Azores with a dog: a hiking and volcanic nature guide to São Miguel

The nine islands of the Azores are the visible peaks of an underwater volcanic ridge in the middle of the Atlantic, about two hours' flying time from Lisbon. That volcanic nature explains almost everything: the intense green of the pastures, growing on fertile volcanic soil under near-constant humidity; the lagoons that fill ancient craters; the fumarole fields where the earth still steams; and a ragged coastline of cliffs that in many stretches drops vertically into the sea with no beach in between.

The isolation in the middle of the ocean is the other defining feature of the archipelago. The Azores are closer to North America than to mainland Spain in Atlantic latitude terms, and that remoteness shows in the pace: small villages, almost no traffic outside Ponta Delgada, and a background silence broken only by the wind and, very often, the cows grazing loose by the roadside. Trueno, a German pointer used to roaming the Galician hills, moved along the paths of São Miguel with a ease I'd never seen from him elsewhere: here the trail almost always leads to a viewpoint, a crater or a stretch of coast, and rarely to a road with traffic.

The weather is also part of the landscape: humid, changeable, with mist that rises and falls in minutes and a sun that appears and disappears several times in a single hike. A warm layer and a waterproof are not optional at any time of year — for the humans, or, if the dog has a short coat, for him too.

Sete Cidades is the image most people carry in their heads before they arrive in the Azores: two lagoons inside a single crater, one greenish and one blue, separated by a narrow bridge that even appears as a road on some old maps. Local legend has it that the different colour of each lagoon comes from the tears of two separated lovers — a green-eyed princess and a blue-eyed shepherd; true or not, the colour contrast between them is clearly visible from the high viewpoints, especially in morning light.

The Vista do Rei viewpoint is the most convenient and most visited access point, with parking and immediate views without needing to walk far. But the trail that's really worth doing is the one that follows the full caldera rim — a dirt and grass path that circles the crater from above, offering different angles on the lagoons as it progresses, with the village of Sete Cidades squeezed between them far below. It's a long route — several hours if done in full — but technically straightforward, with gentle climbs and good ground underfoot for a dog's paws.

Down inside the crater, next to the village, there are also flatter trails that hug the shore of the green lagoon, threading through pastures and the occasional loose cattle: here it's worth keeping Trueno on a short lead, because Azorean cows don't usually react to a dog, but a nervous dog can certainly set them off. Combining the walk along the high rim with a descent to the shore, on the same visit, gives you the full measure of what Sete Cidades is: a crater you can look down into from above and also walk through from the inside.

If Sete Cidades is the most photographed landscape, Lagoa do Fogo — the Fire Lagoon — is the wildest. It sits in the crater of a geologically more recent volcano right in the heart of the island, and unlike Sete Cidades there's no village inside: just water, dark volcanic rock and low-growing vegetation kept stunted by the wind in the most exposed sections.

The most common approach is a viewpoint with parking from which you can already take in the whole lagoon, but the trail that descends to the shore is the part that truly justifies the journey: a steep drop along a volcanic earth path that becomes slippery in wet weather — frequent in the Azores — so proper grip is essential, and if your dog tends to pull hard on the downhill sections, keep him short on those steeper stretches. At the bottom, the lagoon has a small black volcanic sand beach where the water, cold all year round, invites you to let your dog get his paws wet more than it tempts anyone to swim.

The area around Lagoa do Fogo is part of a nature reserve with access restrictions in some sections to protect endemic vegetation, so staying on the marked trail is important throughout. It's also the zone where the weather changes most rapidly: we've started the descent in sunshine and arrived at the shore wrapped in thick fog with almost no visibility, only to see it clear again before the climb back up. Having a waterproof in your pack isn't a generic piece of advice here — it's almost a guarantee that you're going to need it.

The north coast of São Miguel is a string of green cliffs dropping into the Atlantic with almost no transition, dotted with viewpoints — the miradouros — reachable by car and offering long, sweeping views of open ocean. It's a landscape that invites you to stop every few kilometres, and with a dog that's a bonus: the viewpoints usually have enough space to stretch legs before getting back on the road.

Furnas, in the inland valley not far from the north coast, adds another layer of the island's volcanic personality: an entire village built around active fumaroles, with calderas bubbling steam and sulphur right in the town centre and a lake — the Lagoa das Furnas — ringed by a quiet park where walking is easy and flat, ideal after a more demanding hiking day. The sulphur smell is intense near the fumaroles, which doesn't suit every dog; Trueno, the first time, flatly refused to go within a couple of metres, so it's worth giving yourself time and not pushing the dog if he's clearly uncomfortable.

The north coast also offers some of the best spots for watching marine wildlife from land, without having to board a boat: on clear days, with a bit of patience and binoculars, you can spot a whale's blow or a dolphin leaping from the highest cliffs. It's not as reliable as a boat trip, but it's free, it has no timetable, and it turns any viewpoint stop into a wait with the possibility of a reward.

The Azores were a whaling port for generations, and the old land-based lookout posts — from which the sea was scanned to signal the whalers the moment a blow appeared — are today the foundation of a watching operation that no longer hunts, but only observes. Those same posts, or their modern equivalent with radios and binoculars, still scan the ocean and relay whale positions to tourist vessels, which gives Azores whale-watching trips a notably high success rate compared to other destinations.

Trips usually depart from Ponta Delgada or other harbours around the island in search of dolphins — several resident species are seen with relative frequency year-round — as well as various whale and sperm whale species, some present seasonally and others found near the archipelago's deep waters for much of the year. The policy on allowing dogs aboard varies significantly depending on the company and the type of boat, so if you want to bring your companion on board it's worth confirming directly before booking; it's not something you can take for granted at any port.

If the boat isn't an option for your dog, the coastal viewpoints along the north coast and the western tip of the island, near Ponta da Ferraria, offer a genuine alternative from dry land, without the space restrictions or the conditions of a small boat on open water.

The western tip of São Miguel, near Ponta da Ferraria, adds another volcanic curiosity: a natural seawater pool heated by geothermal activity along the coast, where the cold Atlantic blends with warm currents rising from the rocky seabed. It's an unusual bathing spot, though access and rules of use are worth checking on arrival because they depend on the tide and sea conditions. The trails around this area, between wind-battered pastures and low cliffs, are the windiest on the island; keeping your dog well secured here matters more than anywhere else on the route, because gusts are strong and the ground near the edges isn't always firm.

The eastern tip, the Nordeste region, is the least visited part of São Miguel and also the greenest, with a winding road that snakes through forests of cryptomeria — a conifer introduced more than a century ago that is now part of the landscape — and viewpoints that peer down into deep ravines covered in dense vegetation. It's the area where you can most easily walk for a full hour without crossing another soul, something you appreciate when the dog needs space and quiet after a few days of busier itinerary.

Between the two extremes, the road that circles the island — perching above the sea in high sections and dipping into green valleys in others — is itself part of the experience: few cars, tight bends, and almost compulsory stops at every named viewpoint. Trueno quickly got used to those short, frequent stops; a pointer does better getting out every half hour than spending three straight hours in the car.

São Miguel concentrates the widest variety of landscapes and the best infrastructure, and for a first trip with a dog it is, by some margin, the easiest option to organise. But the archipelago has eight more islands, and some of the closest — Terceira, with its historic heritage and distinct volcanic landscapes, or Pico, dominated by the highest volcano in Portugal and its ancient vineyards planted on lava rock — are connected by regular ferries in season, especially within the central island group.

Adding a second island to the trip is feasible, but it changes the logistics considerably: each ferry crossing with a dog involves a transport crate or a fixed lead depending on the operator, and the specific conditions — whether the animal can stay on deck with you or must remain in a designated area — are worth confirming directly with the company before buying a ticket, because they vary and aren't always clearly spelled out when booking.

Our honest recommendation for a first trip with a dog is to stay in São Miguel and explore it thoroughly: there is more than enough hiking, coastline and volcanic nature to fill several days without adding any boat crossings. The hop to another island is a great plan for a second visit, once you know the archipelago's rhythm and can plan with more time to spare.

The Azores are Portuguese territory and part of the European Union, so the documentation for your dog is the same as for any EU destination: an implanted microchip, a valid European pet passport and a current rabies vaccination recorded in that passport. It's worth checking the vaccination date well in advance of booking the flight, not at the last minute.

The part that genuinely differs from a mainland destination is the flight: as an archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic, there is no road alternative and every arrival means flying, usually via Lisbon or Porto for travellers from Spain. Each airline has its own policy on dogs in the cabin or in the hold, with weight limits and IATA-approved crates required; it's worth confirming the exact conditions and booking the pet's place in advance, as airlines typically limit the number of animals per flight.

Once on the island, hiring a car is practically essential: public transport is sparse outside Ponta Delgada and most of the trails and viewpoints in this guide are only accessible by private vehicle. When booking the car, it's worth confirming there are no restrictions on carrying a dog inside — something almost no rental company spells out in writing but that is rarely a problem if the animal is clean and travels on a blanket or protective seat cover.