We THOUGHT we were going to lose today to rain. We follow every weather site and app we can find and they are all over the place. Today they agreed that it was going to rain all day so I was going to put in a full day of work. However.. it flickered back and forth between raining and bright sunlight all morning, and radar showed it going away so we finally took the plunge and headed out around 4pm. We targeted a very nearby waterfall hike, Salto do Rosal (similar to this). It started raining again as we parked so we sat in the car debating.. then it cleared and we just went for it.

The first sight is actually a beautiful old church, Chapel of Nossa Senhora das Vitórias, right on the edge of Lagoa das Furnas. The lake just looks like a lake at first, then you see the layers of colors and it takes on a whole new personality.

We paid an entrance fee to access the botanical gardens and the trail that goes to the waterfall. This also gives you access to the church. The church has some nice curves around back.

Enter the ferns! Really.. as soon as we left the church area, there were no other people and we were immediately surrounded by huge ferns. It reminded us of Dominica.

The path itself is repeatedly framed by different plants and creations, making the walk feel storybook-like.

An abandoned building Savitri was ready to turn into a cafe. Also note how the greenery clings to the concrete.

The Sequoia! In a land of big trees of all shapes and forms, this still stands out.

You barely hear the waterfall until it’s right in front of you. I think this is due to it being tucked into a rock face. It is.. majestic and really impressive! It’s about 100 ft (30m) tall, and the way it’s carved into an ancient rock face really accentuates its height and power.

Awestruck tourists. This is a must-see waterfall if you’re on São Miguel, especially since it’s so easy to get to.

Some stereo pairs..

Once we returned from the hike we walked through the botanical garden, which specializes in, you guessed it, ferns.

We agree that we’d like to come back sometime in Spring when so many of these plants will be in bloom.

Since we’d had a lazy local day, we decided to go to Vila Franca do Campo on the southern coast for dinner. We went to Atlântico Azorean Restaurant overlooking the water.

The food is all made on-site with evident love and care. It was so delicious and creative! Five stars!

The desserts were like the meal, all housemade and thoughtfully created. Michael (the waiter) was super helpful with a fun dose of sarcasm.

Another great <half> day in the books.