Do you need a permit or pay a fee to hike in the Azores?

No, not for the trails in this guide. In 2026 there was no permit, booking or fee for Sete Cidades, the Grande Rota das Flores or Corvo's trails; the only Azores trail that needs registration is Mount Pico. Camping is allowed only at campsites.

Is the Grande Rota das Flores open?

Half of it, in October 2026. Stage 1, Santa Cruz das Flores to Ponta Delgada, is open. Stage 2 is listed as closed because the Ponta Delgada to Fajã Grande trail (PR01FLO) is temporarily closed; Fajã Grande to Lajedo (PR02FLO) is open. Check the alerts on trails.visitazores.com.

How long is the Grande Rota das Flores?

The official trail is 47 km in two stages, 21 km and 26 km. By my GPS, walking from Flores airport with a detour to the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro waterfalls, it was 32.7 miles (52.6 km) and about 7,240 ft of climbing in three days.

How do you get to Flores and Corvo?

Fly to Ponta Delgada on São Miguel, then SATA Air Açores flies direct to Flores. From Flores to Corvo there's a short flight or Atlânticoline's ferry, about 40 minutes. Wind cancels Corvo's flights and boats most often from November to March, so keep spare days.

Can you wild camp in the Azores?

No. Camping outside campsites isn't allowed in the protected areas and island parks, and fines can reach about €600. There are free campsites at Sete Cidades and along the Grande Rota das Flores at Santa Cruz, Alagoa, Ponta Delgada and Fajã Grande; Corvo's needs written permission.

When is the best time to hike in the Azores?

June to September is warmest and driest. Winter, about November to March, is cheap and empty but wet and windy, with more cancelled flights. Expect rain and cloud on the crater rims in any season.

The Azores film: São Miguel, Flores and Corvo, Portugal

São Miguel, Flores and Corvo, Portugal · 5 hikes · 47.3 miles

Azores Hiking Guide

Sete Cidades, the Grande Rota das Flores and Corvo in a week.

Watch the film · 344K views

344K YouTube views
Instant PDF + GPX
30-day refund
Free updates

Look inside

Real pages from the guide. Tap one to see it big.

A day page
A day map and elevation profile
At a glance
Is it open? (October 2026)

Swipe for more pages

Get Day 2 free

The route

My GPS recording of 5 days on a relief map. One map for São Miguel, one for Flores and Corvo; the numbers are where each day starts. The full GPX files and the day maps come with the guide.

Relief maps of the Azores hikes in São Miguel and Flores and Corvo, each walk drawn in red, with Pico da Cruz, Sete Cidades, Aldeia da Cuada and Vila do Corvo marked. — Map data: Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (EU-DEM, SRTM) on AWS · Rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors

What's inside

Where things stand. The Azores trails in October 2026: the closed section of the Grande Rota das Flores and how to do the trip around it, checked on the official Azores trails site. No permits and no trail fees.
All five hikes. Sete Cidades, three days on Flores and the Caldeirão on Corvo: stats, the time I took, my notes, the route, where to cut it short, maps with elevation profiles, and links to that part of my film.
My GPX files. My own recordings of all five hikes, plus one file with all of them and waypoints, ready for AllTrails, Gaia GPS, Garmin or Organic Maps.
Islands, flights and ferries. Which islands and where to base yourself, flights to Ponta Delgada and on to Flores and Corvo, the Corvo ferry, taxis and buses, cash, and stove gas.
A week on the islands. A day-by-day plan from my trip, with spare days for the wind, and other official trails on São Miguel, Flores and Corvo.
Camping, rules and safety. The free campsites and the camping rules, drones, when to go, rain and wind, cliffs and rockfall, streams, and cancelled flights.
Costs and a trip sheet. Where I slept and ate, what a week costs in 2026, what I carried, one page of checks and a printable summary of the route.

About this trip

In late February and early March 2024 I spent a week alone in the Azores: the rim of the Sete Cidades crater on São Miguel, three days on the Grande Rota das Flores from Flores airport round the north and west coasts to Lajedo, with a night in my tent at Ponta Delgada and a night at Aldeia da Cuada, and the Caldeirão crater on Corvo, where wind kept me two extra nights. It's the trip from my film Hiking Alone in the Azores. This guide has my GPX files, maps and notes for all five hikes, the October 2026 trail closures and how to get around them, which islands and where to base yourself, flights and ferries between the islands, a plan for the week, costs, rain, wind and safety, and a trip sheet.

Watch the film on YouTube (344K views).

Gear for this route

Paid links: I earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

I have no full gear list for this trip: this is from my film, its description and my live stream.

What I carried in 2024

PackHyperlite Mountain Gear Waypoint 35 HyperliteThe new pack on this trip. I just don't like how you can see through it sometimes.
TentNEMO Hornet 1P NEMO now the Hornet OSMOFor the free campsites at Sete Cidades and Ponta Delgada.
Kitchena small stove and a gas canister bought in Ponta DelgadaAirport security took the gas the next morning.
Watera bottle and a water filterFilled at village fountains and once at a stream.
Sun hoodiePATH Projects Pyrenees T19 Hoodie PATH Projects
Clothesan insulated jacket, a rain jacket, a cap, shorts and long pants
Shoestrail shoesIn a lot of mud.
DaypackArc’teryx Aerios daypack Arc’teryx
Navigationmy phoneIt recorded every hike.

What I'd take now

My current kit for what these islands need.

Rain shellArc’teryx Beta AR Jacket Arc’teryxFlores gets about 1,665 mm of rain a year.
Warm layerArc’teryx Cerium Hoody Arc’teryxFor the cold crater rims.
ShoesOboz Katabatic LT Low GTX AmazonWaterproof, with grip for slippery rock, mud and wet grass.
PolesBlack Diamond Alpine Carbon Z Poles AmazonFor the steep, slippery descents on Flores.
WaterKatadyn BeFree AC · 1L AmazonTreat stream water: it runs through pasture.
Power bankNitecore NB20000 AmazonFor the phone you navigate with.
NavigationAllTrails+ AllTrails · 30% offImport my GPX files and download them offline: fog on the rims can hide the edge. Offline maps need the paid plan.
Phone dataAiralo eSIM Airalo · $3 offMobile data in Portugal without a SIM swap.

Filming kit

What I filmed this trip with in 2024. My setup is smaller now (below). Drones need permission in the parks: check The rules before you fly.

CameraSony a7S III Amazon
LensSony 16-35mm f/4 Amazon
DroneDJI Mini 3 Pro Amazon now the Mini 5 Pro
Phonean iPhoneFor a few talking shots, holding it up to me.

What I film with now

CameraDJI Osmo Pocket 4 Amazon
MicDJI Mic 3 · 1 TX + 1 RX AmazonIt pairs with the Pocket 4.
DroneDJI Mini 5 Pro Amazon

Everything I carry now: my gear page.

The Day 2, Flores airport to Ponta Delgada page from the Azores Hiking Guide

Free sample + packing list

Try Day 2 free, plus my packing list

Flores airport to Ponta Delgada

The whole day page from the guide as a PDF, plus my camping packing list: the 42 things I carry, with a note on each. The PDF opens right away and both come by email. You'll also get my emails about new guides and trips, a few a year.

The details

Format: A PDF sized for a phone (A5, prints fine too) and a folder of GPX files, in one zip download.
Edition: 2027 season edition, updated October 2026.
Delivery: Instant. After you pay you get a private download link. Bookmark it to download again on any device.
Payment: Secure checkout through Stripe, in your own currency. Tax is included in the price, except in the US and Canada, where any sales tax is added at checkout.
Refunds: Not useful? Email me within 30 days for a refund: kraig@kraigadams.com.
Questions: Email kraig@kraigadams.com.

Questions

Do you need a permit or pay a fee to hike in the Azores?: No, not for the trails in this guide. In 2026 there was no permit, booking or fee for Sete Cidades, the Grande Rota das Flores or Corvo's trails; the only Azores trail that needs registration is Mount Pico. Camping is allowed only at campsites.
Is the Grande Rota das Flores open?: Half of it, in October 2026. Stage 1, Santa Cruz das Flores to Ponta Delgada, is open. Stage 2 is listed as closed because the Ponta Delgada to Fajã Grande trail (PR01FLO) is temporarily closed; Fajã Grande to Lajedo (PR02FLO) is open. Check the alerts on trails.visitazores.com.
How long is the Grande Rota das Flores?: The official trail is 47 km in two stages, 21 km and 26 km. By my GPS, walking from Flores airport with a detour to the Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro waterfalls, it was 32.7 miles (52.6 km) and about 7,240 ft of climbing in three days.
How do you get to Flores and Corvo?: Fly to Ponta Delgada on São Miguel, then SATA Air Açores flies direct to Flores. From Flores to Corvo there's a short flight or Atlânticoline's ferry, about 40 minutes. Wind cancels Corvo's flights and boats most often from November to March, so keep spare days.
Can you wild camp in the Azores?: No. Camping outside campsites isn't allowed in the protected areas and island parks, and fines can reach about €600. There are free campsites at Sete Cidades and along the Grande Rota das Flores at Santa Cruz, Alagoa, Ponta Delgada and Fajã Grande; Corvo's needs written permission.
When is the best time to hike in the Azores?: June to September is warmest and driest. Winter, about November to March, is cheap and empty but wet and windy, with more cancelled flights. Expect rain and cloud on the crater rims in any season.

More guides

All guides

Mallorca, Spain

GR221

5 days · 88 miles · refuges or camping

The Dry Stone Route across Mallorca's mountains, from Port d'Andratx to Pollença.

All five days
A map and elevation profile for every day
GPX files
Water

See the guide: GR221 · $19

Tenerife, Spain

Canary Islands

5 days · 80.5 miles · Tenerife, Canary Islands

A 5-day walk across Tenerife: Cruz del Carmen in the Anaga mountains to the north coast and back to La Laguna, then the GR 131 through the Corona Forestal, past El Portillo and across Las Cañadas below Teide to Vilaflor.

Where things stand
All five days
My GPX files
Camping, Teide and the rules

See the guide: Canary Islands · $19

Isle of Skye, Scotland

Skye Trail

4 days · 82 miles · wild camping

The length of Skye, from Rubha Hunish over the Trotternish ridge to Broadford.

All four days
My GPX files
Wild camping, explained
Getting there without a car

See the guide: Skye Trail · $19