Clouds & Stairs

On our second-to-last day, we went on one more beautiful hike.
Nice and early, we set off for the 25 Springs trail (Lagoa das 25 Fontes).

Getting there already felt like an adventure: a thick cloud was hanging over the mountains, visibility was close to zero, and then a warning sign popped up about cows. We didn’t see any on the road itself, but some were standing right by the roadside. Lucky for me — my heart was already pounding, and the last thing I wanted was to crash into a cow.

At the start of the hike, we were greeted by endless stairs after a long stretch of asphalt. Pretty exhausting — but the destination made up for it. The lake at the 25 Springs was absolutely gorgeous. Luckily, it wasn’t too crowded. Some brave souls even went for a swim, but with only about 14°C outside, I was perfectly fine just dipping my fingers in the water.

Since we were already there, we carried on to Levada do Risco. That waterfall was incredible — a huge wall with water streaming down everywhere. And because it wasn’t packed with people, it felt even more magical.

After that, we drove over to Fanal Forest. Such a stunning spot. Standing between those ancient laurel trees, you suddenly feel really small. Then a rain cloud rolled in, and the forest turned misty and mystical — the atmosphere was just amazing. Of course, we ended up wet and the already muddy ground got even muddier. But still, so worth it.

We wrapped up the day back in Porto Moniz, with a glass of sangria on the promenade.Read more