2-week discovery trip to paradise (with rural accommodations)

International arrival on São Miguel; you’ll receive your rental car directly at the airport. Drive to your accommodation, an old farmhouse with beautiful gardens and a pool. It’s just a few kilometers from the airport and located in a suburb of the city of Ponta Delgada. Many guests have stated that the accommodation provides an excellent breakfast. Take a first walk through the charming capital city of the Azores with its winding streets and lively ambience.
4 noites com pequeno almoço, numa elegante casa de campo, Quinta da Abelheira

Explore the beautiful spots of the island at your own pace with your rental car. It’s recommendable to set out to the east, the central area and the west. In addition to the suggestions below, there are many beautiful little sandy beaches and natural bays on the island; ideal if you travel in summer. There is also a very well developed network of official marked trails.

Recommendations for your stay in São Miguel:
Discover the west of the island: the highlights in the west are the legendary crater lakes of Sete Cidades. Enjoy the great view at the lakes Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde from the view point of Vista do Rei, which is located at an altitude of 550 meters. On your way back to Ponta Delgada, you can visit a pineapple plantation with enormously tasty pineapples, grown in greenhouses; the only pineapple greenhouses in the world.
Explore Ponta Delgada, the capital city of the island of São Miguel by yourself: it’s recommendable to make a tour through the historic old town with its many historic buildings, beautiful black and white patterned sidewalks, its decorated balconies, the colorful market, lively squares, winding streets, beautiful gardens and a variety of churches. The historic old town presents over 500 years of history.
The lake Lagoa do Fogo: the "lake of fire" is situated in about 600m height in a crater, in the uninhabited interior of the island. From several view points, you can marvel at the impressive lake and the beautiful colors of nature. The crater lake is considered to be one the most beautiful one of the entire Azores.
Nordeste, the east of the island: on your way to the northeast it’s recommendable to make a detour to the Chá Gorreana tea factory, which has a tradition of more than 100 years. Heading along the north coast towards the east, you’ll reach Nordeste, a nice little town at the eastern end of the island of São Miguel.

Today, a day trip to Furnas is on the schedule. Explore the charming, traditional spa with over 20 hot springs. Enjoy the "Cozido" stew for lunch, which is cooked with geothermal heat in holes in the ground.
Take a walk through the Terra Nostra Park, which many consider to be Portugal's most beautiful botanical garden. Enjoy a dip in the natural thermal bath, which has a constant temperature of 38 degrees Celsius. The nearby lake of Furnas invites visitors for leisurely walks; that’s also the place where the Cozido is cooked in the ground.
The traditional Cozido lunch and the visit of the Botanical Garden "Terra Nostra Park" in Furnas is included for you is. More than 2,000 different plants that cover an area of over 12 hectares can be discovered in the botanical garden. Inside the park there is also the natural ferruginous thermal pool with its 38 degrees water temperature all year around.

Drive back to the airport, return of the rental car and flight to the island of São Jorge. Upon arrival, you’ll receive your new rental car directly at the airport. A stylish country house pension with garden and pool awaits you. It is situated above the idyllic harbor town of Velas, the main town of the island of São Jorge. The pension is located in a nice and quiet environment and provides marvelous views.
3 nights including breakfast, stylish country house pension/quinta near Velas

With your rental car, you can discover the island at your own pace. The island of São Jorge offers various spectacular hiking trails. For those who love trekking, it’s recommendable to explore these wonderful trails.

Recommendations for your stay in São Jorge:
Fajã de Caldeira de Santo Cristo: a flat coastal plain, thinly populated, only with weekend and holiday cottages and no access for cars. The electricity derives from a generator, it’s quiet and peaceful. Very tasty clams thrive in the lagoon of the fajã.
Variety of fajãs: Take your time to drive down serpentine paths, until you reach sea level. There are various impressive fajãs with picturesque villages. Whether on the north coast of the island (e.g. Fajã do Ouvidor, providing a beautiful bathing area) or on the south coast (e.g. Fajã dos Vimes with a small café, where homegrown coffee is served), they are all worth a visit.
East and west of the island: In the east of the island, in the municipality of Norte there is a beautiful lighthouse and an appealing ocean swimming area. The view of the small offshore islet and the neighboring island of Terceira is impressive. The West of São Jorge is also worth a visit. There is the Forest Park of Rosais, a recreational area with a large variety of tree and plant species. There are also several viewpoints, so-called "Miradouros"; one of them is located at an old whaler’s lookout.

Leave the rental car at the port of Velas and take the ferry to Pico island (crossing about 50 minutes - 1.5 hours, depending on the port of Pico). Receive your new rental car at the seaport. Drive to your accommodation, which is beautifully located on the outskirts of the main town of Madalena, in a forest of sorts, where a small wooden holiday home awaits you.
4 nights with breakfast, holiday home in the Alma do Pico complex

Enjoy your days on the second largest island of the Azores archipelago. The island is also called "Ilha Negra", the black island, due to its many black lava rocks. Pico’s natural landscape is very different from the other islands. With your rental car, you can flexibly organize your days according to your mood. In addition to the recommendations below, the island of Pico offers beautiful natural ocean swimming pools, which provide great pleasure in the summer months. Snorkeling is also very recommendable; right by the coast you can marvel at the diversity of marine life. Only sandy beaches are almost not existent on the island...

Recommendations for your stay on Pico:
The museums on the island are absolutely worth a visit: The Wine Museum, housed in an old Carmelite Convent in the main town of Madalena, gives information on the history of the cultivation and production of wine. In the convent’s garden there is the largest dragon tree colony of Macaronesia. Some of the trees are between 500 and 800 years old. On the north coast of the island, in São Roque, there is a former whale-processing factory, now converted into a museum. And on the south coast of Pico, in Lajes, there is a whaler’s museum that provides interesting information about the history of whaling on the island.
Lajido: a walk through the former wine production village makes you realize that you are in the heart of the wine-growing area. The play of colors of the grey-black lava stone walls, the green vines and fig trees, as well as the deep blue of the Atlantic Ocean is very impressive. It’s easy to understand why UNESCO has classified this area as a World Heritage Site; some elements of the 18th century, which was the peak of Pico's wine-growing era, are still visible.
Gruta das Torres: it’s the longest lava tube in Portugal and one of the longest ones in Europe. The cave is located south of Madalena near Criação Velha. A guided tour through the cave gives interesting insights into Azorean volcanism and the emergence of the islands. Equipped with a helmet and flashlight, you can marvel at the beautiful shapes several lava flows have created. Pico’s fantastic hiking trails invite walkers to explore the island’s beautiful unspoiled nature. The days of your visit will pass quickly...
One of the most impressive hikes is the climb of the Pico Mountain; with its 2.351 m the highest mountain in Portugal. The challenging hike starts at the foot of the mountain in the highlands of the island. After an arduous climb, which takes about 3.5 hours (about 1,100 meters in altitude), you will be rewarded with a magnificent view. With good visibility you can see all islands of the central group. The descent, after, is no less laborious. In good physical condition, the climb of the Pico Mountain is a highlight of any Azores holiday.

Contact us for more information; you can climb the mountain by yourself, or book a package with us that includes: English speaking licensed mountain guide, admission, insurance, lunch box and transfer from/to accommodation...

A holiday in the Azores is, in some ways, “incomplete” without a trip to the world of giant marine mammals. They pass the Azores on their migration routes and they like to take a (long) break in the Azores, due to the abundance of fish. The most common whale is the sperm whale. Like other whale and dolphin species, the sperm whale is native to the area and lives all year round in the waters around the Azores. A male sperm whale grows up to 20 meters long. It’s very likely to get to see dolphins, who like to accompany the excursion boats and play with the waves those create. Commercial whaling on the islands came to an end at the beginning of the 1980s. Today, fortunately everything "only" revolves around observing the giants of the oceans. The half-day excursion takes place from/to Lajes on the south coast of Pico.

Drive to the ferry port in Madalena, drop off the rental car there and take the ferry to the neighboring island of Faial. The crossing only takes about 30 minutes. There you will collect your new car directly at the ferry port in Horta and drive to your accommodation near the main town of Horta, a small family country house. Look forward to a chat with the staff there.
Today, get to know the small town of Horta with its open and cosmopolitan atmosphere, the heart of which is the marina, which is visited by sailors from all over the world. The many colorful paintings of the sailors on the harbor walls are unique - as is the atmosphere in the “Peter Café Sport”, probably the most famous bar in the Atlantic, and much more than just a meeting place for sailors from all over the world. A visit is definitely worth it!
2 nights with breakfast, country house Quinta do Vale

After a leisurely breakfast, head to Capelinhos, the site where the volcanic eruption of 1957/58 took place. Even today, the bizarre lunar landscape and the old lighthouse, which has been dug up again from the second floor, are reminiscent of that time. A visit of the impressive underground volcano museum, which includes an ascent of the restored lighthouse, provides a lot of information about volcanism in general and about Faial in particular. The lighthouse and other viewpoints around it provide spectacular views of the New Land. A walk on the grounds of Capelinhos, paved with dark ashes, is worthwhile. Also highly recommendable is a visit of the large Caldeira, an impressive collapsed crater, situated in the center of the island. Its highest spot has an altitude of about 1,000 meters. The collapsed crater is one of the most imposing craters of the Azores, with a diameter of about 1.4 km, and with almost vertical walls. We recommend a circular walk along the crater, an official trail, which starts and ends at the parking lot (duration approx. 3 hours). When the view is clear, it provides fascinating views. Don’t forget to explore the world-famous sailing destination Horta with its marina.

Drive back to the airport; return of the rental car and flight back to São Miguel. Upon arrival taxi-transfer by your own to Ponta Delgada (taxis are available at the airport). Your guest house is located in the heart of the historic old town. Enjoy the last hours of your vacation with a nice Azorean dinner and a stroll along the marina.
1 night including breakfast, Hotel in Ponta Delgada
There is also the possibility to book international flights from Faial (via Lisbon). In this case, you would not go back to São Miguel (the starting point of your journey on the islands); in exchange, you would stay a third night on Faial and fly home from there.

It's time to say good-bye to the Azores. Transfer to the airport by yourself and flight back home.