Category: Activities

Santa Maria has several white sandy beaches and natural pools with excellent conditions for summer activities. The most famous is Praia Formosa, where you can practice surfing, windsurfing, water skiing and sailing. A boat ride through the cave of Ilhéu do Romeiro, with its natural interior pier and where there is a curious cave with stalactites and stalagmites, is the best way to know the magnificent coast. The coastline is excellent for fishing and underwater hunting. The abundance of underwater life provides diving lovers with moments that you will hardly forget. The islets of Vila, Lagoinhas and S. Lourenço, as well as the Encharéus Cave and Tagarete Bay are places of unique beauty. 37 Km northwest of the Santa Maria coast, the Formigas are an interesting group of eight islets that, mainly for their isolation, are a privileged place for the settlement and nesting of many sea birds and owners of a rich underwater fauna, which gives it the status of Natural Reserve. Paragliding is also one of the possible activities to practice in the various bays of Santa Maria. With guide and adequate equipment it is possible to explore natural caves, such as the Furna de Santana and the Furna Velha, or excavated by man, such as the Gruta do Figueiral.