neighbourhoods, down to the coast, and back up again to their home. We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating – there is no bad view on this island!…

In a previous post (Cats, Lava Fields and a New Friend), we told you about a linear hike that we completed half of. Today we started at the other end and hiked to the halfway point. The weather was perfect for the few hours we were out today. The hike description mentions a path that leads to an old whale…

We had a really nice visit with Norberto and Luzia Maciel over coffee this morning, and learned even more about everything Pico Island. Norberto and Luzia are the Uncle and Aunt of our Nephew-in-Law, Rob. They are a wonderful couple that enjoy teaching others about their beautiful island. In the afternoon, we drove around to the north east end of…

It was another very rainy start to the day, but the sun showed up in the afternoon. We went for a waterfront walk, collected some more beach glass and came across a couple of small Portuguese Man-of-Wars. These little creatures are beautiful but they pack a punch even when dead on the beach apparently. Tip of the Day: Although we…

Yesterday was the rainiest day yet. We did go for a bit of a drive, hoping it might clear, but in the end it was just too wet to do much outside. We ate our packed lunch sitting in the car overlooking the ocean. The highlight of the day was dinner. As mentioned a few days ago, we had stopped…

Over our first coffee this morning, we made a quick decision to take the ferry to Faial, the neighbouring island that we can see from our apartment. Many people we’ve spoken to have recommended this outing to us. The ferry crossing takes about 30 minutes, and travels past the large rock formations that we see from our windows. It was…

Today began as one of the rainiest days yet so we opted out of hiking. Instead, we drove along the EN3, which travels the interior of the island from Madalena, where we are based. After a 9 km relatively straight stretch, we took a right turn and headed down towards Lajes. We’ve included a map of the island for reference.…

The temperature continues to be a balmy 17* C, with overcast skies, and the wind continues to roar. We set off in search of new vantage points for photos. Heading east, we turned off the main road into the neighbourhoods that skirt the coast. Every village is quaint and beautiful in its own way, and always has a large area…

We had a great hike today along the coast. The skies were a little overcast but still a balmy 17* C. We chose a hike for today that is linear, rather than circular, meaning you end up far from your car. We decided to begin at one end, hike half of it, and double back. But first, we’d heard about…

Today was mostly overcast, but quite comfortable at 17* C. The real weather story today is the wind. It’s blowing off the crest of each wave, making for dramatic scenery. We decided to give our car a break today, so we walked into town, took some pictures along the waterfront, had lunch, and then got a few groceries before heading…

Today was a stellar day with mostly sunshine, 17* C and clear views of Pico Mountain. On the recommendation of Egidio (one of our island contacts), we chose the Prainha do Norte hike today. It’s an 8 km circular route, that took us 2 hours, with lots of stops for photos, and let’s be honest, to chat with the cows.…