How To Visit 2 Epic Waterfalls in the Azores: Salto do Prego & Salto do Cagarrão

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read our full disclosure for more information.

Visit our post here to view our full 9-day Azores itinerary with more fun things to do around the gorgeous island of São Miguel.

Azores Webcams & Weather

For the latest weather conditions, take a look at the webcams here and here. We suggest checking them before you set out for the day so you have a better idea of what the weather will be like at your destination. Use the first link to view webcams displayed directly on an interactive map.

Cascata do Salto do Prego & Salto do Cagarrão

Before you begin the hike, let’s talk about the route overview and what to expect. The trail is technically known as PRC09 SMI – Sanguinho. This trail route only leads to Cascata do Salto do Prego, but as you can see on the map below, you can continue hiking to Salto do Cagarrão.

This hike was fairly difficult and gets VERY steep after visiting Salto do Prego. In all, the round-trip hike is about 5 miles with a 1,500-foot elevation gain.

Parking Area To Salto do Prego

After you find a parking spot along the road, walk up the road toward the mountains and stay to the right as you pass some homes on your left. Follow the road and make your way into the woods along the stream.

Eventually, you’ll cross a few bridges and arrive at a trail junction. After hiking about a mile, turn right at the next trail. If you go straight, you’ll end up in Sanguinho, but you’ll circle back there later.

As you continue to hike, gaining elevation, you’ll reach another trail junction after about 0.2-0.3 miles. Be on the lookout for chickens here. You’ll likely see many, and they will be loud. The chickens here reminded us so much of our trip to Kauai!

Finally, keep hiking straight/right. From here, it’s just another quick tenth of a mile or so until you reach gorgeous Cascata do Salto do Prego.

Spend some time here enjoying the scenery. You can hike down near the swimming hole for a better view, and if you planned on taking a swim, now is the time. During the summer months, this area will be very busy with people swimming and enjoying themselves. To have some peace and quiet, it’s best to start this hike as early as you can.

🛎️ Book your stay in a VRBO near Faial da Terra now!

Salto do Prego to Salto do Cagarrão

At this point, you can either turn around and head back to the car, but where is the fun in that? If you are up for it, keep hiking and visit Salto do Cagarrão. The hike gets steep during the climb up the mountain, but your reward is fewer crowds, as most only visit the first waterfall.

From Salto do Prego, head back to the trail junction and take a right. From this point, it’s another mile to reach Salto do Cagarrão. The first part of this section is VERY steep, so be prepared and take breaks. We are talking so steep that you may need to slide on your rear end while coming down. 😄

Don’t worry, though, it’s only super steep for about 0.2 miles. After that, it’s less steep, but it’s still going to take some effort.

Continue hiking, and eventually the trail will flatten out as you pass by some pastures on your left. At the 2.3-mile mark, you’ll reach another trail junction on the left, but stay to the right. Follow the trail down into the ravine.

As you approach Salto do Cagarrão, the trail gets steeper as you head toward the bottom, but it allows some great views of the waterfall below. Once you have arrived, enjoy yourself here! You may even have the place to yourselves. When we arrived, there were only 3 other people here.

We decided to take a rest and eat lunch on the rocks while enjoying the waterfall and scenery. Once you have spent some time here, it’s time to hike back.

🏞️ Looking for more waterfalls in the Azores? Check out Salto do Cabrito!

Salto do Cagarrão to Sanguinho

Retrace your steps, heading back up the steep trail, back the way you came. From the waterfall, it’s 1.2 miles to the junction with the signs pointing to Sanguinho and Bar Loja. When you reach this point, follow the signs to the bar.

Hike for 0.4 miles and you’ll reach Sanguinho and Bar Loja!

🛌🏽 If you really want a unique stay, check out the options on VRBO near Faial da Terra!

Sanguinho

Sanguinho is an abandoned village near Faial da Terra. It was inhabited for roughly a century, from the mid-19th century until the mid-20th century, with about 20 houses and a little over 100 residents living there, farming volcanic soils and raising livestock.

It’s currently being restored, and you can visit Bar Loja here for a drink. It has a nice gazebo with snacks, fruits, beverages, and even a restroom. Just remember, it’s cash only! Be sure to pet the kitties for us. 🐈

Sanguinho to Faial da Terra

Finally, it’s time to hike back down to your car near Faial da Terra. After stopping at the bar for a quick pick-me-up, get ready for a super steep path back down to the village. Along with this comes some absolutely epic views as you snake your way down the mountain!

When you reach the bottom, take a right along the road and back to your car. You made it!

Final Thoughts

While visiting São Miguel, this was one of our favorite hikes. As we drove from Ponta Delgada to Faial da Terra, we hit some pretty major fog and wondered what was in store for us. As we got closer to the village, we descended through the clouds to an epic view of the village!

As we hiked to the 2 waterfalls, the sun eventually burned off all the remaining fog, and we were left with some heat and humidity. We both drank all of our water through this hike, and we carried quite a bit, at 3 liters each.

The scenery and waterfalls made this grueling hike worth it. As we mentioned before, if you really want to get away from the crowds, be sure to head to the second waterfall to have some peace and quiet on your hike.

Some of the best views came after our stop in Sanguinho. The steep walk back to the village was epic!