Ponta dos Rosais, the western tip of São Jorge: the lighthouse ruins, the whale lookout and Sete Fontes

Ponta dos Rosais is where São Jorge runs out in the west. The island ends here in cliffs about 200 metres high, with an abandoned lighthouse on top and Faial and Pico across the water. It is the obvious half-day trip from Velas, and it pairs well with the Sete Fontes forest park on the way out. Go on a clear day. In low cloud you will see the ruins and not much else, and the views are the reason to drive out.

The point is a protected area, the Ponta dos Rosais natural monument, designated in 2011 and part of the São Jorge Nature Park. It covers about 170 hectares of cliff, pasture and heath, plus the Rosais islets just offshore. The Azores Geopark lists it as a geosite.

In summer the cliffs are a seabird colony. Cory's shearwaters, common terns and roseate terns breed here, and the trail leaflet adds the Barolo shearwater. Look among the heather for the Azorean forget-me-not and the endemic Azorean heath, Erica azorica.

On a clear day you see Faial and Pico to the south, about 15 kilometres away.

The Farol da Ponta dos Rosais opened on 1 May 1958. It was considered the most advanced lighthouse in Portugal at the time, with its own water and power supply.

In February 1964 a swarm of earthquakes hit the west of São Jorge, with main shocks on 15 and 21 February, linked to a submarine eruption about 6.5 kilometres off Velas. Around 400 homes were destroyed and some 5,000 people were evacuated to Terceira, Pico and Faial. The lighthouse was emptied for a while. Then the earthquake of 1 January 1980 brought down parts of the cliff, and the station was evacuated for good.

The light still works. It has run automatically since 1982, and today a small solar-powered lamp on top of the 27-metre tower does the job. Because the tower stands on the cliff, the light shines from 283 metres above the sea, two white flashes every ten seconds.

The tower and the keepers' houses around it are ruins now. Look at them from outside. The buildings are not maintained, and the ground near the cliff edge has already collapsed once.

A short detour from the lighthouse leads to the Vigia da Baleia at Cabeça da Pontinha. The same company that built the lighthouse put it up around 1957 or 1958, for the whaling companies of São Roque do Pico across the channel. It was the last working vigia in this part of the islands and was used until the 1980s.

The parish restored the lookout and its path, with work finished in 2015. It is now a viewpoint looking south over Pico and Faial, and on a good day it is the best place on the point to sit.

The Sete Fontes forest park is in the same parish, on the road out to the point. It covers about 50 hectares of woodland, with ponds, a plant nursery, picnic and barbecue spots, a playground and animal enclosures. Work on it began in 1962 and it opened in 1976. Once a year it hosts the parish festival for emigrants.

The park has two viewpoints. Pico da Velha looks over Rosais to Pico and Faial. The Fajã de Ferrã Afonso viewpoint faces the north coast, and on a clear day the trail leaflet promises Graciosa and Terceira from the northern side. If you have children with you, our guide to São Jorge with kids has more on the park.

By car or taxi from Velas, take the road west through the parish of Rosais to the end of the island. The last part to the lighthouse is a dirt road. Drive it slowly and leave the car well back from the edge.

There is a bus, but only as far as the end of the Rosais line. In the 2025 timetable it ran on weekdays only: out of Velas at 09:45, arriving at Rosais (Ponta) at 10:00, and again at 14:30. Return buses left at 10:00 and 15:00. That is enough for a long morning in Rosais but not a reliable way to reach the lighthouse and back. Check the current timetable before you count on it. Our guide to getting around São Jorge covers the buses and taxis.

The second long-distance route of the island, GR02SJO, starts at the lighthouse ruins. Its first stage runs 21.8 kilometres from Ponta dos Rosais to Santo Amaro, near the airport. The leaflet gives five hours and grades it medium. The route passes the whale lookout detour, follows the dirt road to Sete Fontes, and offers an out-and-back detour to the two viewpoints in the park.

This stage is linear, so book a taxi to drop you at the point and walk back towards Velas. The whole GR02SJO goes on to Fajã dos Cubres, 52.9 kilometres in all, and is graded hard. Our guide to São Jorge hikes beyond Santo Cristo covers the rest of the island's trails.

• Morning: drive from Velas to Sete Fontes and walk up to the Pico da Velha viewpoint.
• Drive on to the point and look at the lighthouse ruins from outside.
• Walk to the whale lookout and sit with the view of Pico and Faial.
• Picnic back at Sete Fontes, or return to Velas for lunch.
• In summer, stay into the evening for the shearwaters coming back to the cliffs.

Can you go inside the Rosais lighthouse? No. The station has been abandoned since the 1980 earthquake and the buildings are in ruins. Look from outside and keep away from the cliff edge.

Is the light still working? Yes. It has run automatically since 1982, from a solar-powered lamp on top of the tower, two white flashes every ten seconds.

Can you reach Ponta dos Rosais by bus? Only part of the way. In the 2025 timetable the Rosais line left Velas at 09:45 and 14:30 on weekdays and came back at 10:00 and 15:00. For the lighthouse itself, use a car or a taxi.

How long does a visit take? Plan on a half day from Velas with Sete Fontes included. Walkers can make a full day of it on the 21.8-kilometre first stage of GR02SJO back to Santo Amaro.