Barreiro da Faneca: the Red Desert That Looks Like Another Planet
After so much green and blue scenery, the Azores hold a surprise on Santa Maria: a stretch of arid, reddish land that looks more like it was transplanted from another planet than found on an island in the middle of the Atlantic.
Volcanic ash that turned red
Barreiro da Faneca corresponds to an ancient basaltic lava flow, covered by volcanic ash from the Feteiras Formation, Santa Maria’s most recent and largely explosive volcanic activity. According to geologists, a warm, humid climate roughly three million years ago oxidised this ash, giving rise to the red clays that characterise the landscape today.
A landscape unique in Portugal
Classified as a Protected Landscape since 2008, covering about 8.35 km², Barreiro da Faneca is considered unique not just in the Azores but across all of Portugal. The gently rolling, shadeless terrain shifts between orange, yellow, and deep red tones depending on the light of day.
A former clay mining site
For centuries, clay from Barreiro da Faneca was extracted to supply pottery workshops, particularly in Vila Franca do Campo on São Miguel, where it was used to glaze ceramics. Commercial mining ceased long ago, but the arid landscape remained, now protected from invasive species threatening to reclaim the terrain.
Endemic flora around the desert
Contrary to what you might expect, the area surrounding Barreiro da Faneca is rich in Azorean endemic species, such as pau-branco, louro-da-terra, malfurada, and heather — a contrast that makes the transition between green forest and desert even more striking.
Planning your visit
- Location: São Pedro parish, Vila do Porto municipality, on the island’s north coast.
- Access: easy, with trails crossing part of the forest down to the coast.
- Sun protection: essential, since there’s no shade in the arid zone.
Best time to visit
Any season works for a visit, but bright sunny days bring out the reddish tones of the terrain best.
Nearby highlights
The Chapel of Nossa Senhora do Pilar sits near the entrance to the arid zone.
After Barreiro da Faneca, head to Anjos, in the island’s north, to round off your route through Santa Maria’s oldest landscapes.
Learn more about the geology of the Azores.
Featured image — Photo: Carlos Luis M C da Cruz / Wikimedia Commons, public domain
