Cascata do Poco das Airoses, Fajãs do Toledo and Pico Loicano Loop

This difficult loop on São Jorge packs a lot into a relatively short outing: about 7 km / 4.3 miles with roughly 600 m / 1,970 ft of elevation gain, most of it felt on the return climb from the coast. The route starts in Toledo, in the parish of Santo Amaro, municipality of Velas, near the Ermida de São José, a chapel built in 1889, which is the clearest landmark for the trailhead area. The official trail information places the start in the village of Toledo and identifies the chapel as the beginning of the walk. (turismo.azores.gov.pt)

From the start, the trail heads out along the old regional road and then begins a steady descent through what were once corn and wheat fields, now largely pasture. Early on, the gradient is comparatively forgiving, so this is the section where hikers can settle into the route and enjoy the wider views rather than fight the steepest climbing. Expect open exposure, broad ocean outlooks, and sightlines toward Ponta Furada and Fajã do Ouvidor; on especially clear days, Graciosa and Terceira can appear on the horizon. (turismo.azores.gov.pt)

What the route is like

The defining character of this hike is the transition from upland farmland to the isolated coastal fajãs below the cliffs. On São Jorge, fajãs are flat coastal platforms created by landslides or lava flows, and they are one of the island’s signature landforms. Their fertile soils and milder microclimate made them valuable for cultivation in ways the higher, windier parts of the island often were not. This loop visits three of the most emblematic in the Toledo area: Fajã Manuel Teixeira, Fajã Rasa, and Fajã Vasco Martins. (turismo.azores.gov.pt)

After the initial descent, the trail reaches Fajã Manuel Teixeira, also known as Fajã do Caminho do Meio. This is one of the most historically interesting parts of the walk. The alternative name refers to an older stairway route that was abandoned after the 1980 Azores earthquake, an event that reshaped access and contributed to the decline of settlement and farming in these coastal pockets. Here, hikers can expect to see small terraces, traces of former vineyards and fruit trees, yam-growing areas near springs, ruins of older buildings, and remnants of cable lines once used to move firewood. (turismo.azores.gov.pt)

The route then crosses the Ribeira da Quebrada. This crossing deserves attention, especially after rain, when footing can become slick or unstable. Beyond it lies Fajã Rasa, a narrow strip by the sea that once supported small-scale cultivation. The terrain here feels more remote and more enclosed by the cliffs, and the sense of being on a ledge between mountain and ocean becomes much stronger. (turismo.azores.gov.pt)

Continuing onward brings you to Fajã Vasco Martins, described in official trail material as one of the largest and most remote fajãs on the island. This is where the route’s headline landmark appears: Poço das Airoses waterfall. The waterfall takes its name from local freshwater eels, known as airoses, linking the place not just to scenery but to local ecological and cultural identity. (turismo.azores.gov.pt)

Landmarks, nature, and what to watch for

The waterfall is the visual centerpiece, but the hike’s real richness comes from the combination of geology, abandoned agricultural landscapes, and native vegetation. The return ascent climbs a narrow path on the cliff through an area noted for endemic plant life, including heath, Azorean cedar, and sanguinho, all species associated with the island’s native vegetation communities. Because the trail passes through protected land within the São Jorge Nature Park and the core zone of the Fajãs de São Jorge Biosphere Reserve, hikers should expect a more sensitive environment and should stay strictly on the marked route. (turismo.azores.gov.pt)

Wildlife is often