Lagoa das Furnas circular walk from Furnas

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A lovely walk from Furnas that takes you along the lakeside and past the geothermal area where the famous cozido is cooked.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.39 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 810 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 787 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,096 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 673 ft
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Photos

View of Lake Furnas
Cozido dishes from various restaurants

Description of the walk

(S/E) From the car park near the football stadium, head towards Rua Santana, turn left and, at the bend, follow the road southwards (Rua da Igreja).

(1) Pass the Terra Nostra Garden on your left and carry on straight ahead. Stay on Rua da Igreja.

(2) Pass the spa on your right and carry on straight ahead along Rua da Água Quente until you reach a Fork in the road.

(3) Follow the main road on the left and turn right immediately. This is the most difficult part due to the fairly steep gradient. Continue along this road until you reach the top.

(4) Once at the highest point, turn left into a car park.

(5) At the far end of the car park, take a moment to admire the view before setting off again. Complete the loop around the car park and take the road opposite, heading downhill. Pass a road branching off at a right angle to your left and carry on straight ahead.

(6) At the fork in the road, take the right-hand branch. This road leads to the lake after a short section through a narrow pass and a right-hand bend.

(7) Facing the lake, turn left and walk along its shore. The lake will be on your right until you reach the junction with the main road

(8) At a car park, turn right onto a footpath and continue along the lake. Pass by the foot of a chapel facing the lake and continue along the path for about 500 m.

(9) Turn left to head a few dozen metres into the forest and admire a remarkable tree, the second largest of its species in the world (see the sign on site). Retrace your steps and, facing the lake, resume the route by turning left. Follow the path that runs alongside the lake.

(10) Explore the Furnas geothermal area by strolling along the safe walking routes, then continue along the road, keeping the lake on your right.

(11) At the junction with the main road, turn left (towards Furnas) and, almost immediately, turn right onto a quieter road (Caminho Do Sanguinhal), which descends alongside the forest with a river below. Stay on this road, which takes you to the Fork in the road via the branch you did not take on the way there.

(3) From here, follow the route that took you from the stadium (S/E) in reverse.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 673 ft - Football stadium car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.08 - alt. 679 ft - Terra Nostra Garden
  3. 2 : mi 0.41 - alt. 692 ft - Spa resort
  4. 3 : mi 0.57 - alt. 719 ft - Junction of the circular loop
  5. 4 : mi 0.91 - alt. 1,079 ft - Car park
  6. 5 : mi 0.97 - alt. 1,093 ft - Viewpoint
  7. 6 : mi 1.32 - alt. 942 ft - Fork in the road
  8. 7 : mi 1.54 - alt. 991 ft - Arrival at the lake
  9. 8 : mi 2.19 - alt. 945 ft - Designated car park
  10. 9 : mi 2.91 - alt. 1,004 ft - Remarkable tree
  11. 10 : mi 4.61 - alt. 932 ft - Furnas Geothermal Area
  12. 11 : mi 5.32 - alt. 945 ft - Junction with the main road
  13. S/E : mi 6.39 - alt. 673 ft - Football stadium car park

Notes

Worth a visit

(1) The Terra Nostra Garden is magnificent and offers access to hot baths… Take your swimming costume, but not your best one – the water stains.

(2) Another option for hot springs is at a spa resort.

(6) There’s a charge for car access to the geothermal activity zone (we weren’t asked to pay when we walked through).
Plan to be at the geothermal area around 11.45 am to watch the pressure cookers containing the Cozidos from the various restaurants in Furnas being taken out.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 5 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
jpcvisiorando
jpcvisiorando
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The lake is very beautiful, but the starting point isn’t really of any interest, as you walk down to the lake along a tarmac road with traffic on it
There are car parks (subject to a charge) around the lake, which allow you to avoid this section.

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Mercou
Mercou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really lovely route offering a glimpse of various aspects of volcanic landscapes. The climb is quite steep at the start, along narrow roads, but that’s practically the only challenge on the route. There’s no risk of getting lost and, to top it all off, if you’ve booked a table at the restaurant in advance, you can watch the pots of the famous ‘pot-au-feu de la terre’ being taken out to cook (a full 12 hours, no less!)
There’s a remarkable tree along the way (30 metres high and 2 metres in diameter)

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remi roibet
remi roibet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy to find; good description

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Ced.F.
Ced.F.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk. Quite easy, apart from the first hill at the start of the route. The lake is pretty. The route takes you through the geothermal area where cozidos are cooked. You can go for a swim in the waterfalls at Greena Park (for a fee).

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jrbuecher
jrbuecher

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very easy walk (once you’ve got past the steep stretch at the start). There’s hardly anyone on the western side of the route, a few more on the eastern side (where the fumaroles are and the cuzido pots are cooking). 90 per cent of the route is flat, and the lake is beautiful!

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PhilippeH
PhilippeH

Hello,

The map appears on a black background in the PDF, so it’s illegible. Is there any way to improve the visibility?

Thank you

Philippe

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