Caminho das Lagoas

This is the long way through Pico's uninhabited interior, starting at the forest services house on the Estrada Transversal and threading between a string of crater lakes — Caiado, Lagoa Seca and the Lagoas do Peixinho among them — and open high-altitude pasture.

The route crosses the Caveiro Nature Reserve, where sphagnum moss, rushes, Azorean holly and Azores juniper grow among peat bog, and on a clear day you can pick out São Jorge and Terceira on the horizon; birdlife includes the Azores goldcrest, blackbird and woodcock.

The path finishes by descending into the parish of Ribeirinha. At 22 km and around 7 hours, it's the longest route on this list — plan for a full day, with roughly 340 m of climbing and nearly 700 m of descent spread along the way.

The official guidance is blunt: this trail is not recommended on foggy days, since the open highland sections offer no landmarks to navigate by once visibility drops.