Today we did an amazing hike through the most incredible scenery. The Rota de Agua to Janela do Inferno (PRC 37) was 7.6km long (a circular route) so we had a relaxed morning and took the 11:00am bus toward the village of Remedios, though the driver said he didn’t actually go there and dropped us at a junction, so we walked along the main road for just over 1km following the road signs for the village. It was a beautiful sunny day once again… We quickly located our red and white stripes and followed them up and out of the small village, stopping for an early lunch at a picnic area we spotted, then out across rolling green fields and past many, many cows…

We had read in the guide to bring torches as we would need to pass through some dark tunnels en route and soon we came to our first one. We were terrified but made it through…

The tunnel led to a jungle!It was like something out a fairy tale… the landscape had completely altered and we were surrounded by lush tropical vegetation and bright blooming flowers. There were ancient aquaducts running above at times, so established within their environment they almost looked natural, with trees weaving to accommodate them. These aquaducts were originally built to supply

water to the Lagoa Distillery and still provide water to the local municipality! This place feels a long way from home! It is magical! We meet a few other hikers enroute and this is February so I imagine it would be pretty touristy in Spring or Summer. Today, unlike most days, we are glad to meet some walkers coming from the other direction as we decide if there were any monsters or dead bodies in the tunnels they’d have seen them first!

We ramble our way happily and excitedly along the ‘jungle’ paths and arrive at the janela do inferno, or ‘hell’s window’ cascadaing water down the vertical rock wall in to a pretty, paradise pond below.

At this point the walk starts to take it’s route back in the direcction of Remidios, through the jungle and out once again to the rolling emerald hills and grazing catlle, past a goat farm and in to the village for a beer on the terrace of the local bar, catching the last rays of the late afternoon sun. It felt likewe had walked a lot more than 7.6km, but maybe we had stopped a lot to take in the breathtaking scenery and take pictures.