Criação Velha Natural Pools: a Swim Inside the UNESCO Landscape

Few places in the Azores let you swim surrounded, at the same time, by UNESCO-listed vineyards and volcanic rock carved by the sea. Criação Velha Natural Pools are one of them.

Inside the UNESCO vineyard landscape

Located in the parish that gives them their name, Madalena municipality, these pools sit within the Pico Island Vineyard Culture Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004. The surroundings are dominated by lajidos — extensive stretches of solidified basalt reaching down to the coastline — and the characteristic stone walls that shield the vineyards from wind and sea salt.

A sheltered pool even on rough-sea days

The dark volcanic rock, shaped over millennia by volcanic activity and the action of seawater, has created natural water refuges that allow access to calm waters even when the ocean is rougher elsewhere along the coast. The contrast between the black basalt and the turquoise-blue water is one of the site’s most striking visual features.

Part of the Criação Velha Vineyard Trail

The pools are part of the PR 05 PIC route, the Criação Velha Vineyard Trail, a roughly 7 km route between Porto do Calhau and Porto da Areia Larga. Along the way, you can admire the UNESCO-listed vineyards, traditional windmills — such as the red-painted Moinho do Frade — and the ruins of the old Aldeia do Mingato.

A sunset view of Faial

Compared to busier pools elsewhere on the island, such as Areia Funda or Barca, Criação Velha stands out for its quieter, more secluded atmosphere — a good spot to watch the sunset over Faial island in the background.

Planning your visit

• Location: Criação Velha parish, Madalena municipality.
• Access: by road, with a small support bar nearby.
• Pair with: a walk along the vineyard trail or a wine tasting at Solar Terra Brum, Pico’s oldest wine estate.

Best time to visit

Late afternoon, on summer days, offers the perfect combination of a refreshing swim and sunset over Faial.

Nearby highlights

The town of Madalena, with its watchful islets, is a short drive away.

After the pools, head to Madalena to round off your route along Pico’s west coast, or continue the vineyard trail toward Porto da Areia Larga.