Sao Jorge Island, Azores: Fajas, Cheese and Hiking

São Jorge is a long, narrow mountain ridge rising out of the Atlantic, with sheer cliffs dropping to the sea and tiny flat strips of land at their feet called fajãs, where villages, vineyards and lagoons cling to the coast. It’s a hiker’s paradise and home to one of Portugal’s best cheeses. Here’s how to visit São Jorge.

Quick answer: hike down to the fajãs (especially Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo, with its lagoon and clams), taste São Jorge cheese at a cooperative, enjoy the views of Pico across the channel, and stay in Velas. It’s linked by ferry to Pico and Faial.

Why go

The island is about 54 km long and only around 7 km wide at its widest, with a spine of volcanic peaks reaching 1,053 metres at Pico da Esperança. That shape gives you huge views on both sides: Pico and Faial to the south, Graciosa and Terceira to the north on a clear day. It is quieter than São Miguel, with small villages, dairy pastures and some of the best walking in the Azores.

The fajãs

Fajãs are small flat platforms of land at the foot of the cliffs, formed by landslides or lava flows. São Jorge has dozens of them, and many can only be reached on foot.

• Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo: the most famous, with a lagoon known for its clams and a surf break. Reached by a beautiful coastal hike from Fajã dos Cubres or down from Serra do Topo. There is no proper road, only a track used by quad bikes, which runs in from Fajã dos Cubres for just under 4 km. Walking it there and back takes about three and a half hours with time to look around.
• Fajã dos Cubres: a lagoon and little village, reachable by road.
• Fajã do Ouvidor: natural lava swimming pools, the largest being Poça de Simão Dias, reached by a short path down the rocks.
• Fajã dos Vimes: on the south coast, known for a small coffee plantation, with coffee served in the village café, and for traditional hand-woven bedspreads.

The classic hike

The best-known trail on the island is the PR1 SJO, from Serra do Topo down to Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo and on to Fajã dos Cubres. It is about 9 to 10 km, mostly downhill, and takes around 3 hours with stops. You pass pastures, laurel forest, waterfalls and old cobbled paths, losing most of your height on the way down. It is one-way, so book a taxi to the start and leave your car at Cubres. The path can be slippery after rain, so wear proper boots. See hiking in Portugal.

São Jorge cheese

The island’s famous firm, spicy cow’s milk cheese has protected status. It is aged for at least three months, and older versions of a year or more are sharper and harder. Uniqueijo, the main cooperative, at Beira near Velas, has a shop where you can taste and buy, but check before you go whether visits are offered. See Portuguese cheese.

Other things to do

• Velas: the main town, with a harbour, a natural rock arch, an old sea gate and a pleasant waterfront.
• Calheta: the second town, on the south coast, a good base for the east of the island.
• Urzelina: the bell tower of the old church stands alone in the village. Lava from the 1808 eruption buried the rest of the building, and the tower is all that survived.
• Ponta dos Rosais and Topo: the island’s two ends, with lighthouses and wide sea views. The Rosais lighthouse was abandoned after cliff falls in the 1980 earthquake and is in poor condition, so view it from outside.
• Viewpoints along the ridge, with views to Pico and Faial.
• Hiking: many marked trails between the ridge and the fajãs.
• Canyoning in the island’s gorges, with local guides.

Food

Try the cheese, of course, plus clams from Caldeira de Santo Cristo when they are in season, local beef, fresh fish and espécies, a ring-shaped pastry with a spiced filling that is a São Jorge speciality.

How long to spend

Allow at least two full days: one for the Caldeira de Santo Cristo hike and the north coast fajãs, and one for Velas, the cheese, Fajã dos Vimes and the viewpoints. Three or four days lets you walk more and allows for bad weather. A day trip by ferry from Pico or Faial is possible but rushed.

When to go

May to September has the most settled weather and the most ferries. July and August are warmest. The Holy Spirit festivals, held across the Azores from spring into summer, bring processions and free soup in the villages. Velas holds its Semana Cultural (culture week) in early July, with concerts, regattas and parades; in 2026 it ran from 1 to 6 July. In winter, expect rain, wind and cloud on the ridge. See the best time to visit the Azores.

Getting there

• Ferry: Atlânticoline ferries link São Jorge with Pico and Faial, from Velas and Calheta. Sailings are most frequent in summer, and they do not run every day all year, so check the timetable.
• Flights: São Jorge’s small airport has inter-island flights with SATA Air Açores, with direct links to Ponta Delgada and Terceira.
• Car: useful for reaching trailheads. Book ahead in summer, as the island has few hire cars.
• Weather delays: ferries and small planes can be cancelled in rough weather, so leave a spare day before an onward international flight.

FAQ

Can you drive to Fajã da Caldeira de Santo Cristo?

No. There is no public road, so you walk in, either down the PR1 SJO trail from Serra do Topo or along the track from Fajã dos Cubres.

How do you get to São Jorge?

By Atlânticoline ferry from Pico or Faial, or on a SATA Air Açores flight from Ponta Delgada or Terceira. Ferries are most frequent in summer.

Can you visit São Jorge as a day trip?

It is possible by ferry from Pico or Faial, but you’ll only see a small part of the island. Two or more nights give you time for a fajã hike and the cheese.

Where should you stay?

Velas has the most choice and the main ferry port. Calheta suits the east of the island, and a few fajãs, including Caldeira de Santo Cristo, have small rural houses to rent.

Places to stay in Velas. More: Azores island hopping, Pico and Faial.

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