Azores Encompassed Fly-Drive

Fly from the UK to Ponta Delgada, the capital of São Miguel Island. Upon arrival, pick up the hire-car and check into São Miguel Park Hotel for a three night stay. Spend the rest of the day at leisure.

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After breakfast, drive west towards Sete Cidades, one of São Miguel’s most spectacular volcanic landscapes. Stop at some of the island’s miradouros, including Pico do Carvão and, conditions permitting, Boca do Inferno, before continuing to Vista do Rei for the classic view across the blue and green lakes of Sete Cidades.

Descend into the caldera and spend some time in the village before continuing to Ponta da Ferraria on São Miguel’s wild western coast. Here, volcanic activity heats the seawater in a natural bathing area beside the Atlantic, with temperatures varying according to the tide and sea conditions.

On your return towards Ponta Delgada, perhaps visit Gruta do Carvão, the largest known lava-tube system on São Miguel. (B)

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Head east today, perhaps beginning with a visit to the Volcanology and Geothermal Observatory in Lagoa for an introduction to the volcanic forces that created the Azores. Continue along the north coast to Gorreana Tea Plantation, where tea has been produced since the 19th century.

Drive on to Furnas, stopping at Pico do Ferro for superb views across the volcanic valley and lake. See the steaming geothermal vents beside Lagoa das Furnas, where the traditional cozido das Furnas is slowly cooked underground using natural volcanic heat, and perhaps try the dish for lunch.

Spend the afternoon exploring Furnas and the beautiful Terra Nostra Garden, where you can bathe in the naturally heated thermal pool. Return via Vila Franca do Campo, or, if time and access arrangements allow, Lagoa do Fogo and Caldeira Velha.  (B)

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Return your hire car at Ponta Delgada Airport and fly to Terceira. On arrival, collect another hire car and drive to your hotel.

Spend the afternoon exploring Angra do Heroísmo, Terceira’s colourful capital and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once an important port on the trading routes between Europe, Africa and the Americas, its historic centre is filled with cobbled streets, elegant townhouses and churches. See Praça Velha and the 16th-century Sé Cathedral before strolling through the Jardim Duque da Terceira.

Later, head to Monte Brasil, the volcanic peninsula overlooking Angra, where walking trails and viewpoints offer superb panoramas across the city, harbour and southern coastline. (B)

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Discover Terceira’s volcanic interior, beginning at Serra do Cume for a wonderful view across the island’s famous ‘patchwork quilt’ of small green pastures divided by stone walls and hydrangea-lined lanes.

Continue to Algar do Carvão, one of the Azores’ most remarkable volcanic sites, where steps descend inside an ancient volcanic chimney to an underground chamber and seasonal pool. Nearby, explore Gruta do Natal, an extensive lava-tube system formed by ancient lava flows.

Later, drive to Praia da Vitória on the east coast. Explore its historic centre and waterfront, look out for the colourful Impérios dedicated to the Holy Spirit and perhaps finish the afternoon at Praia Grande, the island’s largest sandy beach.. (B)

 

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Spend today exploring Terceira’s quieter north and west. The countryside here is characterised by small green pastures divided by dark volcanic-stone walls and villages dotted with colourful houses and distinctive Impérios.

Make your way to Biscoitos, a coastal village with a long tradition of wine production. Vines are grown between low walls of black volcanic stone, which provide protection from the Atlantic winds, and you may wish to visit the local wine museum.

Continue to Calheta dos Biscoitos, where ancient lava flows have created a series of natural seawater swimming pools amongst the black rocks. When conditions allow, take a dip in the clear Atlantic water before continuing your leisurely drive through Terceira’s northern villages and countryside. (B)

 

 

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Return your hire car at Terceira Airport and fly to Pico. On arrival, collect another hire car and drive to your hotel.

Dominated by the unmistakable cone of Mount Pico, rising 2,351 metres above the Atlantic, Pico is the youngest island in the Azores and has a distinctly volcanic character. Depending on your arrival time, explore Madalena, the island’s main town, with its small harbour and views across the channel towards neighbouring Faial.

Alternatively, take a short drive along the coast for your first glimpse of Pico’s extraordinary landscape, where black lava rock meets the Atlantic and tiny vineyards are enclosed within traditional dry-stone walls.(B)

 

 

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Begin today at Gruta das Torres near Criação Velha, the largest known lava tube in the Azores. A guided visit leads underground through part of this extensive cave system, revealing unusual volcanic formations created as ancient lava flows cooled.

Continue to Lajes do Pico, an attractive coastal village closely connected with the island’s former whaling industry. Visit the Whalers’ Museum to learn about the lives of Pico’s whalers and the dangerous open-boat hunts that once supported local communities.

Today, Pico has a very different relationship with whales and is one of the archipelago’s best-known bases for whale and dolphin watching. Perhaps add a boat trip in search of the species found in the surrounding Atlantic waters before returning to Madalena through Pico’s dramatic volcanic interior. (B)

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.Explore Pico’s extraordinary wine-growing landscape today. Begin at the Wine Museum in Madalena before continuing into the Landscape of the Pico Island Vineyard Culture, recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Here, thousands of tiny vineyard plots, or currais, are enclosed by hand-built walls of black volcanic stone, protecting the vines from strong Atlantic winds and salt spray.

Explore the volcanic coastline around Cachorro and continue through the vineyard landscapes of Criação Velha and Santa Luzia, perhaps stopping to sample some of Pico’s distinctive wines along the way.

Continue to São Roque do Pico and visit the Whaling Industry Museum, housed in a former whale-processing factory, before returning to Madalena. (B)

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Return your hire car in Madalena and take the short ferry journey across the channel to Faial. On a clear day, there are wonderful views back towards Mount Pico during the crossing. On arrival in Horta, collect another hire car and drive to your hotel before heading into Faial’s lush interior.

The vast Caldeira do Faial occupies the crater of the Cabeço Gordo volcano, the island’s highest point at 1,043 metres. From the crater rim, look down into the immense vegetation-covered caldera, around two kilometres across and almost 400 metres deep. When the weather is clear, there are also superb views across Faial and towards neighbouring Pico and São Jorge. . (B)

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Drive west to Capelinhos, one of the most extraordinary landscapes in the Azores. An eruption that began here in 1957 continued for more than a year, dramatically reshaping the western tip of Faial and creating a stark landscape of dark volcanic ash and rock. Visit the Capelinhos Volcano Interpretation Centre, built largely underground so as not to detract from the surrounding landscape.

Exhibitions explain the 1957–58 eruption and the volcanic forces that created the Azores, while the old lighthouse, once standing beside the sea but now surrounded by volcanic deposits, is a striking reminder of how dramatically the island changed.

Continue along Faial’s west coast, stopping at viewpoints and small villages as you complete a scenic circuit back towards Horta. (B)

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Spend today exploring Horta, whose sheltered harbour has welcomed ships crossing the Atlantic for centuries. Begin at Horta Marina, where the harbour walls are covered with colourful paintings left by visiting sailors – a tradition said to bring good luck for their onward voyage.

Nearby, stop for a drink at Peter Café Sport, a Horta institution since 1918, before visiting the Museu da Horta to discover more about Faial’s role in early transatlantic communications and aviation.

Later, walk towards Porto Pim and the protected volcanic landscape of Monte da Guia for superb views across Horta and the Atlantic. Alternatively, visit the Faial Botanical Garden in the Flamengos Valley, home to a collection of native and endemic Azorean plants.(B)

 

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After breakfast, return your hire car at Horta Airport and fly back to São Miguel.On arrival in Ponta Delgada, make your way to your hotel for a final two-night stay. Depending on your flight time, spend the remainder of the afternoon at leisure. Perhaps take a stroll along the waterfront and marina, stop for a drink at one of the city’s cafés or simply relax after your journey.With a full day to explore Ponta Delgada tomorrow, there is no need to rush your sightseeing this afternoon.(B)

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Spend your final full day exploring Ponta Delgada. Begin at the Portas da Cidade, the city’s distinctive three-arched gateway, before wandering through streets characterised by traditional black-and-white basalt architecture.

Visit the Igreja Matriz de São Sebastião and perhaps the Igreja do Colégio, or enjoy a stroll through the leafy Jardim António Borges. Browse for Azorean produce and handicrafts and, when open, visit the Mercado da Graça for local fruit, cheeses and other island produce.

Later, return to the waterfront and marina or settle into one of Ponta Delgada’s cafés and restaurants for a final taste of the Azores. Alternatively, head out onto the Atlantic on a whale and dolphin-watching trip.(B)

 

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It's time to bid farewell to the spectacular Azores. After breakfast, drop the hire car off at the airport and then check in for the flight back to the UK. (B)