The village of Furnas was very high on my list of places to visit while on São Miguel. I was excited to see the beautiful Lagoa das Furnas, the bubbling hot springs, and go for a swim in the thermal pools at Terra Nostra!

First stop: Lagoa das Furnas, or Furnas Crater Lake, one of the three main crater lakes on São Miguel. We drove to a miradouro (golden view) spot high up to get a view of the entire lake and its calderas – where it’s possible to cook in the hotsprings!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were really excited to go swim in the thermal pools at the Terra Nostra gardens. There is one big pool (plus a few smaller ones) filled with warm, orange water – a result of the high iron content. We loved it so much and it was definitely a big highlight for me of the trip. The gardens are so beautiful to walk through and the warm water felt so good – especially considering it was a bit cool outside, it was October after all! It felt like we were swimming in the forest!

*Side note – we were warned by everyone that the orange waters will turn everything the same color. We prepared by buying dark swimsuits and bringing dark towels because we really were so orange at the end!