Attractions:

For all its small size, Santa Maria has some remarkably diverse scenery. The Barreiro da Faneca is an expanse of barren earth, reddish in colour and the result of weathering of basalt.

The town of São Lourenção on the east coast is backed by an ancient caldeira wall, divided up into tiny, walled fields, off which is a very pleasant anchorage. It is also the site of Portugal’s worst air disaster, when a plane hit the ridge of Pico Alto in poor visibility.

Walks:

From the marina take the walk along the geological trail to Praia Formosa, where you can see examples of marine fossils from the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene era, some 120 million years ago, the only sedimentary location in the Azores.

The walk takes you past a former quarry which now has interpretive panels, past caves where limestone was extracted, a lime kiln, then down to the beach village of Praia, where there are one or two cafés and restaurants where you can have lunch before taking the walk back to the marina.

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