9. Salto do Prego Waterfall
Salto do Prego is one of the most visited waterfalls on São Miguel Island, located in the municipality of Faial da Terra, in the southeastern tip of the island. This waterfall, with its crystal-clear water falling from a considerable height, is the main attraction of this area known for its incredible natural landscape.
To reach Salto do Prego, it's necessary to hike along some trails as it's not accessible by car, making it a less crowded and well-preserved place. There are two highly recommended trails to see the waterfall: the Salto do Prego and Salto do Carragão Waterfall Trail and the PRC09 SMI - Sanguinho Trail.
The Salto do Prego and Salto do Carragão Waterfall Trail is simply spectacular and has an added attraction: it offers the possibility to visit another waterfall, Salto do Carragão waterfall, located very close to Salto do Prego. It's an exciting route, although perhaps not suitable for everyone. The trail is circular and extends for 7.6 km, usually taking about 3 hours to complete. Although we don't consider it a very long distance, the trail is classified as of medium difficulty, which we understand is due to certain inclines (474 m in total), stairs, and wooden bridges that may pose obstacles for some people.
On the other hand, the PRC09 SMI Trail is another highly recommended route that also has an added attraction: it passes through the abandoned village of Sanguinho, one of the must-visit points in São Miguel. It's a circular route of 4.5 km and is suitable for all kinds of people and for any time of the year, although it's classified as of medium difficulty. From our perspective, this classification is due to the incline, about 200 m over a few kilometers, although we don't find it to be a tough or complicated route to undertake.
The PRC09 SMI Trail starts in Faial da Terra. During the hike, you can see various fruit orchards on both sides of the stream, which belong to small family farms. As you'll see in the information about the route from the linked source, it's requested that you please do not pick fruits from the plantations during the hike.