Hiking to the abandoned lighthouse on Sao Jorge Island.
At Ponta dos Rosais on the Azores, you have a lighthouse that has been abandoned since 1980. You can quite easily walk to the lighthouse though. And the natural scenery around the lighthouse is stunning.
The lighthouse on Ponta dos Rosais on the island of Sao Jorge was the most modern lighthouse in all Portugal when it was finished in the early 1960’s. It had its own water supply. Its own power station. And the surrounding buildings had space for several families. Making the lighthouse construction a little mini village.
The abandoned lighthouse at Ponta dos Rosais.
It had barely been finished though before a big earthquake hit the island of Sao Jorge. Partly destroying the new lighthouse. It was repaired though. And the families returned to living by the lighthouse. On January 1 in 1980, it was hit by an even bigger earthquake . The whole structure became so unsafe that it was decided that the place was not fit for families to live in any longer.
Inside the abandoned lighthouse buildings.
Inside the abandoned lighthouse buildings at Ponta dos Rosais.
These days, the lighthouse and the surrounding building are abandoned. The lighthouse has been automated and is run by solar power. But you can still visit the lighthouse as long as you do not enter it. You are in theory not allowed to enter the surrounding buildings either. But everything stands open and there are no fences. So if you want to take a peak into what used to be the homes of the lighthouse workers, you can do that quite easily.
Ponta dos Rosais is a really pretty place by itself with 200 meter high cliffs dropping into the ocean. Walking out there is quite easy, but a full day walk if you walk from the town Velas. Velas is the main town on the island of Sao Jorge.
Ponta dos Rosais.
