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PIEDADE
A popular hiking area on Pico

A tip for holidays and hiking in the Azores: make sure you plan enough time for Pico. It is the most exciting island of the archipelago, say the Azores experts.


Second largest Azores island and its volcano

From the underworld adventure in one of the longest lava tunnels in Europe to the royal tour to the highest peak in Portugal (2351m) with a gigantic 360-degree panoramic view of the Atlantic and the neighbouring islands or hikes through fascinating green volcanic landscapes with crater lakes - the island of Pico is a natural jewel, a world-class hiking area.


Wonderful hiking trails on the east coast of Pico

Piedade do Pico is an almost ideal starting point to experience the diversity of the island - not only by car but also on foot. Here you can set off directly from the house to the unique nature of the Azores: to the rocks on the coast, to the natural swimming pools, the solidified lava fields, the old vineyards or up to the uninhabited, lush green highlands.

Although the island's main street runs through the middle of the town, but Piedade is more than just a simple street village.

The farmhouses are spread quite widely over the whole eastern end of the island. Scenically a beautiful corner with not too steep mountains. The guests of Piedade also appreciate this. In the village itself and in the surrounding area you can enjoy long, pleasant walks without having to climb mountains. Many picturesque villages on Pico nestle close to the steep slopes.

Hikers will love the place. Piedade is surrounded by nature reserves with picturesque hiking trails. One of them leads through the bizarre lava fields of Manhenha. The hike requires some fitness, sturdy shoes and a certain amount of sure-footedness. And yet the tour is one of the most beautiful on the island. It is more relaxed but no less impressive on the marked trails along the coast. Or through the lush nature a little above the village, e.g. towards Ribeirinha.

By island standards, Piedade is a large village, and its almost 1000 souls want to be well looked after. Only 600 m from the Pico Holiday Chalets you will find two supermarkets with very tasty cheese and wine from Pico, daily freshly baked bread, fruit and vegetable counters. In the small village butcher's shop you can get the barbecue food. And in the fish shop on the main street you can buy freshly caught fish from the Atlantic Ocean. Next door there are a few cafés. Furthermore a gas station, bank, pharmacy and even a fishing shop. Not every place on the island is as suitable for self-catering as Piedade.

At the end of the village towards Lajes you can see a well-kept park Matos Souto from afar. The area, which is also the seat of an agricultural school, is open to the public. Here you can go for a wonderful walk, observe indigenous plants and native birds in their enclosures, learn more about traditional agriculture in the Azores or simply relax or picnic in the shade of a magnificent tree.

Thanks to its not too steep location, Piedade's surroundings offer numerous bridle paths for every preference and every condition: quiet, shady paths in the nature reserves, narrow paths along the rocky coast or rides in the wide hilly landscape with a fantastic view of the Atlantic.

The riding tours can be booked at the family-run riding farm Quinta do Cavalo - turn left from the main road ER1 just before the sign Piedade. There are some beautiful Lusitano horses as well as other Portuguese breeds.