São Miguel is the largest island of the Azores archipelago, with an enviable landscape of forest-wrapped volcanic peaks, azure lakes and improbably perfect calderas. Its charming capital, Ponta Delgada, oozes history, but the true reason to visit São Miguel is the call of the verdant terrain that gives it the nickname ‘Ilha Verde’ (Green Island), and its dramatic coastline battered by the wild Atlantic Ocean.
The most iconic crater lake and No.1 photo opportunity in all of the Azores is of Sete Cidades – beautiful twin lakes (one blue, one green) that glisten inside the largest volcanic crater on the island. One can admire every angle on the 11.8 km Mata do Canário trail, which largely clings to the crater’s rim before descending to the village
The stunning geological formations of volcanic basalt on the coast of Vila das Capelas with the Tromba do Elefante (Elephant Trunk).
The other volcanic crater lake, Lagoa do Fogo (Lake of Fire) a more-than-1,200-acre protected region in the center of the island.
The second black sand beach I have seen (after the one in Iceland) : Praia do Areal de Santa Barbara, which is also famous for surfing.
