Turn of the tide (Rabo de Peixe): Filming locations of the popular Netflix series in São Miguel (Azores islands) – Season 1, 2 and 3

Turn of the Tide ( 2023-2026), (Rabo de Peixe in portuguese, its original title), is the first Portuguese series to enter Netflix’s global Top 10 for non-English language series and is set in one of our favorite places in the world, the Azores. These two factors alone were enough to catch our attention and get us to start watching the first episode. From the very first scene until we finished the first season, it was a weekend-long binge-watch. As soon as the second and third (and final) seasons were released, we didn’t rest until we’d watched them all.

Since we’ve already taken several trips to one of the series’ main settings, the island of São Miguel, and identified many of the locations that appeared throughout the three seasons, we’ve decided to compile them in this post so you too can discover some of these incredible natural settings.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for all three seasons of the series Rabo de Peixe.

Introduction

The fictional series created by Augusto Fraga is based on a real-life event that took place on the island of São Miguel in 2001 , when a ship carrying drugs sank, causing the tide to wash ashore half a ton of cocaine (505.84 kg of cocaine with a purity of over 80%) onto the northern coast of the island of São Miguel in the Azores, and more specifically, to the town of Rabo de Peixe, one of the poorest in the country at that time. It is one of those moments in history when reality surpasses fiction, and in this case, in our opinion, the team knew how to take a real event and create an addictive seven-episode series by combining a suspenseful plot, incredible performances by the actors and actresses, and stunning cinematography on the breathtaking island of São Miguel.

If you’re a fan of the series and are planning to visit the island of São Miguel—or even if it was the series itself that sparked your interest in exploring the largest island in the Azores— in this article you’ll find the main locations of the most memorable scenes from the adventure starring Maboy Eduardo (José Condessa), Sílvia (Helena Caldeira), Rafael (Rodrigo Tomás), and Carlinhos (André Leitão)—four young people from Rabo de Peixe in search of a different life.

Nothing in this seven-episode adventure in the first season would be the same without the fearsome and unscrupulous Arruda (brilliantly played by Albano Jerónimo) and his henchman Zé do Frango (Dinarte de Freitas), the mobsters Francesco Bonino (Marcantónio del Carlo) and “il padrino” Monti (Francesco Acquaroli) and, of course, Father Antonio (Miguel Damião), who opens the first scene of the first episode.

The young rapexinhos (an affectionate term for people from Rabo de Peixe, proudly pronounced by the characters) also count on the help of Bruna (Kelly Bailey) and Ian (Afonso Pimentel) despite the relentless pursuit of justice by Inspector Frías of the “mainland” police, that is, mainland Portugal (Mª João Bastos), local police officer Francisco (Salvador Martinha), and his superior Banha (João Pedro Vaz). The first season comes to a close with pyrotechnician Uncle Joe (Pepê Rapazote) coming to the young people’s aid.

The six episodes of the second season feature Brazilian actress Paolla Oliveira as the drug trafficker Ofelia and her compatriot, actor Caio Blat, as the bloodthirsty Fagner (with an F!). Also, the great José Raposo as Orlando, an unscrupulous accountant (or he wouldn’t be Arruda’s brother), for whom family supposedly comes first (spoiler: it doesn’t), and the unrecognizable Ricardo Pereira in the role of Mike, the smoke seller (or rather, powder seller) from High Powder.

If the face of the corrupt Commander João Canto Moniz, the “Rockefeller of the Azores,” looks familiar, that’s normal. It’s Joaquim de Almeida, one of Portugal’s most internationally renowned actors who has already appeared in several Hollywood blockbusters. Joining him in the latest episode is the nominee for the next regional governor of the Azores, the great actress Vitoria Guerra, whom you might recognize from her role in the series Auga Seca (which, by the way, we also loved). For those of you who aren’t from Portugal, this might not ring a bell, but Portuguese viewers were surely thrilled to see the guest appearance of the great Ruy de Carvalho, one of Portugal’s greatest actors, who agreed to a special role in Rabo de Peixe at the age of 98, in a brief scene as Silvia’s obstetrician.

In the third and final season of Rabo de Peixe, the four rapexinhos transform into the Justiça da Noite (Justice of the Night) and revive a real historical reference linked to forms of popular resistance and social control on the neighboring island of Terceira, particularly in the face of the appropriation of common lands and other abuses of power. The series uses this backdrop to show how, in the face of institutional inaction (and corruption), the protagonists organize a clandestine response aimed at protecting the community, though this also opens a debate about the boundaries between justice and violence.

Although some parts of the series were filmed in Mafra, Almada, or Lisbon—primarily in indoor locations such as the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences—the series is set on the Azorean island of São Miguel, and the island’s lush landscapes made the island itself one of the series’ protagonists and a key factor in its global success.

Filming locations for the series Rabo de Peixe on the island of São Miguel

Map showing all the locations mentioned in this article

Here is a Google Maps map with the locations mentioned in this article:

Rabo de Peixe and Porto Formoso

Of course, the first location mentioned in this article has to be the village of Rabo de Peixe, in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, on the north coast of the island of São Miguel. A humble village of 8,800 inhabitants with small fishermen’s cottages where, in 2001, the tide washed ashore half a ton of cocaine—an event that sociologically upended the quiet town, one of the areas with the highest poverty rates in Portugal that year, and around which the plot unfolds.

In the fictional series Rabo de Peixe, it is precisely in this town where the four main characters—Eduardo, Silvia, Rafael, and Carlinhos— live; where the “América” video store is located (though the neon letter A is always off), where Silvia works; where Sandro G’s concert took place with his hit “Eu não vou chorar,” a concert during which Silvia suffers an overdose; and which serves as practically the central location for the entire series.

However, regarding the filming location, at Randomtrip we believe that most of the scenes in the series set in Rabo de Peixe were actually filmed in Porto Formoso, another town in the same municipality, 18 km from Rabo de Peixe.

São Pedro Gonçalves Sports Pavilion (Rabo de Peixe)

In almost every episode depicting cocaine deals in Rabo de Peixe, there is a central location where the action takes place: next to a soccer field. It is the São Pedro Gonçalves Sports Complex, near the sea and with colorful buildings behind it. This is where Arruda and Zé so often park their car to keep an eye on all the activity.

It was in Rabo de Peixe, more specifically at the Botequim Açoriano restaurant, where we enjoyed the best dinners of our two-month trip through the nine islands of the Azores. As a fun fact, we’ll tell you that the restaurant had views (before its recent renovation) of another of the series’ filming locations: the Rabo de Peixe cemetery , where Eduardo’s mother, Fátima (Daniela Ruah), is buried and, later, where Eduardo’s father, Jeremiah (Adriano Carvalho), will be buried.

Let’s hope the series attracts respectful tourism to the Azores (more specifically to the island of São Miguel), an archipelago of sublime beauty and wonderful people, and that it does not follow the path of drug tourism that we unfortunately experienced on our trip to Colombia (more specifically to the city of Medellín). Colombia has suffered and continues to suffer from the stigma of drug addiction and drug trafficking, revived by the hit series Narcos , to the detriment of the country’s diversity, beauty, and charming people. In our opinion, in this type of tourism, sensationalism takes precedence over historical memory, and since we promote responsible tourism, our advice is not to contribute to or be complicit in this type of tourism (which is also irresponsible tourism) if possible. So we hope your visit to Rabo de Peixe (to São Miguel and the Azores in general) is driven by curiosity and respect for its history, nature, culture, and people.

Porto Formoso

Along with the town of Rabo de Peixe, the port is the setting for some of the most important scenes in the series’ plot . What you may not know is that the famous port from the series Rabo de Peixe is Porto Formoso, also part of the municipality of Ribeira Grande, 18 km from Rabo de Peixe. It is in this port where we see part of the population of Rabo de Peixe collecting the packages of cocaine washed ashore by the tide. It is also in this port where we witness the arrest of Italian mafia drug trafficker Francesco Bonino; where Eduardo and Rafael set out in their boat; and where Arruda “kills” Rafael just a few meters from the shore in the first season.

As a point of interest, some of Europe’s only tea plantations and the last two tea factories in Europe are located near this port: the Fábrica de Chá do Porto Formoso and the more famous Fábrica de Chá Gorreana. Visits to the Porto Formoso tea factory are free, and every spring there is a reenactment of the traditional tea harvest, complete with traditional costumes.

In fact, it is precisely among the tea plantations of the Gorreana Tea Factory that (in the second season) Uncle Joe Cunha meets his friend and former cellmate from the U.S. prison, as this is where the man lives with his daughter (and whom they want to evict from their land).

Porto Formoso Church

Porto Formoso is also home to another important filming location—so important, in fact , that it’s where the first scene of the first episode takes place : in the church. Although the series’ plot is set in Rabo de Peixe and the first scene takes place, according to the characters’ dialogue, in the “Church of Rabo de Peixe,” the church that appears in the series is actually the beautiful Church of Porto Formoso, or rather, the Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça.

It is in this church that, in the first season, the priest of Rabo de Peixe, António, suffers an overdose while celebrating Mass; it is also here that one of the most interesting conversations between Carlinhos and Father António takes place, as well as one of the series’ most beautiful musical moments when André Leitão sings and plays Erasure’s “A Little Respect” on the piano; it is also in this church that the mobster Monti kidnaps Carlinhos.

Praia do Monte Verde

Praia do Monte Verde takes center stage in the second season, as this is where the group of friends from Rabo de Peixe celebrate—with Champagne (or, more likely, sparkling wine)—having successfully sold all the drugs to Mike (the drug dealer), played by Ricardo Pereira.

This beach, like Rabo de Peixe and Porto Formoso, also belongs to the municipality of Ribeira Grande, the quintessential surfing town, and is quite close to both locations.

Furnas: Calderas, Lagoa das Furnas, and Parque Grená

One of the most heart-wrenching scenes in the series is when the villain Arruda, in an act of revenge for the possible betrayal and distrust of one of his subordinates, Zé dos Frangos, pushes him into one of the steaming volcanic calderas of Furnas.

Furnas is one of the oldest areas on the island of São Miguel, formed approximately 750,000 years ago, and also the most visited on the island. Why? The “Furnas Valley” is located in the crater of the Furnas volcano, one of the three still-active volcanoes and the largest on the island of São Miguel.

And it is precisely next to Lagoa das Furnas where there are holes in the ground with “lids” ( like the one seen in Arruda closing with Zé inside) that serve as authentic natural kitchens where a famous dish of the island is prepared: the “Cozido das Furnas”! After adding all the ingredients of a “cozido à portuguesa” (meat, sausages, vegetables), the pan is wrapped in a linen cloth and a friendly local (unlike Arruda) carefully lowers it into one of the holes in the caldera, where the volcanic heat will cook it.

You have to be patient because the “Cozido das Furnas” takes several hours to cook, and perhaps that’s what saved Zé…. To give you an idea, the stew typically served in Furnas restaurants at lunchtime (starting at 12 noon) has been in the caldera since 4 a.m.

The best-known restaurants to try Cozido das Furnas are Tonys, Vale das Furnas, Banhos Férreos, and Caldeiras e Vulcões (which also offers a vegetarian version). The price of the stew typically ranges from €15 to €30, depending on the restaurant.

Also, it seems to us that another side of Lagoa das Furnas appears in the second season of the series. Although we’re not 100% sure, at Randomtrip we’d bet that it’s precisely the forest of Japanese cedar trees in the Parque da Grená, on the shore of Lagoa das Furnas, that serves as the backdrop for the meetings between Inspector Frías and her informant, Eduardo, where he tells the Judiciary Police about the next moves of the Brazilian drug traffickers and the plan for the arrival of the cocaine shipment from Colombia.

It is also around Lagoa das Furnas where, in the third season of the series, we discover the terrible fate of Inspector Frias’s daughter, as it was here (spoiler alert) that Natercia Bexiga and Billy Bob buried her body. Inspector Frías’s discovery of her daughter’s body, brilliantly portrayed by Maria João Bastos, is quite likely the most heart-wrenching scene in the entire series.

We’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that it is precisely from the volcanic waters of Furnas that several of São Miguel’s thermal paradises originate, such as Parque Terra Nostra, Poça Dona Beija, and Poça da Silvina. Although none of these were chosen to appear in the series, there is one thermal spring that did make an appearance—located elsewhere on the island—which we’ll tell you about next.

Caldeira Velha: the hot spring paradise from season two

If you’ve watched the second season of the series, you’ve surely noticed the idyllic setting of the hot springs where Ofelia, the Brazilian drug trafficker, and Fagner relax. Later in the series, during the second and third seasons, Inspector Frias’s daughter appears at the same hot spring paradise. Well, we have good news for you: we’ve identified this paradise, and it’s called…: Caldeira Velha.

This garden, rich in native plants, invites you to take a deep breath and end up under a cascade of hot water —and perhaps that is why Ofelia chose this spot to try to distract herself from the possibility that something might go wrong during the drug transport operation managed by her team and the rapexinhos team (and spoiler alert: she was right to want to relax; it did indeed go wrong, especially for her). The temperature in this pool is around 25°C, and in the other three thermal pools, the water ranges from 37°C to 39°C. The setting is incredibly beautiful.

Islet of Vila Franca do Campo and Vila Franca do Campo

In the center of the island’s southern coast lies São Miguel’s oldest municipality, the island’s capital until 1522, Vila Franca do Campo, and about 500 meters off the coast is the Islet of Vila Franca, or, as it is also known, the“Princess’s Ring,” due to its shape. This islet is an ancient submerged volcano whose flooded crater forms an almost perfect circle with a small opening toward the sea.

It is precisely on this islet that Eduardo and Rafael hide the cocaine so that Arruda cannot confiscate it. It is also on this islet that we discover that Eduardo and Jeremiah do not end up killing the mobster Monti after all, as he reappears on the islet and is discovered by a group of scouts, from whom he steals the boat to return to São Miguel.

In this “reappearance” of Monti on the islet of Vila Franca, there is a scene at night in which he silences the shearwaters (Atlantic shearwaters), an indispensable part of the soundtrack of any trip to the Azores.

The shearwaters (Atlantic shearwaters) are a migratory bird that nests in the Azores, and whose distinctive“awa awa” call (almost as if they were singing the chorus of the song “Video Killed the Radio Star“) leaves no one indifferent. If you’re planning a trip to the Azores soon, you should know that to prevent young shearwaters from being captured or hit by cars on the road, the Azores government promotes the SOS Cagarro Campaign, which we recommend you check out when you arrive in the archipelago.

In the second season, the town of Vila Franca do Campo takes center stage, more so than its islet (which continues to appear in drone shots between scenes). Vila Franca do Campo is the oldest town on São Miguel and was the island’s capital until 1522.

It is in this charming town of narrow streets leading down to the sea where Carlinhos meets the priest (with whom he hooks up in the first season) for the first time since his return from the U.S., and where he immediately goes to a pharmacy to try to find the opioid he started taking for his chronic hand pain and to which he became addicted. Unable to find it (the pharmacist tells him that the drug isn’t even sold in Portugal, mentioning the lack of drug regulation in the U.S. and the serious problem the country has had with opioids for decades), Carlinhos ends up buying it on the black market. The pharmacy in question is Farmácia Amaral, easily identifiable since it’s right next to the Igreja do Senhor Bom Jesus da Pedra in Vila Franca do Campo.

In fact, when Carlinhos is in bad shape, on the verge of an overdose (just before Eduardo shows up to save him and begin the detox process at the cabin under Uncle Joe’s supervision), what they give him to raise his blood sugar is precisely a queijada from Vila Franca do Campo.

In the third season as well, the famous “queijadas” from Morgado take center stage, as they are part of an important routine. It turns out that the corrupt priest who was smuggling drugs on cruise ships between Brazil and São Miguel always had the same “culinary routine” upon returning to the island: eating a queijadinha da Vila accompanied by a Kima de Maracuyá, the most typical soft drink in the Azores.

In the latest season of the show, the queijadinhas are also mentioned when the four Rapexinhos friends are brainstorming ideas and Rafael suggests sending a note with“queijadinhas da Vila and Fofinhas da Povoação,”referencing not only the famous queijadinhas but also the Fofas, a traditional sweet from Povoação that we tried on one of our recent trips to São Miguel. Although Povoação is one of the least-visited areas on the island of São Miguel, it played an important role in the series’ latest season: we’ll tell you why and where later in the article.

Arnel Lighthouse

The place on the island where some of the most action-packed and also the most tragic scenes of this storyline in the first season take place is the Arnel Lighthouse. This lighthouse is the oldest in the Azores, built in 1876 (it still operates today, though it’s automated and has no lighthouse keeper on site). To visit it, you have to drive down a very narrow and steep road (with a 35% gradient), where the shootout between the Scandinavian Magnussons and Arruda and his men takes place. It is here that the Scandinavians realize Arruda is trying to sell them flour mixed with sugar instead of cocaine, and where Arruda realizes he has been deceived by Ian, by Bruna, by Eduardo (or as Arruda calls him, “Quarta-feira”—Wednesday), by his daughter Sílvia, and by his subordinate Zé, as an act of revenge.

Unlike the characters in the series, at Randomtrip we don’t recommend driving down this little road (and back up) to the lighthouse (you can take the risk, but keep in mind that less powerful cars may have trouble on the climb, and if you encounter another vehicle on the way up, it could be a drama—though not as tragic as Rabo de Peixe). You can leave your car parked up top, on the main road (EN1-1A), and walk down—it’s good exercise. If you want to go inside the lighthouse to pay your respects to the place where Zé, one of the series’ most beloved characters, died, you can do so on Thursdays (from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM in summer, and from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM in winter).

Don’t leave this area without taking in the panoramic view from the Miradouro da Ponta do Arnel, where you’ll have incredible views of the lighthouse and the surrounding area, and even a waterfall you can visit, the Cascada de Ponta do Arnel.

This lighthouse is located in one of our favorite areas of São Miguel Island, the Northeast. In the past, it was so difficult to reach the Northeast of the island due to the existing roads and the time it took to get there that the area was known as the “tenth island” of the Azores. Today, with improved roads and the incredible landscapes it offers, it is increasingly on the tourist itinerary of those visiting the Azorean “Green Island.”

Monte Palace Hotel and Lagoa Sete Cidades

There’s something poetic and eerie about abandoned buildings. Perhaps that’s why the ruins of the Monte Palace Hotel were chosen as the setting for one of the most important scenes in the plot of the first season of the series Rabo de Peixe: the encounter between the police and the mobster Monti, who (spoiler alert!) ultimately manages to escape.

The Monte Palace Hotel building, facing the incredible Vista do Rei viewpoint and its panoramic view of the Sete Cidades Lagoon (which makes it even more photogenic and video-friendly), tells the story of what was once a luxury hotel that opened in 1989 (apparently six years later than planned) and closed less than two years later due to financial problems.

The terrace on the hotel’s top floor offers breathtaking views of the Sete Cidades Lagoon. Given that the real estate group Level Constellation has recently acquired the hotel to transform it into something beautiful (and hopefully as sustainable as a hotel can be), even though it currently lacks security or signage, you should be aware that it is private property and entry is prohibited.

This hotel is located across from one of the most beautiful and photogenic lagoons on the island of São Miguel, Lagoa das Sete Cidades. Although they may appear to be two separate lagoons—one green and the other blue—they are actually a single lagoon with green water on one side and blue water on the other, resulting from differences in depth and algae concentration, which do not mix. There is a legend associated with this lagoon that gives it its name. You can read about this legend in our complete guide to the island of São Miguel.

We feel that Lagoa das Sete Cidades takes on even greater prominence in the second season of the series Rabo de Peixe. Although we can’t say for sure, at Randomtrip we’d bet that it’s precisely at this lagoon—more specifically in an area called Jardim da Lagoa Azul— where the dog abandoned at the start of the second season encounters some (frightened) scouts with Arruda’s corpse in their mouths. On the other hand, could the series’ screenwriter and director, Augusto Fraga, have been a Boy Scout in his childhood? Because the Boy Scouts always appear in the series, linking important scenes in the narrative. Remember that it was also the Boy Scouts who found the mobster Monti in the first season…

Nearby are the Aqueduct and the Muro das 9 Janelas, the largest and most iconic section of the island’s aqueducts, which takes on greater significance in the latest season as it is here that the four members of“Justiça da Noite”(Justice of the Night)—Eduardo, Silvia, Rafael, and Carlinhos—reveal their identities to journalist Pedro Neves (who, incidentally, is Inspector Frias’s partner).

Lombadas Viewpoint and Waterfall

Right at the start of the second season of Rabo de Peixe, we see a puppy being abandoned on the island of São Miguel (a sadly common criminal practice in Portugal) at the Lombadas viewpoint (and waterfall). Although we cannot be absolutely certain of the location, the panoramic view with the waterfall in the background is what led us to pinpoint this area. The Lombadas viewpoint offers a panoramic view of the river valley northeast of the Fogo volcano, and the Lombadas waterfall, visible in the valley, has a main drop of around 45 meters.

Faial da Terra, Rafael’s refuge

Another location that is new in the second season is Faial da Terra , where Rafael Medeiros takes refuge after being found alive at sea by a fishing boat (and after—according to the series’ narrative—returning from a brief stop in Santa Maria, where the fishermen were headed first, before returning to São Miguel). It is here that we see Rafael, wrapped in a blanket as if he had just docked at the port below ( Portinho de Faial da Terra), arrive at the home of Lídia (his father’s widow?) who takes care of him until he “feels the Lord’s call,” tries to become a different person, one with a drug-free life, and even becomes the leader of the island’s anti-drug movement (spoiler alert: this attempt at a new life by Rafael doesn’t last long). It is also at this house in Faial da Terra that Silvia, his former girlfriend, visits him (pregnant, though he doesn’t know it yet), after learning on TV that Rafael is alive and well (doing good deeds, even preventing a young man from committing suicide) at his stepmother/lover’s house. Silvia and Rafael then say goodbye, confirming the end (for now) of their relationship, with Portinho de Faial da Terra serving as the backdrop.

As a fun fact, one of the island’s most beautiful trails starts right here in Faial da Terra. It’s a 4.5-km loop trail that begins in Faial da Terra, passes by the impressive Salto do Prego to cool off (the water is freezing)—you can take a detour to another waterfall called Salto do Cagarrão—and at the end, it passes through Sanguinho, a charming restored rural village where you can stay overnight.

Ponta Delgada

The island’s capital serves as the setting for several scenes across the series’ three seasons, but it takes on special significance in the final season. It is in Ponta Delgada where, “supposedly,” the police station is located, where Inspector Frías and the rest of the Ponta Delgada Police force—including Banha and Francisco—work. It is also in the capital where the Ponta Delgada Prison is located, where, in the first season, Francesco Bonino is arrested and later escapes with the help of the corrupt prison guard Morcela (Rafael Morais). In the second season, there are new developments regarding this escape and this corrupt official (for spoilers, see the “Antena Marconi” section of this post)…

When, in the first season, Inspector Frías meets with the Secretary General of the Autonomous Region of the Azores at Clube Micaelense, this venue is also located in the island’s capital. We recall that it is precisely during this meeting that the Secretary General makes one of the most forceful statements in the series about the neglect, condescension, and superiority complex with which mainland Portugal has been handling any matter related to the Autonomous Region of the Azores: “It took more than 400 years for a Portuguese king to deign to visit the archipelago.”

We say “supposedly” because, since these scenes were filmed indoors, they could just as easily have been shot in Lisbon or Almada.

It is in the final season that the historic center of Ponta Delgada takes center stage. The fast-paced car chase involving Natercia Bexiga and Billy Bob in pursuit of Eduardo passes through such iconic locations as the Portas da Cidade and the arches of Praça Gonçalo Velho, where Eduardo stops for a moment to rest. The Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião is undoubtedly one of the most striking scenes, as it is precisely in front of this church that the statue of Christ falls onto Natercia and Billy’s car just before a procession of Santo Cristo.

In the second season of the series, the capital’s waterfront takes center stage. It is here that, in the “Padaria da Vila” van, the young rapexinhos, loaded with cash, nearly run over Inspector Frias’s daughter as she crosses the crosswalk.

Here’s our complete guide to the capital so you don’t miss a thing in Ponta Delgada:

Ponta Delgada (Azores) travel guide: things to see and do in the capital of São Miguel island

Whale watching, Silvia and Rafael’s failed adventure

At the start of the latest season, we see that Silvia and Rafael bought a boat to get into the whale-watching business. In their case, they haven’t had much luck, but you might!

Whalewatching (dolphins and whales) in their natural habitat, out in the open Atlantic Ocean, is one of the activities you shouldn’t miss on São Miguel. We’ve done this activity three times on the island (and also on Pico Island) and it never ceases to amaze us. I get goosebumps every time I remember seeing that gentle giant, a blue whale over 20 meters long, swimming right past our boat.

On our last whale-watching trip in São Miguel, we were lucky enough to see the two largest animals in the world, the blue whale and the fin whale. We were also greeted by curious and playful dolphins, a resident sperm whale, and, as a final surprise, orcas! On the island of Pico, we were lucky enough to spot three “sardinheiras” (northern right whales), none other than the third-largest whale in the world, and several dolphins (we tell you more about it in the Pico guide). The Azores are a paradise for whale watching, so you know what to do—set aside a morning on your trip for this activity.

We remind you that the beauty of observing animals in the wild and in their natural habitat in a respectful and responsible way means you never know what you’ll encounter. The Azores are one of the best places in the world for this activity during this season (March/April) due to the diversity of marine life, but we recommend: adjusting your expectations (if you go this season, you’ll likely see cetaceans, but there’s no guarantee you’ll see them or at what distance) and to be extra patient because you never know what nature will offer you that day—but remember that just being there is a privilege.This was the tour we took with Futurismo, which you can book. In our case, we chose to go on the Zodiac (not the catamaran) on the 8:00 a.m. tour, but it always depends on the day, the season, sea conditions, and, of course, luck.

Ananases A Arruda

When, in the second season, the gang of rapexinhos is brainstorming with the accountant Orlando (Arruda’s brother, Silvia’s uncle) about ways to transport the drugs without the police finding out, several options come up. Rafael brings up the possibility of transporting the drugs inside typical Azores products (an idea already used in the first season, where they hid the drugs in cans of Azores tuna), one of the star regional products being the pineapple.

Pineapples have been grown in glass greenhouses on São Miguel since the 19th century, a local solution developed after the orange trade collapsed due to disease. The first “industrial” greenhouse dates back to 1864, and the industry eventually expanded to include thousands of greenhouses and exports to Europe. The traditional method combines organic “hot beds” and “smoke” (smoking) to synchronize flowering, in a slow cycle of approximately 18–24 months that defines the intense flavor of the so-called“Ananás dos Açores.”

The series specifically features a pineapple plantation on the island (in Rafael’s mind as he considers the pineapple option—an idea that, incidentally, ends tragically in his head and does not move forward) which are the plantations of Ananases A Arruda.

Ananases A Arruda is a historic pineapple plantation in Fajã de Baixo (Ponta Delgada) where you can tour the greenhouses at different stages of cultivation (propagation, growth, floral induction, and ripening)—a true living museum of this unique crop, with free admission, a shop, and even a small bar where you can sample their own pineapple liqueur and derivative products like pineapple beer!, pineapple cake, a burger with grilled pineapple, and, of course, the pineapple itself, fresh from the plantations and cut to order. Highly recommended.

Marconi Antenna

You know that place where the Italian fugitive Monti has his trailer parked, where he’s living in hiding, and where the corrupt prison official Morcela knows exactly where it is? Yes, that very spot, where there’s a giant antenna next to some cabins, where Morcela takes Uncle Joe Cunha and he tells him he can help, that he knows where the drugs are—unaware that this would mark the beginning of the (tragic) end of both their lives at the hands of Brazilian drug traffickers (though Uncle Joe’s end is far more altruistic than Monti’s…).

Well, this location is the so-called“Marconi Antenna”of São Miguel, a large satellite communications dish situated at a former technical station historically linked to the radio and telecommunications infrastructure operated in Portugal by the Companhia Portuguesa Rádio Marconi (CPRM). It is currently out of service, and the facilities are abandoned and closed to the general public.

West Coast of São Miguel

One of the most difficult locations, both for Randomtrip and for viewers (it’s not easy to figure out where it was filmed) and, in the show, for Arruda (who wanted to discover where Eduardo, Silvia, and Carlinhos were hiding): the location on the island of São Miguel for Uncle Joe’s Cabin and its surroundings in the first season. As is well known, the uncle of “maboy” Eduardo (as he calls his nephew), Uncle Joe (brother of Eduardo’s mother, brother-in-law of Jeremiah), after spending several years in a U.S. prison, was deported to his country of origin, Portugal, and more specifically, to the island where he was born: São Miguel. And it is precisely at his house where the three young people—Eduardo, Silvia, and Carlinhos—take refuge, seeking to escape both the villain Arruda and the police.

It has already been confirmed that the cabin is not on the island of São Miguel but in Mafra, but the scenes shot on the beach—where Eduardo and Silvia finally resolve the romantic and sexual tension that has lingered throughout the season; where the three share moments of happiness with Uncle Joe, each of them traveling back to their childhood; and where Eduardo receives the sad news of his father’s murder— at Randomtrip we’re betting (mind you, it’s just an idea) that it’s on the west coast of São Miguel. These scenes transport us to the volcanic landscape of Mosteiros Beach or its surroundings; Ponta da Ferraria or Ponta do Escalvado. Although it could also be a scene from the island’s south coast, near Feteiras.

Povoação and its Alameda dos Plátanos

It’s not one of the most visited areas of São Miguel and, for that reason, ideal if you’re looking for peace and quiet. That must have been what Inspector Frias thought when she went to the photogenic Alameda dos Plátanos to run and clear her head amid the spiral of revenge over her daughter’s abduction, which becomes the driving force of her life, even leading her to leave the police force and take justice into her own hands in the final season.

It is here, at Alameda dos Plátanos, where a scene crucial to the season finale takes place: this is where Paula Frías meets Eduardo, and he tells her what he discovered about her daughter’s disappearance.

Lagoa do Fogo

One of the island’s most breathtaking landscapes —and also our favorite lagoon, why deny it— Lagoa do Fogo not only appears as a backdrop between scenes in the series but also functions almost as the thread that ties them together, like the lava that connects everything. It also takes on a symbolic role in the final scene: the Volcão do Fogo erupts as the four young friends watch from the sea, closing the series with an image that can be interpreted as a kind of catharsis and rebirth. As if that lava were sweeping everything away to make way for something new: perhaps an island freer from corruption, and a life that is also cleaner and more hopeful for the four young people and the rest of the population of Rabo de Peixe.

If, in addition to the places mentioned here, you want to know everything there is to see and do on the island of São Miguel in the Azores, with specific itineraries for a weekend or a week on the island, don’t miss our comprehensive (and free!) guide to São Miguel with all this information.

Sao Miguel (Azores) Travel Guide: best things to see and do and itineraries [with MAP]

Bonus Track 1: Santa Maria, a key location in the second season of Rabo de Peixe

In the second season of the series, another Azores island takes center stage: the neighboring island of Santa Maria, the island closest to São Miguel.

Santa Maria is the “grandmother” of the Azores (the oldest geologically—in fact, it was formed twice), known as “the Algarve of the Azores” for its extensive stretches of fine sandy beaches and its mild, stable climate year-round, and in the latest season of Rabo de Peixe, it plays a major role.

Santa Maria appears both at the beginning of the second season, when a fishing boat rescues Rafael from the sea (following Arruda’s attempted murder at the end of the first season, in which, as we later learn, he faked his own death), and midway through the series when Brazilian drug traffickers force them to transport drugs from São Miguel to Santa Maria, and, after a cathartic moment between Eduardo and Rafael on the boat (“Mas quem será, mas quem será o pai da criança,” as the Portuguese pop song goes), they both arrive safe and sound at the runways of the small Santa Maria airport.

Fun fact: Did you know that Frank Sinatra’s first two concerts in Europe were on the Azorean islands of Terceira and Santa Maria? That’s right, Sinatra performed in Santa Maria (one day after performing in Terceira) in June 1945 (the year World War II ended) for the American soldiers stationed on the island. The performance took place at the Atlântida-Cine, a movie theater at the airport built by the Allied military with a capacity for over 500 spectators. That he performed in Terceira is clear to us, given the U.S. Lajes Military Base, but why Santa Maria? In the context of World War II and negotiations between the U.S. and Portugal (which was “supposedly” neutral in the war—note the quotation marks around “supposedly”)—it was decided that Santa Maria had ideal terrain for building an airstrip, and so it was. By the way, once the war ended, it became a civilian airport—the first in the archipelago. We’ll share more interesting facts about this island in this section of the guide

The island of Santa Maria was one of the best surprises we had on our various trips to the Azores archipelago, and we highly recommend it. If you’re up for it, here’s our complete and free guide to exploring Santa Maria:

Santa Maria (Azores): a guide to visit the island [with map] on your own (things to do, where to eat and sleep…)

Bonus Track 2: Kennedy and the Capelinhos Volcano, the island of Faial in the final season of Rabo de Peixe

In the latest season of the series, there’s an important historical reference that might go unnoticed if you’re not familiar with the recent history of the Azores and haven’t visited Faial, the Azorean island with Portugal’s newest piece of land.

When Rebelo’s decorative plate—a gift from U.S. President Kennedy — is stolen (we later discover in the plot that the thief is the corrupt police officer Banha), the character explains how important that plate is to him and briefly recounts how crucial Kennedy’s executive order (and the visas it granted) was, forever transforming the migration history of the Azorean people.

It turns out that the Capelinhos Volcano, on the island of Faial, erupted in 1957 for 13 months, expelling enough material to connect the new island to the mainland,increasing Faial’s surface area by 2.4 km². This area is the youngest land in Portugal, and this entire protected zone is one of the geosites of the Azores Geopark.

There were no fatalities from the Capelinhos volcano eruption because the nearby towns had been evacuated, but the destruction of homes and farmland led to the emigration of more than 10,000 people from Faial (about half the island’s population) to the United States.The U.S. bill introduced in Congress by John F. Kennedy in 1958, the Azorean Refugee Act, granted 1,500 visas to the affected families; however, in the following decades, more than 175,000 people from the Azores (from various islands) ultimately migrated to the U.S. and Canada—more than 30% of the Azorean population. One of those families was the Rebelo family, a character in the latest season of *Rabo de Peixe*.

In addition to Capelinhos, Faial is an island with much to discover, such as its impressive Caldeira, and its capital, Horta, is a gathering point for sailboats crossing the Atlantic, making it one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the archipelago (if not the most) and one that has always been very open to welcoming people of the sea. Here’s our complete guide to Faial if you decide to visit:

Faial island (Azores) Travel Guide: things to see and do in 3, 4 or 5 days

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The success of the first season of the series Rabo de Peixe was such that it premiered on May 26, 2023, and by June 15, 2023, Netflix had already announced a second season, which premiered on October 17, 2025. The third and final season premiered on April 10, 2026. If you’re a fan too, and you travel to the island and visit any of these locations, be careful not to get too hooked—because São Miguel is addictive!

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Disclaimer: All filming locations mentioned in this article are the work of Randomtrip, which created this article after identifying these locations from scenes in the series’ episodes following a two-month trip (in 2021) and another one-and-a-half-month trip (in 2025) through the Azores ( including three weeks in São Miguel and one week in Santa Maria). These locations have not been confirmed by the production company Ukbar Filmes. All photos and text in this article are the property of Randomtrip, with all rights reserved (except for the single photo owned by Netflix, which is identified as such). You can view some of the Season 1 filming locations with audio and information on the VizitAR app (iOS, Android)