Two beautiful neighbouring lakes are a hidden gem in a holiday destination beloved by Brits.
Sete Cidades is an area in the Azores, Portugal, sat within a massive volcano crater. It had a population of just 793 people in 2011.
High up on top of the encircling caldera is King’s View which gives beautiful views of the area, especially on a cloudless day.
The best time to visit is during the summer to see the hydrangeas filling the landscape. It’s also a great time for hiking the trails around the volcano crater and canoeing on the lakes.
Within the three-mile crater are the two ecologically different lakes connected by a narrow strait, which can be crossed by a bridge.
It is the largest body of water in the region, Ponta Delgada, and one of the most important freshwater resources in the archipelago.
Surrounded by thickly forested cliffs, the landscape has a fairy-tale quality, so it comes as no surprise that Sete Cidades is the source of Azorean legend.
Although, hydrologically, the Lagoa das Sete Cidades is one lake, most refer to it as two separate bodies: Lagoa Verde (Green Lake) and Lagoa Azul (Blue Lake), due to their colour in the sun.
An ancient story recounts the tale of a bad-tempered widower King and his daughter who was not allowed to speak to anyone or go anywhere.
One day, she escapes and meets a young shepherd and the pair fall in love, meeting in secret until the get engaged
When the couple go to the king to ask for his blessing, the shepherd is thrown from the castle, forbidding them from seeing eachother again.
The princess and the shepherd met once more to say goodbye and wept for an entire afternoon, enough to fill two lakes which then reflected the colours of their eyes.
High up on top of the encircling caldera is King’s View which gives beautiful views of the area, especially on a cloudless day.
