October 2026 • 7 min read
Santa Maria is a small island with a short list of excellent things to do, and most of them can be booked: a full-day van tour that covers the whole island with lunch, two half-day guided hikes (Pico Alto and Anjos, or Santo Espírito and Maia), diving or snorkelling at the Ambrósio seamount with mobula rays from May to October, whale and dolphin watching from Vila do Porto, and two and three day packages that bundle tours and transfers.
This page is about what you can do and book. For the sights themselves, see our guide to what to visit in Santa Maria; for a day-by-day plan, the three-day itinerary; for restaurants, what to eat.
How Activities Work on Santa Maria
Santa Maria has about 5,400 residents and a handful of operators, so the activity scene is small, personal and seasonal. Tours run with small groups, often from the airport or your accommodation in Vila do Porto, and the same guides tend to run the hiking, the van tours and the boat trips. In July and August book a few days ahead, especially diving; in spring and autumn most things can be arranged on arrival, and some boat operations pause from November to April.
You reach the island by a 25-minute SATA flight from Ponta Delgada (two or three a day) or a few weekly flights from Lisbon; there is no regular ferry, although Atlânticoline occasionally schedules summer sailings, so check their timetable if you want to arrive by sea. A rental car is the alternative to tours for the land-based sights, and most visitors combine the two: a guided day for the stories and the hard-to-find places, a car for the beaches.
1. Full-Day Island Tour (With or Without Lunch)
The most booked activity on Santa Maria and the right first day. An eight-hour van tour with a local guide covers Vila do Porto and the Forte de São Brás, the red clay plateau of Barreiro da Faneca, the Anjos pools and Columbus chapel, the terraced bay of São Lourenço, the Pico Alto summit and Praia Formosa, with time to swim and a lunch stop. It is also the way to see Santa Maria as a day trip from São Miguel: first flight in, tour, last flight out. Two versions exist, one with lunch included and one without.
SANTA MARIA FULL-DAY TOUR
Eight hours around the island with a local guide, pick-up at your hotel or the airport.
Book the full-day tour →2. Half-Day Guided Hikes
Santa Maria's trails are short, varied and easy to combine, and two guided half-days cover the best of them with lunch included. Pico Alto and Anjos climbs through the cedar forest to the island's 587 m summit for the 360-degree view, then drops to the north coast for the natural pools and the Columbus chapel at Anjos. Santo Espírito and Maia walks through the most traditional parish, past whitewashed hamlets with painted trims, down to the vineyard terraces of Maia and the Aveiro waterfall, Portugal's highest at 110 m. Both are suitable for anyone who can walk two to three hours on uneven ground; neither requires experience.
For longer walks, the island has an official network of trails including a section of the Grande Trilho, the long-distance route that circles Santa Maria. Our hiking trails page lists them with distances and difficulty.
HALF-DAY HIKING TOURS WITH LUNCH
Pico Alto and Anjos, or Santo Espírito and Maia, with a local guide and transfers from your accommodation.
Book the Pico Alto and Anjos hike →3. Diving at the Ambrósio Seamount
Santa Maria is the diving island of the Azores, and the Baixa do Ambrósio is the reason. A few miles off the north coast, the seamount rises from deep water to within reach of recreational divers, and from roughly May to October groups of mobula (devil) rays circle in the blue, sometimes a dozen at a time, with whale sharks appearing in some summers. Dives are drift dives in open water with a local centre; you need an Open Water certification and some experience in current. Further out, the Formigas islets and the Dollabarat bank, a marine reserve 20 nautical miles to the north-east, offer big-fish diving for experienced divers when the sea allows. Guided dive packs with one or two dives a day are available for certified divers who want to explore the coastal sites as well.
AMBRÓSIO DIVE
Half-day boat dive at the Ambrósio seamount with a local centre, for certified divers. Mobula season May to October.
Book the Ambrósio dive →4. Snorkelling With Mobula Rays
You do not need to dive to see the rays. Snorkelling trips take non-divers to the marine protected areas around the island and, in season, to Ambrósio, where the mobulas often come up to the surface to investigate swimmers. Trips last around three hours, include wetsuit, mask and fins, and depend on sea conditions; if the swell is up, the boat stays closer to the coast and the islets, where the water is clear and full of fish. Children who are confident swimmers can join.
Boat trip to the marine protected areas and, in season, the mobula rays of Ambrósio, equipment included.
Book the snorkelling trip →5. Whale and Dolphin Watching
Boats leave Vila do Porto for the deep water south of the island, where sperm whales are resident and common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins and, in spring, migrating baleen whales are seen. Trips are smaller and less frequent than on São Miguel or Pico, which is part of the appeal, and they follow the same regional rules on approach distance and time with the animals. Season runs from around April to October.
6. Swimming: Beaches and Natural Pools
The one activity that needs no booking. Praia Formosa is the Azores' best-known sand beach, pale and sheltered, with a bar and lifeguards in summer. The natural pools at Anjos, Maia and São Lourenço are lava formations with ladders and decks, and São Lourenço also has a small beach at the bottom of its terraced bay. Water temperature reaches 22°C to 24°C in August and September. Swim at the pools when the sea is calm and check the flag at Formosa.
7. A Full Day on Foot
For walkers who want more than a half day, a seven-hour guided walking tour links several of the island's trails into one long route with a guide and lunch, typically along the dramatic north coast or across the plateau to the sea. It is the most immersive way to see Santa Maria and suits anyone comfortable with 15 km or more in a day.
When to Go for Each Activity
June to September is the season for everything in the water: the warmest sea, the Ambrósio rays, the most reliable boat departures and the beach bars open. May and October keep the diving and most tours running with fewer people and cooler walking weather. From November to April the island is quiet, green and good for hiking and the full-day tour, but boat trips are sparse and the sea is for the brave. The last week of August brings the Maré de Agosto music festival to Praia Formosa, when accommodation sells out.
Combining Santa Maria With São Miguel
Most visitors add Santa Maria as two or three nights at the end of a São Miguel trip, flying in from Ponta Delgada and flying out directly to Lisbon or back via São Miguel. Our packages can include the inter-island flight, the car and the tours; tell us the dates and we build it.
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Book now →Santa Maria Tours and Activities: FAQ
What is the best activity in Santa Maria, Azores?
Diving or snorkelling with mobula rays at the Ambrósio seamount, from May to October. On land, the full-day island tour is the best single day for first-time visitors.
Can I do Santa Maria as a day trip from São Miguel?
Yes. Take the first SATA flight from Ponta Delgada (25 minutes), join the full-day tour from the airport and fly back on the last flight. You will see the island but miss the swimming.
Is there a ferry to Santa Maria?
There is no regular ferry. Atlânticoline occasionally schedules summer sailings from São Miguel; check their timetable. Flights are the normal way to arrive.
Do I need to be a certified diver for Ambrósio?
Yes, with an Open Water certificate and some experience in current, because dives are drift dives in open water. Non-divers can join the snorkelling trips instead.
When can you see mobula rays in Santa Maria?
Roughly May to October, with the most reliable encounters in July and August. Whale sharks appear in some summers.
Are there guided hikes in Santa Maria?
Yes. Half-day guided walks with lunch cover Pico Alto and Anjos or Santo Espírito and Maia, and a seven-hour guided walking tour links several trails.
Do I need a car if I book tours?
Not for the tours themselves, which include pick-up. A car is useful for reaching the beaches and pools on your own time; many visitors rent one for a day or two.
How many days should I spend on Santa Maria?
Two to three days covers the tour, a hike, a boat trip and time at the beach. Packages of two and three days bundle these with transfers.
