São Miguel Island

Food & Drinks

Paddle along the beautiful coastline of Vila Franca de Campo. Choose between the morning or afternoon tour and embark on a kayaking adventure suitable for families with children. The level is appropriate for beginners and experienced kayakers alike. Your professional instructor will make sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable. Get geared with the necessary equipment for your kayak tour. Then, receive a safety briefing from your instructor before heading out onto the waters. This tour takes you on a 4.5 kilometer stretch along the beautiful Vila Franca do Campo Islet. During the excursion, you may take a dip into the refreshing waters and try some snorkeling.

After either gathering at the meeting point or being collected from your accommodation, you will make your way to Parque da Ribeira dos Caldeirões, located in the north-east part of the island. It takes around 45 minutes to drive from Ponta Delgada. The half-day tour takes approximately 3 hours. During this time you will have the possibility of doing rappels, jumps, slides and rock slides. The highest rappel will be 15 meters, with the highest jump being around 6 meters. There will be some time for the equipment distribution with the help of your guides, before you take a short hike in order to approach the stream followed by a security briefing. On average it is about a 20 to 35-minute hike, depending on the pace of the group. Throughout the full-day option you will stop for a picnic, later finishing the tour by returning back to town by car.

Explore the highlights of the western half of São Miguel island on this guided tour by van. Discover the famous crater lakes of Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo, picturesque waterfalls, amazing cliffs, and stunning rock formations around the coast of the island. Start with a visit to Ribeira Grande, one of the most picturesque towns of the Azores, followed by a surprising view of some amazingly beautiful cliffs on the North coast. Then travel to the inner areas of the island to see the gorgeous waterfall of Salto do Cabrito, surrounded by wild vegetation. Drive to the top of Fogo Volcano to enjoy views of the most pristine and magical of the crater lakes of São Miguel. From the top of the mountain, enjoy the stunning views over a large portion of the island. After a tasty meal to restore your energy levels, head to Sete Cidades, to understand why this is considered by the postcard of the Azores. Enjoy views from two completely different perspectives over the famous twin lakes.  End the day in Mosteiros, on the western coast of the island, where the lava rocks have formed enchanting small islets and natural pools.

For many years now, people have come from near and far to soak in the therapeutic hot springs of Furnas, a must do on many people's bucket list - this tour is designed to make sure you get that and so much more. This tour takes place at night when it is peaceful, and the air temperature is adequate for this kind of magical experience. After a pick up from your accommodation in Ponta del Gada, you will be taken to the iconic thermal pools, Poça da Beija. This experience will start at the end of the day until around midnight, be prepared for the best evening of your trip. Before visiting the thermal pools, you will visit a place where local cooks prepare the famous 'cozido' (stew). Your dinner will be truly memorable as you feast on a Portuguese stew cooked in pots, dipped into the floor as they cook for several hours in volcanic heat. In addition to this, you can admire the Caldeiras das Furnas, multiple boiling water and mud springs and mini-geysers. You can even try the mineral water or have a cup of local tea using the natural hot water.

Explore the highlights of the western half of São Miguel island on a guided tour by van. Discover the hot springs at Furnas, the waterfall at Ribeira dos Caldeirões, as well as the remote rugged beauty of the Nordeste region. Enjoy the beautiful scenery along the northern coast of the island until you get to the Santa Iria Lookout, with a spectacular, ample view of the north coast in both directions, before continuing to Furnas. Find yourself in Furnas and admire a spectacular panoramic stop to gaze over the lake and town. Descend where you will be given the choice of visiting the geothermal fields and tasting the sparkling waters, or bathing in the hot springs, for an additional fee. Next, discover a traditional way of cooking as your lunch of cozido (stew) is pulled from the warm volcanic soil. In the afternoon, continue the journey eastward, with a stop at the charming waterfall of Ribeira dos Caldeirões.  Explore Nordeste, the most unexplored and rural part of the island. Visit two amazing lookouts over the high cliffs that characterize the East coast of São Miguel, before returning to Ponta Delgada.

Explore the volcanic landscape of the Sete Cidades, and the mountain scenery of the Lagoa do Fogo on a full-day sightseeing tour from Punta Delgada. Following a pick-up from your hotel, drive along a scenic road to the Vista do Rei viewpoint. Enjoy panoramic views of the blue and green waters of the two lakes in the crater of the Sete Cidades. Then, continue to different viewpoints before getting close to the banks of the twin lakes. Go to the Mata do Canário, and marvel at the unique flora of the natural park. Drive along the Pico do Carvão road past numerous small lakes, including the “Empadas Lakes.” Get multiple perspectives of the north and south shores of the island of São Miguel. Break for a lunch of typical Azorean food in a local restaurant in the city of Lagoa. Next, explore the city of Ribeira Grande with its unique historic center that dates from the 17th to 19th centuries. Ascend the Pico da Barrosa mountain at the end of your tour and discover the protected natural landscape of the Lagoa do Fogo (Fire Lake). Marvel at the thermal pools, waterfalls and different types of endangered plants of the area, before your return transfer to Ponta Delgada and a drop off at your hotel.

Benefit from pick-up at your accommodation in Ponta Delgada, and then explore the coastline of the Azores by boat. Spend 3 hours looking for majestic whales and playful dolphins in their natural environment.  Reconnect with the natural world as you go in search of the sperm whales, blue whales, humpback whales and orcas that make the archipelago one of the best places in the world to see different marine mammals. Keep a look out for turtles, flying fish, sea birds and jumping dolphins along the way.  Disembark the boat and enjoy a tasty lunch, and then make your way to the volcanic landscapes of Lagoa do Fogo and Caldeira Velha. See one of the most beautiful lakes in São Miguel and experience the amazing interior of the island up close. Learn about the many uses the volcanic landscape gives to the island, from its medicinal mud to its energy source. 

After being collected from your accommodation, you will make your way to your stop on the island, São Miguel. The region is abundant with nature, and you will discover a big lake as well as some hot springs in which you can bathe. You will also be welcome to try some food cooked in the local heart holes. Following that, you will make your way towards Plantações de Chá Gorreana. There you will discover the only fields of tea in Europe, and whilst at the plantation you can sample the tea for free and roam around the fields. You will then visit Poça Da Dona Beija, Lomba das Barracas, Furnas, and Povoação, which are hot springs where you will be free to relax whilst contemplating the nature around you. You will finally go to Ilheu Vila Franca Campo, Parque Industrial de Vila Franca, which is 500 meters offshore. In the summer, it's also possible to visit the islet there to have a swim. At the conclusion of your tour, you will be returned back to your point of origin.

Depart Ponta Delgada and journey along the south coast of São Miguel before heading towards the Furnas Valley to experience its dramatic volcanic landscape. Stop at the village of Lagoa en route and visit a traditional pottery. Marvel at the former capital of the island at Vila Franca do Campo. Upon arrival in the Furnas Valley, go to the lake to enjoy a lunch of authentic cozido na caldeira (traditional Portuguese stew) cooked using the heat of the volcanic soil. Savor the ingredients characteristic of this typical dish. Next, go to the belvedere of the Pico do Ferro for a panoramic view of the valley. Return to Ponta Delgada via the island's north road, and stop at the site of Europe's only tea plantations and tea factory.

Meet your guide in Ponta Delgada then head to Rocha da Relva, where majestic views over Ponta Delgada await you. Venture up the mountains and stop at Miradouro do Pico do Carvão. Here, you will have a stunning panoramic view over the island. Continue to Lagoas das Empadadas, to admire the lush vegetation that surrounds the lake.   Next you'll go on an exciting off-road adventure around the top of the volcano's crater. Enjoy amazing views over the lakes, the mountains and the ocean from the other side of the volcano. At the end of the trail, head down to a local village where you'll enjoy a traditional lunch. After this, travel to see two nearby lakes, one green and one blue where you can enjoy some free time in this tranquil place. Continue on to other lakes and surrounding volcanoes. Climb up into the mountains again to see other places such as Lagoa de Santiago and Miradouro do Cerrado das Freiras. Then visit one of the most popular lookouts in the area, Vista do Rei, near an abandoned hotel. Before returning to the city, visit Miradouro do Escalvado to witness the peculiar village of Mosteiros. Explore the village and check out the local beach before heading back to your drop-off point.