Vigia da Baleia

This moderate trail connects the town of Povoação to the village of Faial da Terra, linking the Caldeira de Povoação geosite with the stream valley of Faial da Terra and Fajã do Calhau. It climbs the road toward Lomba dos Pós before dropping onto a dirt track that once connected the two villages directly, still lined in places by old stone footpaths.

The route crosses woodland of Australian cheesewood and Japanese cedar, with a detour to Pico dos Bodes, a requalified viewpoint since 2007 looking from Faial da Terra across to Vila Franca do Campo. Lower down, traditional boxwood hedges border the pastures and fields on the way into the village.

Near the end, a dirt track leads to an old whale-watching tower once used to spot cetaceans offshore, which gives the trail its name, before the descent into the centre of Faial da Terra with a view over Fajã do Calhau. At about 7 km and 3 hours, with around 585 m of climbing along the way, it's a steady day out between farmland, woodland and two connected villages.