On the small Azores island of Santa Maria, there has recently been an approximately 80-kilometer tour around the island. The special thing about it: On the 5-day hike, you will spend the night in lovingly renovated, former shepherd's huts, even with meals and luggage transport on request.
Since there are only a few places to stay on the island, which has around 5.500 inhabitants, it was not even possible to walk around the island before the renovation of the stone-walled huts. Thanks to the private initiative of Ioannis and Rita, who bought and renovated the huts and operate them today, this hiking adventure can now also be tackled without wild camping!
We weren't there yet, but we got the tip from another hiker and are already thinking about when we can find time to fly to the Azores.
We find the entire idea and above all the commitment of Ioannis and Rita very worthy of support! All information about the hiking trail and the various options that can be booked can be found on the Ioannis and Rita website here: ilhaape.com. Thankfully, Ioannis also provided us with the images shown here. The name of the website derives from "Ilha a pé" which means "island on foot" in Portuguese.
The circular hiking trail is officially managed by the Portuguese hiking umbrella organization Federação de Campismo e Montanhismo de Portugal (FCMP) under the name GR01SMA (GR stands for "Grande Rota", the name for hiking trails over 30 km in length, SMA for Santa Maria). A very inspiring travel report can be read here: https://www.bergwelten.com/lp/santa-maria-wandern-auf-den-azoren.
The best time to travel is from late March to late October.
Directions and booking options - including luggage transport on request - can be found here: ilhaape.com.
Available downloads
-
Santa Maria (Azores): PDF hiking map for download (1: 33.000)
0,00 €
Contains 19% VAT. -
Santa Maria: GPX file download (GR 01 SMA)
0,00 €
Contains 19% VAT.
Rating
Duration and route
altitude
30 November 2021
Génial your site. Suis à la Gomera et compte bien y revenir pour faire le GR 132. De même je consulte la proposition aux acores que je prévois au printemps ...
1 December 2021
:-)
5 April 2022
Hello dear Frank,
I actually came across one of yours while looking for photos of Santa Maria. How crazy! This hike is not displayed anywhere on your main homepage/overview map. In May I will do the tour with three friends. However, we are comfortable and stay at the hotel and have a drop off and pick up at the start/end points.
I am an absolute Azores fan and enthusiastic about the islands that I have seen so far. On Pico - my favorite island so far - there is a kind of unofficial island crossing. This is organized by a B+B. You will also be driven/picked up from there. At least that was offered a few years ago. If you're interested, I'll ask if it's still available.
Incidentally, I wanted to buy something from the shop via paypal. That didn't work, I kept going back to my shopping cart.??
Best regards,
Dagmar
5 April 2022
Hello Dagmar,
yes, the hike to Santa Maria can already be found on the overview map ;-) On the far left!
I would be very interested in crossing the island on Pico. If you have any information on this, please throw it out!
And I just repaired the shop, thanks for the tip!
Regards
Frank
July 22, 2022
Hi
Wij will met 3 dames in my deze wanding boeken bij ionasas en Rita.
Alleen can we nergens de boat of Ferry vinden ivm vertrektijden en dagen.
July 22, 2022
According to Ioannis' website there are flight connections (https://ilhaape.com/plan-your-trip). However, according to my research, the ferry service to Santa Maria seems to have been stopped since Corona (source in German: https://www.azoren-online.com/santamaria/informationen/anreise/index.shtml). I can't find any booking options on the official website either or there are no departures displayed (Link: https://www.atlanticoline.pt/en/ports/). Probably only the connection with the plane remains. It's best to ask Ioannis again directly.
Regards
Frank
July 2, 2023
Then he must do it at flyve to Santa Maria. Det var muligt at sejle med ferry boat men pga politiske uenigheder he det ikke muligt pt :(
Every time he sends and orders to Santa Maria and come to Dk in 2009.
Sig til hvis du får bruge for hjælp med at komm i contact med nogen fra øen eller noget :)
Regards
Helio Pontes
July 12, 2023
Hello Helio!
Thanks for the tip and the offer! I will come back to this when needed!
Regards
Frank
8 April 2022
Op 7 april was op de Nederlandse TV een program van een uur – Floortje naar het einde van de wereld https://www.npostart.nl/BV_101407414 – I heard from Rita and Jannis. Therein will also be known as a living daughter from 5 days ago. Heel tof!
9 April 2022
Can I book the house of Rita and Ianne? De site http://ilhaape.com/ doesn't work.
Anyone tips :)?
10 April 2022
Hello Anke!
I just checked with Ioannis: The website is down because there was too much traffic. But you can book by email with Ioannis and Rita: ilhaape@gmail.com
Regards
Frank
9 April 2022
Yes, there is a program from Floortje! Maar helaas is: https://ilhaape.com op dit moment onbereikbaar. Anyone know what? Is it another website?
10 April 2022
The website should be available again soon, until then you can reserve by email: ilhaape@gmail.com
10 April 2022
I want to walk along the route. The site doesn't work. How can Iannis and Rita get together before they travel?
With best regards
Agnes
10 April 2022
Hello Agnes, the website was probably overloaded. But you can reach Ioannis and Rita by email: ilhaape@gmail.com
June 6, 2022
Hey Frank,
I'm fresh back from the Azores but I'm still in corona quarantine. We must all have been infected somewhere on the return journey.
To circumnavigate the island:
we have successfully completed it! Beautiful, varied, very lonely, hardly any tourists, extremely well signposted, grandiose views, sometimes very steep, occasionally dangerously slippery when it rained beforehand (it took us 1 minutes for 47 km in the mud), many highlights.. in short: a great recommendable one Trip!
In May, however, you have to be prepared for the fact that many restaurants are not yet open.
We took the convenient option with transfers to the start and end points, but along the way we kept meeting 3 other hikers (2 of them a Dutch couple, but not the ones who have already commented here) who did the variant you presented above with overnight stays in the huts. There is option A, full board and luggage transport - you get breakfast and dinner and luggage delivered to the respective hut and hike only with day backpacks - and option B, only overnight stays - you have to carry everything with you, possibly food, sleeping bag, etc., whereby you here can have the problem that you can't find a pub near the accommodation where you can eat. All three loved the accommodation and organization and would recommend it.
Best regards, in love with acores,
Dagmar
June 18, 2022
Hello Dagmar,
Thanks for your report! That makes me really want to finally fly to the Azores - unfortunately I have more plans than the available time allows :-)
Hope you survived your Corona quarantine well!
Greetings from Hamburg
Frank
August 5, 2022
Hi dagmar, did jullie sleep in hotels? Can you walk on that route? I think that our guests also go to hotels in uitgaat. Do you have any info about Julie's trip?
I'd like to thank you, thank you!
Groet corine
August 6, 2022
Hi Corine, we had this organized by a travel agency. We always stayed at the same hotel and were picked up there and driven to the starting points of the hike. After the hike we were picked up again and driven back to the hotel. It all worked out wonderfully. I think I can but shouldn't advertise a tour operator here. You can probably find something with google. Greetings, Dagmar
August 9, 2022
Hi Dagmar, thank you for your information!
12 November 2022
Opened in September when the route was opened, it was rocky. The shelters of Ilha a pe were simply maar helemaal prima en in a geweldige omgeving. The bedden were good: toch belangrijk na een dag lopen! De verzorging van de maaltijden en het vervoer van de baggage was also carried out.
The route is agreed upon, and the map that is determined is near duidelijk. Zelf vind ik hetijd fijn om de route ook op mijn gps te hebben. Santa Maria is a mooi, a rustic island with few residents. The loops through the mountains along the long stretches of land, mooie bossen en vrijwel altijd met de oceaan op de achtergrond. No one ever comes. Gorgeous maar houd he rekening mee dat he best wel steep is. I was 64, not super trained, but met stokken and what pauzes was the best. The last stage is not so "exciting" in Anjos near Vila do Porto but I have already walked it (route Google Maps)
Omdat er op Santa Maria little te beleven is ben ik diezelfde dag naar Sao Miguel gevlogen zodat ik daar nog een excursion op zee kon maken, veel dolfijnen en 3 potvissen gezien, later met de bus naar Varzea gegaan en de folgende dag van Varzea naar Sete Cidades lost. Ongelooflijk hoe mooi het daar is, really aanrader!
In the B&B it is stated that the taxi is coming from the park area of Sete Cidades and from me to the vliegveld. Perfect!
August 8, 2023
Hi Sylvia,
Do I want to ask what organization for each excursion you want?
Groetjes Adriana
6. February 2024
Hi Adriana,
The best is seacolorexpeditions.org by Paulo de Melo and two women. I've been there for 2 times 6 hours with these meegevaren, it's Walvis- and Dolfijnen spotten, Best experience ever!
Groeten, Agnes
June 13, 2023
Hi Frank
Inspired by your website, we traveled to the Azores in May this year. After a week of tourism on San Miguel, we flew from Ponta Delgada to Santa Maria and hiked around the island in 5 days. It was wonderful! The paths are well signposted and well maintained. The landscape is very varied and Ioannis and Rita's huts are just great. We booked the variant with accommodation and dinner/breakfast but without luggage transport. The e-mail exchange and the reservation with Ioannis worked perfectly. The cabins are in unique locations, top renovated and have a maximum of 6 beds. We were two groups of two, so four of us. For dinner there was a stew that we could heat on a gas stove. Breakfast was placed in a cool box in the hut. Thanks to solar panels, there was also electricity to charge cell phones and hot water for showers. With a fireplace we could heat and dry our clothes. What more do you want!
The weather was kind to us. We only had half an hour of rain in the 5 days. In the interior of the island, however, there were clouds every day, but that wasn't too bad. May is not yet a season on Santa Maria. Therefore (unfortunately) most of the few restaurants and bars along the way were still closed. Shopping for lunch also had to be planned, but it wasn't really a problem. We just ate bread with canned sardines 4 times... We more or less had the island to ourselves on the hike. We hardly saw any other hikers. And the few locals we met even greeted us from the car. At almost 20 degrees, we also went swimming in the sea for two days. A nice change!
Conclusion: The circular hike on Santa Maria is definitely worth a trip. And we can only recommend booking the huts of Ioannis and Rita!
Best regards
Urs
June 15, 2023
Hello Urs,
Thank you for the great feedback! My visit to the Azores is still pending - although I have been in contact with Ioannis several times, I have not yet managed to include this in our holiday and hiking plans. Nice that the concept works so well.
Regards
Frank
16 October 2023
Hi Frank,
I want to go to Santa Maria in the 5th day. The Azores are in the same state as my daughter.
I want to download the map and GPX route. Does it still cost a connection here? En hoe gaat dit in zijn werk? Are you able to download as much as one digital download?
Ok, what did I think of anyone who liked wild camps in Santa Maria?
I'll hear from you!
Groetjes Simone
18 October 2023
Hello Simone,
The two downloads for Santa Maria are available for free, simply add them to your shopping cart and complete the checkout process (without payment information). You can find instructions for the GPX files here: https://www.wanderndeluxe.de/kategorie/packlisten-wanderausruestung/gps-wandern-smartphone-apps/.
On the subject of wild camping: not allowed throughout Portugal and therefore also in the Azores. I find the idea of Ioannis and Rita's converted shepherd's huts so appealing and practical that I would stick to it (although it is relatively well booked).
Regards
Frank
4 January 2024
Hello,
Me gustaría saber si la route se puede en 3 días, para las personas que estamos acostumbrados a hacer montaña es más que suficiente, y tambien saber que cantidad de personas podría conformar el grupo. Gracias
13 January 2024
Hello Jordi,
Since I haven't been to Santa Maria myself, I unfortunately can't answer your question. It's best to contact the hut operator directly (https://ilhaape.com/). As far as I saw correctly on the website, the cabins are each designed for 6 people (4 single beds, 1 double bed).
Best regards and have fun hiking!
Frank
6. February 2024
Hello Frank, thank you very much for the valuable information. The linked site ilhape.com is no longer running, is now correct https://ilhaape.com/ with double aa. Kind regards, Dani
6. February 2024
Hello Dani,
thank you, I exchanged/updated the links!
Frank
4. February 2025
It's interesting to travel to the next person