Janela do Inferno — Attraction in Lagoa

The theme of this hike is patience and agility. This is a 4.8 mile loop that starts off pretty boring, but you are soon transported back in time and to a different world about a 1.5 miles into the hike. I would not recommend anyone who is elderly or young children attempt this hike. You will cross narrow bridges that are 30-40 feet above the ground. There are some steep hills at the beginning and end of the hike. Ground can be very wet and muddy, so again…..unless you are fit and an active person, do not do this hike.

Your patience will pay off as you walk through dark tunnels, cross narrow bridges, walk on top of and underneath arches as you make your way to a quaint waterfall. Really amazing hike that is absolutely gorgeous.

One huge plus about this hike is that it is free. If you want to go to Lagoa do Fogo, you have to either be in a taxi, pay for a shuttle (5 euro a person), or be apart of a tour group. We tried to go to Lagoa do Fogo for a hike, and there is a police officer who stops anyone in a rental car between the hours of 0900 and 1900. You are forced to park and pay for the shuttle. We didn’t have any cash on us, so we decided to do this hike instead and what a treat it was. You can stay parked where everyone parks for Lagoa do Fogo and do the Janela do Inferno hike instead.

To top it all off….once you are done with the trail, you can enjoy an ice cold beer and some food from a local food...

We are experienced trail runners, so decided to combine running and hiking.

Great to start from Remedios, easy parking (though weekend seems to be very busy due to the popularity of Lagoa do Fogo shuttles).

We suggest taking the counter clockwise direction (more suitable for running). Signing is not always clear, a bit of attention required.

As others also mentioned, the first kilometers on either directions are less exciting, though the view is still breathtaking towards the Ocean and the island.

The "jungle part" is just simply wonderful, a great experience.

Note: due to a recent mudslide, a part of the trail has disappeared + clogged with trees (right before the waterfall), it's impossible to pass through that section and really make the circular tour - fortunately it can be bypassed a few hundred meters earlier,...

IMPORTANT: few very important things to know, especially for family with kids:

1. the first and longest part of the trail (around 60 minutes) is very boring and there is nothing to see. You walk in the middle of a dusty (or muddy with rain) road open to cars and motorbikes and with no vegetation (only the grass for the cows)- Terrible.

2. despite the trail is marked as family friendly, and indeed is overall pretty flat, you should NOT do it with small kids (Up to 7/8ys). Because as I said, in the first and longest part there is nothing to see or do, not event a three where you could sit and rest a bit avoiding the sun. And for a small kid it gets boring and tough pretty soon (I admit even for me)

3. don’t look for Google Maps to locate the starting point. Follow the instructions for the...