Azores: São Miguel Hiking

Meet and greet at Ponta Delgada airport, before a taxi transfer to the pretty village of Capelas on the rugged north coast of the Island.

You will stay 2 nights in the 4**** Vale do Navio hotel with pool.

Distance: 12 km | Ascent: 400 m | Descent: 400 m | 4 hrs approx.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the western part of the island where you will explore the large crater of Sete Cidades. The caldera contains two crater lakes, one green and one blue, separated by a bridge with 7 arches that symbolically represent the 7 cities of the lost continent of Atlantis. At the end of the hike you will be transferred back to your hotel.

Overnight: Vale do Navio 4* hotel

Distance: 4.2 km | Ascent: 265 m | Descent: 265 m | 2 hrs approx.

This morning you will be transferred to the Furnas valley in the centre of the Island. The taxi will drop you off at the tea plantation in Gorreana, the oldest (and currently only) tea plantation in Europe. Here the tea is cultivated, collected and manufactured according to ancestral methods.

After the visit to the tea plantation, you will be transfered by taxi to the small village of Faial da Terra. The Ribeira do Faial is located on the southern coast of the Sao Miguel island, east of the eroded caldeira of Povoação. The hike starts on the banks of the river. The path then takes you gradually deeper in the forest to the Salto do Prego waterfall. Finally, you pass some small stone houses with picturesque gardens before descending into the valley to Faial da Terra.

Transfer to your accommodation in Furnas.

Overnight: Furnas, Vista do Vale hotel.

Distance: 12 km | Ascent: 250 m | Descent: 270 m | 3 hrs approx.

Today you will walk in the volcanic caldera of Furnas. Through lush vegetation, you will explore the only active volcano of the archipelago (fumaroles and sulphur springs) and discover its close links with the gastronomic traditions of this valley: the famous “cozido”, a rich meat and vegetable stew which is slow-cooked under the soil at the geothermal lake sides.

Possibility to bathe in the warm waters of Terra Nostra Garden.

Overnight: Furnas, Vista do Vale hotel.

Distance: 12 km | Ascent: 725 m | Descent: 725 m | 3 hrs approx.

OR

Distance: 8 km | Ascent: 200 m | Descent 200 m | 3 hrs approx.

Pico da Vara Walk
Transfer to the beginning of the hike. Today’s hike takes you on a climb up to the highest point of the island, through the rainforest, then onto the ridge covered with moorland where the view opens up over the island and the ocean. The Pico da Vara (1100 m) forms a chain that descends to the ocean through forests of “cryptomerias”.  It is in this preserved nature that the only endemic bird on the island, the bullfinch, has found refuge. From the summit (and in clear weather!) the panorama is exceptional and embraces the entire island.

Lomba do Cavaleiro Trail
In 2022 the Pico da Vara walk was closed. It is not certain when it will reopen, so the alternative is a beautiful panoramic walk on the south coast from Povoação to the fishing village of Ribeira Quente, passing by Lomba do Cavaleiro viewing point. This trail, widely used before by the people that worked the productive areas of Agrião region, is also a crossing point of the pilgrimage along the island.

After the walk, you will be transferred back to your accommodation.

Overnight: Furnas, Vista do Vale hotel.

Distance: 11.5 km | Ascent: 520 m | Descent: 500 m | 3 hrs approx.

Transfer to the beginning of the hike. A beautiful hike to the most exceptional and untamed lake on this island: the famous Lagoa do Fogo. To get to this beautiful lake you will walk along a Levada and cross an area of geothermal activity area before climbing to the crest of the caldera, from where you will have many incredible vantage points over the surrounding areas. A wide mountain pass then takes you back down to the coast.

After your walk you will be transferred to Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores and a charming town of traditional narrow streets and balconied colonial mansions.

Overnight: Ponta Delgada 3*** hotel.

Distance: 8 km | Ascent: 250 m | Descent: 250 m | 2½ hrs approx.

Transfer to the starting point for your final walk, which follows the rota de agua (“water route”). After an initial climb through farmland, with wonderful views over Ponta Delagda, the trail enters a thick jungle landscape, where you will find a series of majestic aqueducts that once suppled the ancient Alcohol Factory of Lagoa. Deep in the forest, you will discover the Janela do Inferno (“window to hell”) where a spring flows from a large cavity in the towering rock wall. Take a chance to appreciate the beauty of this place and to regain energy.

Transfer back to Ponta Delgada. Free afternoon in the Capital.

Overnight: Ponta Delgada 3*** hotel.

Transfer to Ponta Delgada Airport for your departing flight.