Areia Branca crosses Santa Maria between Praia Formosa and São Lourenço, linking two pale-sand bays through a long succession of rural and upland landscapes. From the start it passes Forte de São João Baptista and climbs among houses, pasture and farmland around Almagreira. The route then enters woodland, passes a small cave and reaches Pico Alto, the dominant high point in the island’s interior and the central landmark of this crossing.
On the second half, dirt tracks lead towards Santa Bárbara before a sustained descent to the north-eastern coast. São Lourenço appears within slopes shaped into vineyard terraces, with its beach and natural pools near the finish. The walk reveals a gradual transition from the open south through the higher, wetter interior to the sheltered eastern bay. Its length and varied ground provide a broad reading of Santa Maria, from inhabited agricultural areas and Pico Alto’s woods to São Lourenço’s cultivated coastal landscape.
Santa Bárbara forms the transition between the uplands and the final descent. From here, the bay does not yet dominate the whole view, so the approach to São Lourenço unfolds gradually through terraced slopes towards the sand and water. That sequence gives the final part a character distinct from the earlier climb.