Camping on São Jorge: the Velas, Urzelina and Calheta campsites, and the wild-camping ban

São Jorge has three campsites, and all three are on the south coast, the side that faces Pico and usually has calmer water. If you want to sleep in a tent here, the first thing to decide is which end of that coast suits you: Velas, where the ferry docks; Urzelina, a village with a sea pool a short drive east; or Fajã Grande, beside Calheta, the island's second town. Each one is run by a different local body, publishes different information and opens for a different part of the year, so for every campsite below we give the phone number and email as well as the facilities.

The Parque de Campismo das Velas belongs to the municipality of Velas and is run by the town's sports club, Grupo Desportivo Velense. It is on Rua Dr. Leonel Nazário Nunes, in Velas itself, so it is the campsite that works best if you arrive by ferry and have no car.

Its own website lists shaded pitches, barbecues, showers and toilets, a kitchen, a laundry, a bar and a beach-volleyball court. Campers can also use the municipal swimming pool free of charge. When we checked in October 2026, the price page said the list was being updated and showed one rate: €4 per person per day.

The site does not give opening months, and its own site has carried a notice of a closure for several days in July while an event took it over. Ask before you build a trip around it: +351 295 412 721 or gdvelense@sapo.pt. The official tourism site, visitazores.com, gives +351 295 432 002 and +351 910 563 429 for the same place.

The Urzelina campsite is the one to pick if most of your day will be in the water. It sits on the seafront next to the village's bathing place, a walled sea pool built into the old fishing harbour. The pool has a shallow end for children and ladders into deeper water, and the harbour wall keeps it calm when the wind picks up. A few minutes up the road is the bell tower of the church of São Mateus, the part of the church that was still standing after the eruption of 1808.

Listings checked in October 2026 give the season as June to September and the size as 150 pitches, with grills, washing-up sinks, gas, a restaurant and pets allowed. The contact on visitazores.com is the parish council of Urzelina: +351 295 414 401, jfurzelina@msn.com. No official page we found gives a price, so ask when you call.

The Parque de Campismo da Calheta is at Ponta Vicente Dias in Fajã Grande, in the parish of Calheta. It faces the sea and has natural rock pools in front of it. One of those swims, Portinhos at Fajã Grande, is an official bathing water in 2026, with a season from 1 June to 30 September 2026. When the list was published, no lifeguard was assured there, so swim as if nobody is watching.

This campsite has the longest season of the three. Listings checked in October 2026 give it as open from May to October, 10:00 to 22:00 every day, and on Friday to Sunday only outside those months. It has 75 pitches, hot showers, grills, washing-up sinks, a snack bar and a playground, and pets are allowed. The parish council of Calheta lists it with the phone number 295 417 366 and the email camping.cht.sjz.2014@gmail.com. A second number, 917 969 350, appears in other listings. As at Urzelina, there is no official price, so check it when you book.

• Arriving by ferry without a car, or staying one or two nights: Velas. It is in the town itself, within walking distance of shops and restaurants.
• Travelling with children in July or August: Urzelina, for the sheltered pool next to your tent.
• Coming in May or October, or wanting to be closer to the eastern fajãs and Topo: Calheta, which opens earliest and closes last.

São Jorge is long and thin, and the trailheads for the fajãs on the north coast are a drive away from all three campsites. If you plan to hike, read getting around São Jorge before you decide how to get to the start of each walk.

On the island's two long-distance trails, the official trail site is explicit that wild camping is forbidden. GR01SJO runs 39.3 km from Topo to Fajã dos Cubres in two stages, and GR02SJO runs 52.9 km from Ponta dos Rosais to Cubres. Hikers doing either one over two days book a room in local lodging or rural tourism for the night in between, not a pitch on the cliff. We found no official place on the island outside the three campsites where a tent is allowed.

How many campsites does São Jorge have? Three: Velas, Urzelina (also in the municipality of Velas) and Calheta at Fajã Grande. All are on the south coast.

When are they open? In listings checked in October 2026, Urzelina is given as June to September and Calheta for May to October, with weekends only outside that. Velas publishes no season. Contact each one before you travel, because these listings are not always kept current.

How much does a night cost? Velas lists €4 per person per day on its price page, checked in October 2026. Urzelina and Calheta publish no price on an official page, so ask when you book.

Can I camp along the GR trails? No. The official trail pages for both of the island's long-distance routes say wild camping is forbidden. Book a room for the night between stages.