Grande Rota de São Jorge: GR02SJO from Rosais to Cubres in two days, and the closed eastern half

São Jorge has two long-distance trails, and together they walk the whole island. GR02SJO comes in from Ponta dos Rosais at the western tip, GR01SJO from Topo at the eastern tip, and they meet at Fajã dos Cubres on the north coast. In October 2026 only the western one is open. The official trails site lists GR01SJO as temporarily closed, so the walk you can plan right now is GR02SJO: 52.9 km over two days, with both nights in Velas.

On 17 October 2026 the alerts page of the Azores trails site listed four São Jorge routes as temporarily closed: GR01SJO, the eastern Grande Rota; PR03SJO, São João to Fajã dos Vimes by way of Lourais; PR09SJO, Fajã dos Vimes to Fragueira and Portal; and PRC05SJO, the Fajã d'Além circuit. GR02SJO was not on the list, and neither was PR01SJO, the walk from Serra do Topo down to Santo Cristo and Cubres. The page gives no reason and no reopening date.

The closures overlap. The first stage of GR01SJO, 25 km from Topo to Fajã dos Vimes, uses the Lourais path that PR03SJO follows. Its second stage, 15 km from Vimes over the Serra do Topo to Cubres, ends on the same path as PR01SJO. So the best-known part of the eastern route, the descent to the lagoon at Santo Cristo, can still be walked as PR01SJO. Our guide to the fajãs covers that walk. Check the alerts page again before you go, because the list changes.

The official figures are 52.9 km and 15 hours, graded hard, in two stages. The first runs 21.8 km from Ponta dos Rosais to Santo Amaro, with five hours as the average. The second runs 30.2 km from Santo Amaro to Fajã dos Cubres, with ten. The first day stays low, between about 150 and 450 m on the leaflet's profile. The second climbs onto the island's central ridge and goes over 1,000 m.

Wild camping is forbidden on São Jorge, so the night between the stages has to be in a bed. Santo Amaro is next to Velas, and the island's airport is in the same parish, about 6 km south-east of the town. That makes Velas the obvious base for both nights.

The route starts by the ruins of the Rosais lighthouse, at the end of a dirt road on the western tip. The cliffs here are about 200 m high and protected as a natural monument and geosite, and Cory's shearwaters and Barolo shearwaters nest on them. Keep to the marked path.

A short detour leads to a restored whale lookout with Pico and Faial to the south. Our Ponta dos Rosais guide has the history of the lighthouse and the lookout. The track then follows the dirt road to the Sete Fontes forest park, with its tree nurseries, ponds, picnic tables and play area. From the park you can add an out-and-back detour north to the Pico da Velha and Fajã de Ferrã Afonso viewpoints, which look across to Graciosa and Terceira.

With Pico ahead of you, the path drops into the village of Rosais. The official description warns that this descent is slippery. In Rosais there is a rural exhibition centre in the Edifício Sol. The route then follows the central range to Beira, home to the São Jorge dairy cooperative's factory and testing facilities. Beira is also the place to buy water and food. The last part is a dirt road through pasture down to Santo Amaro.

The second day is longer and much higher. From Santo Amaro the route climbs into the centre of the island through a string of volcanic cones to the Macelas forest reserve, where the Canal viewpoint looks over to Pico and Faial. At the information panel of PR04SJO you join the ridge path and cross Pico do Pedro, Pico do Carvão, Pico da Junça, Pico Verde and Morro Pelado. Then comes Pico da Esperança, at 1,053 m the highest point on São Jorge, and after it Pico do Areeiro and Pico do Pinheiro, both with lakes in their craters.

The trails site describes this section as lying between 800 and 1,000 m and advises walking it only in good weather and visibility. If the forecast for the ridge is poor, move the day rather than start it.

On the north side the path goes down through native woodland of Azores heather, Azores holly and Azores juniper to the village of Norte Pequeno. From here the route follows the road to Fajã dos Cubres and ends near the chapel of Nossa Senhora de Lourdes. The official text asks for care on that road stretch.

Ten hours is the official average for this stage, so start at first light. If you run out of time or daylight, Norte Pequeno is the natural place to stop and call a taxi.

The Rosais bus does not reach the lighthouse. In the 2025 timetable, still the one online in October 2026, it ran on weekdays only, leaving Velas at 09:45 and 14:30 for Rosais (Ponta). There is no Sunday table. For a morning start at the lighthouse, book a taxi from Velas the evening before. Our guide to getting around São Jorge covers taxis, car hire and the bus lines.

Day two needs a taxi to Santo Amaro in the morning and a ride back from the north coast at the end. The road down into Fajã dos Cubres has been closed by landslides more than once since October 2025. Before you set off, ask your taxi driver or the Calheta town hall whether a car can get down to Cubres. If it cannot, end the walk at Norte Pequeno. On weekdays in the 2025 timetable, the afternoon north-coast bus from Calheta to Velas passed Norte Grande at 17:35, but after a ten-hour stage a pre-booked taxi is the safer plan.

• Check the alerts page the day before each stage. GR02SJO was open on 17 October 2026.
• Beira is where the official text tells you to restock on day one. For day two, carry your water and food for the whole ridge from the start.
• Emergency number: 112.
• The official GR pages mention no fee (checked October 2026).

How long is the Grande Rota de São Jorge? Two routes: GR02SJO is 52.9 km from Ponta dos Rosais to Fajã dos Cubres, GR01SJO is 39.3 km from Topo to Cubres. Together they cross the whole island.

Is GR01SJO open? Not in October 2026. The official alerts page listed it as temporarily closed on 17 October, along with PR03SJO and PR09SJO. The Santo Cristo section can still be walked as PR01SJO.

How many days does GR02SJO take? Two. The first stage is 21.8 km and about five hours, the second 30.2 km and about ten. Sleep in Velas both nights.

Can you camp along the way? No. Wild camping is forbidden on São Jorge, so book a bed for the night between the stages.

• Azores Trails: GR02SJO Grande Rota de São Jorge (Oeste)
• GR02SJO stage leaflet, Ponta dos Rosais to Santo Amaro (PDF)
• GR02SJO stage leaflet, Santo Amaro to Fajã dos Cubres (PDF)
• Azores Trails: GR01SJO Grande Rota de São Jorge (Este)
• Azores Trails: alerts
• Rumo À Natureza: bus timetables
• Notícias ao Minuto: access to Fajã dos Cubres reopened after a landslide (January 2026)