Miradouro do Pico do Carvão

At this point, which we are looking at here, São Miguel is less than 8 km wide, and this is where most of the development is located. On the left side you can see Ribeira Grande and on the right side you can see Ponta Delgada. The best view on this narrowest part of the island is from the Miradouro do Pico do Carvão.

The Miradouro is located along the scenic mountain road between Ribeira Grande and Sete Cidades.
From the platform, visitors can not only see from the north cost on the left to the south coast on the right but if the weather is clear you can also see a long chain of volcanic cones and craters that stretch all along the island until the far east of the island.

The name Pico do Carvão (“Peak of Coal”) likely refers to the dark volcanic rocks found in the area. The viewpoint lies along a volcanic ridge that forms part of the complex geological system connecting the central volcanoes of São Miguel.Læs mere