Lagoa das Sete Cidades, twin lakes in a volcanic caldera
Published on 08/23/2026 at 11:23 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Lagoa das Sete Cidades on São Miguel Island is a single freshwater lake that appears as two, a blue and a green expanse spread across the floor of a volcanic caldera in the municipality of Ponta Delgada in Portugal. The twin surfaces, known as Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde, sit inside the crater of the Sete Cidades volcano in the western part of the island.
A twin-coloured lake in a volcanic bowl
Lagoa das Sete Cidades occupies much of the collapse caldera of the Sete Cidades volcanic massif at the western end of São Miguel, part of the Azores archipelago in the North Atlantic.The lake lies within a dormant volcanic crater The surrounding rim forms a broad horseshoe of high ground, with steep inner slopes dropping towards the water.
Hydrologically this is one crater lake, but a narrow neck of land divides it visually into two sectors that are known as separate lakes in everyday use.The water body is split by a strip of land with a low bridge The northern part, Lagoa Azul, generally appears deep blue, while the southern part, Lagoa Verde, tends towards green tones in many conditions.
Scale, depth and protected status
By Azorean standards Lagoa das Sete Cidades is a large freshwater body, with a surface area of about 4.3 to 4.45 km² and a maximum length of more than 4 km.Figures published for its area and length place it among the more expansive crater lakes in the archipelago Its maximum depth reaches roughly 33 m, making it the largest natural freshwater reservoir at the surface in the Azores.
The lake forms the central feature of the Sete Cidades protected landscape at the west end of São Miguel, an area covering more than 2,000 hectares.Regional conservation measures recognise Lagoa das Sete Cidades as the largest lake in the Azores and a key freshwater habitat It lies within a wider network of protected sites that form part of an Azores UNESCO Global Geopark framework.
Viewpoints, village and caldera rim
The main lake surface lies several hundred metres above sea level on the floor of the caldera, encircled by pasture, woodland and volcanic slopes that rise towards the outer rim.The crater reaches a diameter of around 12 km, with the lakes sitting in its gentler central basin From the higher ground on the rim, the contrast between the blue and green sectors and the scale of the crater become particularly clear.
On the low strip of land that separates Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde stands a small bridge carrying the road towards the village of Sete Cidades, which lies close to the shoreline on the caldera floor.The village and its road bridge mark the narrow passage where the two sectors of the lake meet From here, the view stretches across both water surfaces towards the enclosing crater walls.
Visiting Lagoa das Sete Cidades: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Lagoa das Sete Cidades lies on the western side of São Miguel in the Azores, within the municipality of Ponta Delgada; the main access roads run across the island’s central high ground towards the caldera.
- The terrain around the lake combines relatively gentle lakeside sections with steep slopes on the inner caldera walls, and paths and viewpoints may involve gradients and stretches on uneven volcanic ground.
- The official language is Portuguese and the currency is the euro.
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Frequently asked questions about Lagoa das Sete Cidades
Where is Lagoa das Sete Cidades?
Lagoa das Sete Cidades lies within the Sete Cidades volcanic caldera on the western side of São Miguel Island in the Azores, in the municipality of Ponta Delgada.
What can visitors expect when they arrive?
Visitors encounter a large crater lake with two contrasting water sectors, surrounded by volcanic slopes, pasture and woodland, with viewpoints on the caldera rim and a village near the shore.
What makes Lagoa das Sete Cidades distinctive?
The lake forms a twin-coloured water body inside a wide volcanic crater, divided by a strip of land and bridge into the blue Lagoa Azul and the green-tinged Lagoa Verde.
