Stretching 62km long and 15km wide, Sao Miguel is the largest island in the Azores.
Located uphill on the western part of the island, Sete Cidades is a protected area around a volcano caldera stretching over 5km in diameter, which was formed some 36,000 years ago. There are a few viewpoints and hikes up here. I reached the viewing platform at Vista do Rei, which was named after a royal visit in 1901.
A short drive away is the easy hike to Miradouro Grota do Inferno, which looks over the caldera lake from a different perspective. Park at the Lagoa do Canário lot, cross the street, and enter the hiking path just next to the gate.
It was quite busy leading to the viewpoint, where I had to line up behind a huge crowd to get a photo of the best scenery just behind the fence.
