São Miguel, Azores, by Car

Upon arrival at Ponta Delgada airport, meet with the car rental representative that will facilitate your car rental arrangements. Afterwards, drive towards your hotel in Ponta Delgada where you will stay for 3 nights.

During these two days, we suggest exploring the island “capital”, a multifaceted city where tradition lives hand-in-hand with the present and cosmopolitanism with the wholesome tranquillity of Azorean life. Visit the Arruda’s Pineapple Plantation located at Fajã de Baixo, where pineapples grow inside of glass green houses, taking on average 2 years to be harvest. Take a tour until Sete Cidades, the west side of the Island. Going up in the direction to Pico do Carvão, you will be led up to the to the famous view of Vista do Rei and will see a spectacular landscape: North, Central and South coasts of the island, as well as the Fogo volcano located in the middle of the Island surrounded by green vegetation. Before arriving at Vista do Rei, make a stop at the Canário Lake and at the famous viewpoints of Grota do Inferno and Cerrado das Freiras. At Grota do Inferno, you will have to walk, as it is no longer possible to reach there by car. Continuing your tour to Vista do Rei, you will see the famous Blue and Green Lake, once considered one of the 7 Wonders of Portugal, surrounded by green landscapes and steep slopes. On the drive to the parish of Sete Cidades, make one more stop at Santiago Lake viewpoint. This lake is located at 334 meters above sea level, has a length of 700 meters, a width of 475 meters and approximately 29 meters deep. The return to Ponta Delgada will be along the south coast where you can stop at the “Miradouro do Escalvado” for a superb view over the fishing village of Mosteiros, with beautiful summer homes, beaches and natural pools, and the famous rocks, leftovers of an extinct volcano.

After breakfast, check out from your hotel in Ponta Delgada and drive towards your next destination, Fenais da Luz in the north of the Island, where you will stay for the next night. On the way there, we recommend driving along the south coast on the way to the city of Lagoa. You will see 3 black sandy beaches, São Roque, Melicias and Populo, about 4 km from Ponta Delgada. In the city of Lagoa, the Vieira Ceramic Company is worth a visit, an old company still going strong since 1862, where you will enjoy seeing a different kind of pottery and tiles still being produced the original way. After the visit, we suggest driving over the mountain of the volcano of Fogo, on the south side, enjoying spectacular landscaped views over the west, the volcano of Sete Cidades, as well as the south, central and north sides of the island. At the top of the volcano, Pico da Barrosa at 947 meters high, you will be mesmerised with the view of the big volcanic caldeira of Fogo and its magnificent lake with the same name. Your next stop will be Caldeiras of Ribeira Grande, located in the north of the island of São Miguel, in the beautiful county of Ribeira Grande. The village of Caldeiras da Ribeira Grande is testimony of the volcanic manifestations of this island. After this wonderful stop, drive to the town of Ribeira Grande, a very picturesque city with an original garden build around the water stream.

Today, you will drive to your final destination, Furnas, where you will stay for the next 3 nights. On the way there, take the opportunity to visit Praia do Areal de Santa Bárbara, one of the longest beaches in the region (approx. 1 km long); Gorreana tea plantation, one of the last two tea companies of “Camellia sinensis” in Europe, producing black and green tea. Take the opportunity to visit the factory and sample a nice cup of tea; in Pico do Ferro, you will get a magnificent point of view over Furnas Valley. Once you have arrived in Furnas, we suggest a visit to Terra Nostra Parque, within walking distance from hotel. It is a Portuguese botanical garden that contains one of the largest collections of camellias in the world, having more than 600 different variations, and also has the largest collection of Cicas in Europe (+$). It is worth a visit to the one-of-a-kind Parish of Furnas, the place where the famous “cozido” (meats and vegetables dish) is cooked underground and also known for its “caldeiras” and springs. Furnas is a good suggestion for lunch! After lunch, drive towards Caldeiras of Furnas; its hot water springs and medicinal mud is used for several skin and respiratory conditions. South of Furnas is Poça da Dona Beija, a mystical spa for leisure and relaxation, that is immersed in the Azorean nature and features geothermally heated water from an iron-rich water spring (+$). Heading toward the coast, visit Vila Franca do Campo, a picturesque village, and the first capital of the Island of São Miguel, destroyed by a huge earthquake in 1522. After through downtown Vila Franca do Campo, visit the chapel of Our Lady of Peace, located at the top of a hill with the same name, with a spectacular panoramic view of the parish and the famous lagoon known by “Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo”. A crater of a underwater volcano about 5000 years old, it is now a national reserve area. Use the last day to explore the east side of São Miguel Island, the oldest area of this island going back about 4.2 million years. Driving along the north coast, the first stop will be “Salto do Cavalo”, a spectacular mountain top view, standing at 760 meters high, overlooking the volcano of Furnas and the village of Povoação and its big extinct volcano caldeira, considered the biggest one of all islands. From “Salto do Cavalo”, drive to the village of Povoação, where the first settlers came to this island in 1432. Your next stop should be the viewpoint of “Pico Longo”. From this height, you will see the village of Povoaçao from a different angle, as well as Lombas, previously known as the wheat and corn valley. Ponta do Sossego, another beautiful garden surround by old mountains and sea is waiting for you and is an unforgettable stop. Before arriving in the village of Nordeste, you will have the opportunity to explore the oldest light house of the Azores from Vista dos Barcos viewpoint, build in 1876, and called “Farol do Arnel”. In the village of Nordeste, the main village of the county, it was once considered one of the Gardens of Europe, winning a prize in 1994, which the village proudly displays at the Town Hall. This is a perfect place to make a stop for lunch. Your last stop before head back to your hotel in Furnas, will be on the north coast at “Parque Natural da Ribeira dos Caldeirões”, where waterfalls, gardens and picnic areas gives a special touch to the park.

Enjoy one last breakfast the Azores then head to the airport to return your car or extend your holidays in Portugal and its islands!