Barreiro da Faneca

Barreiro da Faneca is one of the weirdest landscapes you’ll find in the Azores, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Santa Maria is normally very green, like the rest of the islands. Then suddenly you arrive here and it feels like someone dropped a small red desert right in the middle of it. The ground is made of red clay and the whole area looks completely different from the surrounding landscape.

People sometimes call it the “Red Desert of the Azores.” Desert might be a bit of an exaggeration, but once you see it, you understand why the nickname stuck.

At first glance it almost looks like a mining site or some kind of excavation, but it’s actually a natural formation. The contrast between the red earth and the green hills around it makes the place feel very unusual for the Azores.

It’s not a place where you spend hours, but it’s definitely one of those spots that makes you stop and think: “This doesn’t look like the Azores at all.”

Rui's Visit Log