Chá Gorreana Tea Factory: How To Visit & Hike 2 Amazing Trails

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This post is part of our week-long itinerary in São Miguel. To check out the full itinerary along with a map of what we did each day, visit our post here!

Azores Webcams

Check out the weather forecast before heading out. The weather can change by the minute, and it’s best to use the webcams to determine what’s happening on the part of the island you are heading to. Webcams are found here and here! The first link is our favorite as it’s overlaid on a map of the islands to help you plan!

Chá Gorreana Tea Factory

The Chá Gorreana Tea Factory is the oldest tea factory in Europe that is still in production! It was founded in 1883, and the unique weather on the Azores allows the production of both green and black tea.

The tea here is 100% organic, and they use no pesticides on their products, so you know it’s going to taste great. Because of the unique climate, pests that may normally destroy the tea crop are not present, allowing for a pure product.

The plantation produces 40 tons of tea per year, and the fields are located directly across the highway from the factory. The production machines are of British origin, built from the 19th century to the beginning of the 20^th century. You can’t miss this place – it’s so cool!

Explore the Factory

First, check out the factory and history. Head inside to learn more about how the tea is processed, dried, and packaged. After this tour, you’ll know the difference between green tea and black tea production. And the best part? Free samples!

At the end of the tour, you’ll have a chance to sample both the green and black tea. It’s so good and needs no extra sugar, honey, or other additives. The black tea was definitely my favorite.

After your tour, there are plenty of products and souvenirs to purchase in the next room. You can even stop at the cafe here for a bite to eat and enjoy more tea there as well.

Finally, it’s time to get hiking to explore the gorgeous grounds of the tea plantation. For these hikes, we definitely recommend proper footwear, as the trails here are pretty steep. The two trails located here are PRC28 SMI and TM05. First up is PRC28 SMI.

💤 Don’t forget to book your stay at the 5-Star Grand Hotel Açores Atlântico! It might be 5-star, but it’s probably cheaper than you think.

PRC28 SMI – Chá Gorreana

The first hiking trail you can’t miss is PRC28 SMI, which leads you through the gorgeous fields of tea with amazing views. This trail is a 2.2-mile loop with 600 feet of elevation gain. To get to this trail, head down the driveway from the main building and cross the road. Be very careful here!

Then, continue along the dirt road until you reach the fork. Turn left here and follow the road again. As you continue hiking, you can also take some fun pictures amongst the tea plants with some epic backdrops! There are hydrangeas and plenty of cool trees here. To stay on the trail, follow the red and yellow signs.

🥾 If you are looking for more epic hikes in the Azores, check out the breathtaking Serra Devassa Trail!

Continue hiking up the dirt road, and you’ll start to gain some elevation as you climb up the hill. It will get fairly steep here, but be sure to stop and take breaks. Don’t forget to turn around for some awesome views! As you reach the top of the hill, you might spot some animals in a small pasture here.

Hike through the trees and follow the trail. You’ll start to get some sweeping views of the north coast of the island as you start to hike down the mountain. The final part of the trail leads back to the highway down the steep hills with amazing views.

Cross the road, and your hike is complete! After this, head to the next trail, or stop at the factory for a quick restroom stop or break. Once you are ready, don’t miss the TM 05 trail next.

TM 05 – Gorreana Water Path

The next hike to complete is the municipal trail TM 05, which will lead you to the Chá Gorreana Tea Factory water supply areas. Also known as the Gorreana Water Path, this trail is an easy 1.1-mile out-and-back hike with much less elevation gain than the first hike here.

Look for the TM 05 sign and hit the trail. The first stop along this trail is the water holding pond. As you continue hiking, make a sharp right and follow the small levada that will run the length of the trail for quite some time.

Eventually, the trail descends to a small stream where you’ll walk under an old Roman arched bridge. Climb back up the path and head to the right. After a short walk, you’ll reach the old mill where you can learn a bit of history about the area. Backtrack to the road and head to the right again, following the trail into the woods.

This jungle-like trail heads down a somewhat steep area, and past some bamboo plants to reach the Salto da Cidreira, a nice waterfall in the woods. Finally, head back the way you came and end the hike at the Chá Gorreana Tea Factory.

Other Things To Do

Once you have finished enjoying your time at the Chá Gorreana Tea Factory, we recommend heading to another amazing viewpoint. Drive back toward Ponta Delgada and stop at the Miradouro de Santa Iria.

This is one of our favorite viewpoints on the island, and we even stopped here multiple times. Park in the parking lot and head down the small road to reach the viewpoint. Here, you’ll get epic views of the northern coast of São Miguel. The purple African lilies here added to the charm of this viewpoint.

Should you need it, there is a small restroom here just down the steps on the east side of the viewpoint. You can also check out the vendors here that might be selling some food and souvenirs as well.

Finally, we recommend continuing your afternoon out hiking and exploring another amazing hike, PRC29 SMI – Salto do Cabrito waterfall. Check it out here!

Take A Tour

Let someone else do the driving! Check out some of the great tours on the island with Viator. From all-day tours, whale watching, and off-roading, there is something here for everyone.

Final Thoughts

We couldn’t stop raving about our visit to the Chá Gorreana Tea Factory! The history, the scenery, and the amazing hiking were our top highlights.

PRC28 SMI was probably one of our favorite hikes on the island. It’s not everywhere you can say that you hiked through tea fields with views of the ocean and emerald green coastline. It was absolutely stunning. The history of the plantation and the hospitality at the factory were unmatched. Do not miss the free tea samples!

TM 05 is also a must-hike. This was short and sweet with some cool views and more history. You may be tempted to skip this one, but we highly recommend it. Finally, we headed to Miradouro de Santa Iria before hiking another trail to a gorgeous waterfall, before ending our day in Ponta Delgada.