Highlights of the Azores
Highlights of the Azores
Highlights of the Azores
7 Days Starting in Ponta Delgada and ending in Faial Island
Visiting: Sao Miguel Island / Ponta Delgada, Faial Island / Horta, Pico Island / Faial Island / Horta
Tour operator:
Tour code:
ZLSI
Guide Type:
Fully Guided
Group size:
1 - 12
Age range:
15-99 years
Tour operated in:
EnglishTrip Styles:
Tour Overview
Explore the Azores with an array of unique experiences, starting on Sao Miguel where you’ll taste fresh pineapple from greenhouses and enjoy a traditional volcanic stew. Sail to Pico Island for a glimpse into its volcanic past and a tasting at a local distillery. Hike around Horta and pay a visit to Capelinhos volcano, then wander its charming streets, discovering architectural gems and local culture. Relax with a famous G&T at Cafe Sport, a favourite haunt for sailors. This is the Portugal you never knew.
Highlights
Itinerary
Day 1: Sao Miguel Island / Ponta Delgada
Location: Sao Miguel Island / Ponta Delgada
Accommodation: Hotel
Ola! Welcome to Sao Miguel Island, the largest in the Azores. Affectionately nicknamed the ‘Green Island’, you can expect to be greeted by mountainous terrains and lush flora. Your island adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6 pm, where you’ll meet your group leader and fellow travellers. If you arrive early, perhaps wander along the seaside promenade of Ponta Delgada town, pick up a plate of bacalhau (dried and salted cod) at the farmer’s market in Mercado da Graca, or even sample some fresh seafood at the local restaurants.
Day 2: Sao Miguel Island / Ponta Delgada
Location: Sao Miguel Island / Ponta Delgada
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast, lunch
Begin your day with a visit to Arruda’s Pineapple Plantation, located at Faja de Baixo. The delicious fruit can take up to two years to grow inside the glass greenhouses – but there might be an opportunity for you to snack on some during your visit. After, head along the south coast of the island towards Furnas volcano and witness the effects of volcanic activity. With your group, enjoy a delicious stew cooked underground with the steam from the volcano and then you’ll have the option to take a relaxing dip in a hot spring. Follow your leader to the Pico do Ferro viewpoint so you can experience the island from a new height. Take a break at the local tea plantation, where you can sample some of the only tea grown in Europe. Finish your tour of the island today at Miradouro de Santa Iria – a northern viewpoint that allows you to soak up its natural beauty.
Included Activities:
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Optional Activities:
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Day 3: Sao Miguel Island / Ponta Delgada
Location: Sao Miguel Island / Ponta Delgada
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
This morning, you’ll visit Lagoa das Sete Cidades – a green freshwater lake nestled in a volcanic caldera. After, you’re free to explore the island on your own terms. If you’d like to learn about Azorean natural history then the Museu Carlos Machado is the place for you. The building sits in a 16th-century convent, which is as much of an attraction as the museum itself. If you want to stay outdoors, consider taking in your surroundings from a rented bike or paddleboard. You can also change things up with a visit to Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores. Wander the cobbled streets and admire the various architectural styles, and maybe try some local seafood when you get hungry.
Included Activities:
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Optional Activities:
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Day 4: Faial Island / Horta
Location: Faial Island / Horta
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast, lunch
Enjoy a free morning before your early afternoon flight to Horta, Faial Island. This island is sometimes referred to as ‘Blue Island’ because of the iconic blue hydrangeas dotted all around that bloom during summer. When you arrive, your leader will explain all this and more on an orientation walk. The rest of the day is free to explore the port town of Horta. You can chill out on the seafront or perhaps call into Cafe Sport (aka Peter’s Bar) for a famous G&T. This watering hole was once a crucial post office and gossip stop for travelling sailors in a pre-internet era. For some, it still is.
Included Activities:
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Day 5: Pico Island / Faial Island / Horta
Location: Pico Island / Faial Island / Horta
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Hop on a ferry to Pico Island – the second- largest island in the Azores. Known as 'Black Island’ for its black volcanic earth, Pico is the proud home of UNESCO-designated vineyards that have played a major role in the community’s development. On your tour of the island, visit Arcos do Cachorro (lava tunnels), where you’ll learn more about its volcanic past. Then, call into a family-owned distillery for a tasting and discover their special techniques. Finish your tour at Criacao Velha for a stunning view of Pico's unique vineyards. After, you might like to head out for some optional whale watching. Up until 1980, the island supported a substantial whaling industry due to the deep waters of the surrounding Atlantic. Fortunately, the end of the industry means whale watching has become a popular activity for visitors. In the evening, return to Faial Island.
Included Activities:
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Optional Activities:
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Day 6: Faial Island / Horta
Location: Faial Island / Horta
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Get your hiking boots on as you start the day on a walking trail in Horta. After, visit the island's resident volcano, Capelinhos. You’ll head to the volcano interpretation centre, as climbing up is not considered safe. Capelinhos last erupted in 1957 and changed the island permanently, adding an extra kilometre of land mass and blanketing the surrounding area with five metres of volcanic ash. You’ll learn more about this eruption and the most famous volcanoes in the world at the centre. For the rest of the day, you're free to explore as you wish.
Included Activities:
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Day 7: Faial Island / Horta
Location: Faial Island / Horta
Accommodation: Hotel
Meals Included: breaksfast
Your trip will come to an end after breakfast. For those who wish to stay in the Azores, reach out to your booking agent ahead of time to organise additional accommodation.
What's Included
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Accommodation
Hotel (6 nights) -
Sao Miguel - Island Day Tour
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Sao Miguel - Arruda’s Pineapple Plantation at Faja de Baixo
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Sao Miguel - Cozido das Furnas Lunch
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Sao Miguel - Tea Plantation Visit & Tasting
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Sao Miguel - Miradouro do Pico do Ferro & Miradouro de Santa Iria
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Sao Jorge - Hike to Caldeira do Santo Cristo with Picnic Lunch
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Sao Jorge - Visit to Bakery or Local Market
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Faial - Capelinhos Volcano Interpretation Centre
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Pico Island - Day Trip
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Pico Island - Liqueur Tasting
What's Not Included
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Tipping and Gratuities
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International Travel
Transport
- TRANSPORT IN EUROPE
- Half the fun of travel is the travelling itself, that's why we like to travel the local way – whether that means mingling with commuters on a local train, watching the scenery roll by from the window of a long distance bus, arriving on a high speed train in the city centre of your next destination, or navigating each city's public transport system. In Europe, you are guaranteed to travel by genuine local public transport wherever possible, which puts you right in the centre of the action.
- DOMESTIC FLIGHT
- On this trip we will jump on an internal flights between Sao Miguel and Sao Jorge islands. Please note that we require your full passport details (including your middle name) before the start of your departure in order to secure your flights. There is a luggage weight limit of 20kg on this internal flights, so please pack accordingly. If the weight of your luggage will be exceeded you will incur extra charges at the airport.
- FERRY TRANSPORT
- In addition, there will be a couple of ferry trips between the islands. It’s the most convenient and efficient way to move around the Azores, however with temperamental weather some of the rides may be little rocky. Please make sure you have your own motion sickness medication should you need to use it.
Accommodation
- The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation.
- Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available.
- OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION
- The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances.
- TWIN SHARE BASIS
- Accommodation on this trip is on a twin/multishare basis. We pair up solo travellers with another traveller of the same gender as per the gender marker on each of their passports. Please note there may be times where facilities will be shared rather than ensuite and rare occasions when you share a room with passengers travelling on different Intrepid trips than your own.
- CHECK-IN TIME
- Throughout the trip we request that our hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination.
- PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION
- If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (if available), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights.
- FACILITIES
- Your accommodation may not always have private en suite facilities or air-conditioning. European hotels generally don't provide kettles or fridges.
Included Activities
- Sao Miguel - Island Day Tour
- Sao Miguel - Miradouro do Pico da Barrosa
- Sao Miguel - Arruda’s Pineapple Plantation at Faja de Baixo
- Sao Miguel - Lagoa Pottery Demonstration
- Sao Jorge - Pico do Pedro Trail Hike
- Sao Jorge - Picnic Lunch
- Faial - Capelinhos Volcano Interpretation Centre
- Pico Island - Whale Watching Excursion
- Pico Island - Day Trip
Important Information
- 1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please note that due to the small properties we use in Europe there is only a limited amount of single supplements available per trip departure. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
- 2. Please provide your full name exactly as per passport at the time of booking (including any middle names listed on your passport) for internal flight tickets. Fees may apply for amendments to details within 6 weeks of departure, and in some cases you will be required to cover the cost of issuing new tickets.
- 3. The luggage limit for airlines we use for the domestic flights on this trip is 20kg. Exceeding this limit will incur an excess baggage charge, payable by the traveller. However, we must stress that due to the adventurous nature of this trip and the amount of public transport we use on it, this limit far exceeds Intrepid's recommended luggage weight for this tour (15kg).
Mode of Transport
- TRANSPORT IN EUROPE
- Half the fun of travel is the travelling itself, that's why we like to travel the local way – whether that means mingling with commuters on a local train, watching the scenery roll by from the window of a long distance bus, arriving on a high speed train in the city centre of your next destination, or navigating each city's public transport system. In Europe, you are guaranteed to travel by genuine local public transport wherever possible, which puts you right in the centre of the action.
- DOMESTIC FLIGHT
- On this trip we will jump on an internal flights between Sao Miguel and Sao Jorge islands. Please note that we require your full passport details (including your middle name) before the start of your departure in order to secure your flights. There is a luggage weight limit of 20kg on this internal flights, so please pack accordingly. If the weight of your luggage will be exceeded you will incur extra charges at the airport.
- FERRY TRANSPORT
- In addition, there will be a couple of ferry trips between the islands. It’s the most convenient and efficient way to move around the Azores, however with temperamental weather some of the rides may be little rocky. Please make sure you have your own motion sickness medication should you need to use it.
Check out our Q&As
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Is this trip right for you
This trip includes an internal flight with a luggage limit of 20 kg. Pack lightly to avoid additional charges at the airport. You will be expected to carry your own bag for up to 30 minutes, so most travelers use a backpack or an overnight bag with a shoulder strap. Smaller bags or backpacks with wheels are convenient but ensure your bag has carry straps to navigate cobbled streets, uneven surfaces, stairs, and steps.
While no specific physical preparation is required, a good level of fitness is advantageous. The Azores are best discovered on foot, with a few walks included in the itinerary and ample opportunities for further exploration during your free time. -
What policies are in place for Covid-19?
Please contact us for latest COVID-19 policies
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How long has the tour company been trading?
Intrepid Travel has been taking travellers around the world for over 30 years
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Will the accommodation included meet local health and safety regulations?
Yes
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What Ethical Travel credentials does the tour company have?
Since 2002, The Intrepid Foundation has supported over 130 organisations across the world. We’re creating positive impact through the joy of travel, community and connection.
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Do you operate a “single share” option and how does it work?
Over 50% of traveller travel solo with Intrepid. You can choose to share a room with another solo travelle of the same sex for no additional charge, or choose to pay a single supplement if you’d like your own room. Please request this when booking, and we will secure you a single supplement wherever possible. Please note, if you are booking a last-minute trip, it may be harder for us to secure a single room
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